By Heidi Simmons
The Palm Spring International Film Festival launched a new event this year called The Power of Words: Books to Screen. If you’ve read this column over the last several months, you know how much this subject interests me. With a record-breaking year of book-to-movie adaptations, there is no doubt this will be a timely and engaging affair.
The symposium will be held January 8 at the Hilton Palm Springs, Horizon Ballroom, and consist of four sessions where authors will be joined by producers, stars and screenwriters. The event begins at 9am and runs to 7:00pm
Moderators for the “Books to Screen” include Peter Bart of Variety, Anne Thompson of IndieWire and Barbara Boyle, Professor and Associate Dean from the UCLA School of Theater Film and Television.
The first session begins with Roger Ebert’s widow Chaz as keynote speaker. She will talk about the documentary film based on her husband’s memoir Life Itself. The film covers Ebert’s life and family as well as his decline and death. Ebert’s optimism and enthusiasm for film is constant to the end.
Author Lisa Genova along with producer Elizabeth Gelfand Sterns will talk about bringing Genova’s book Still Alice to the screen. Starring Julianne Moore, the story is about a woman as she deals with early onset Alzheimer’s.
Other participants include Amy Albany author of Low Down, which is the story of her father, pianist Joe Albany and his battle with heroine addiction. Albert Berger the producer of the film will participate in the discussion.
Black Hawk Down author Mark Bowden and screenwriter Ken Nolan will discuss their experience getting the book published and the movie produced. Based on a true story, Ridley Scott directed the intense 2001 film.
Kaui Hart Hemmings will talk about her book The Descendants, which starred George Clooney as a husband dealing with the loss of his wife and the discovery that he was not the husband or the father he thought he was. Hemmings has a new novel called The Possibilities. Released last May, it will be interesting to discover how far along the book is toward becoming a movie.
Sal Mineo: A Biography by author Michael Michaud was brought to life by actor Val Lauren who played Sal in the adaptation. Both men will be present to discuss how they brought the biopic to the big screen.
Richard C. Morais author of The Hundred-Foot Journey will talk about his experience with Hollywood and getting his book made into a movie. Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg produced the film.
The Book to Screen event is curated by Barbara Keller and Susan Rosser. Rosser was instrumental in bringing the Rancho Mirage Writers Festival into existence.
Select films from the symposium will screen during the PSIFF on January 7. Barnes & Noble will hold a pop-up bookstore where the books can be purchased and signed by attending authors after each session. For more information and tickets call 760 318 8371. A reservation is required. Email: bookstoscreen@psfilmfest.org
