Editor

Away From Her, one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, comes to the 8th Annual Ojai Film Festival (Oct. 4 - 7) on Saturday October 6th, 12:30 p.m. at the Ojai Playhouse. Featuring outstanding performances from Academy Award® winner Julie Christie (Darling), Gordon Pinsent (The Good Shepherd) and Academy Award® winner Olympia Dukakis (Moonstruck), the film tells the poignant story of a long-married couple who are faced with the reality of one’s fading memory due to the debilitating disease Alzheimer’s.

Julie Christie will participate in a Lionsgate sponsored Q&A after the screening that will be moderated by Variety editor Timothy M. Gray.

Adapted from the Alice Munro story “The Bear Came Over The Mountain,” Away From Her marks Canadian actress Sarah Polley’s (The Sweet Hereafter) impressive directorial debut. Since its premiere, the film has received numerous awards including Best Feature Film from the Writers Guild of Canada. Beloved by critics nationwide, Away From Her was declared, “a beautifully done film made with delicacy and classic virtues, it showcases a luminous Julie Christie” (Los Angeles Times) and “a meticulous, beautifully-acted exploration of loss of identity” (The New York Times).

Christie will also appear with Academy Award® winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond for a special screening of her Academy Award® nominated role in McCabe & Mrs. Miller on Friday October 5th, 5:30 p.m. at the Ojai Playhouse.

The 8th Annual Ojai Film Festival features: a free outdoors screening of In The Shadows of the Moon at the Libbey Bowl on Thursday October 4th; the West coast premiere of Numb on Saturday October 6th with director Harris Goldberg and stars Matthew Perry and Mary Steenburgen in attendance; Academy Award® winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond (Close Encounters of The Third Kind, The Deer Hunter, The Black Dahlia) receiving this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award; a tribute to the late cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs (Easy Rider, Shampoo) with his wife, daughter and biographer in attendance; honoring of film educator James Hosney; a cinematographer’s panel featuring Vilmos Zsigmond and Louis Schwartzberg (America’s Heart and Soul); a screenwriting panel featuring Harris Goldberg (Numb) and Scott Prendergast (Kabluey); the Panavision Into the Limelight Project of filmmakers from 10 prominent film schools with Master of Ceremonies Bill Paxton; a sneak peak at James Chressanthis’ documentary Laszlo & Vilmos; and a special Regional Reels series featuring films of local filmmakers.