Press Release
 

The 2002 Hollywood Film Festival Opens With
The World Premiere of DreamWorks 'The Ring' 
Friday September 6, 1:32 pm ET 
 

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2002 Hollywood Film Festival will open with the world premiere of DreamWorks Pictures' thriller "The Ring." The opening night screening will be held on Wednesday, October 2, at the new Pacific Grove Theaters in Los Angeles. The star of "The Ring," Naomi Watts, who will later be honored with the Hollywood Film Festival's Breakthrough Acting Award, will be among the stars, filmmakers and industry VIPs in attendance.

The Hollywood Film Festival selected "The Ring" as its opening night feature. Hollywood Film Festival founder and executive director Carlos De Abreu said, "We all thought 'The Ring' was a classic thriller, full of suspense, with plenty of twists and turns. We are looking forward to beginning this year's festival by keeping the audience on the edge of their seats."

Those anticipated to join Naomi Watts at the opening night premiere include her co-star Martin Henderson, director Gore Verbinski, and producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald. Opening nationwide on October 18, "The Ring" is a remake of a Japanese thriller that became one of the most successful motion pictures in the history of the Japanese cinema and sparked a franchise. The story centers around what sounded like just another urban legend videotape filled with nightmarish images, leading to a phone call foretelling the viewer's death in exactly seven days. As a newspaper reporter, Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) was naturally skeptical of the story, until four teenagers all met with mysterious deaths exactly one week after watching just such a tape. Allowing her investigative curiosity to get the better of her, Rachel tracks down the video and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery of "The Ring."

Gore Verbinski directed "The Ring" from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger. Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald produced the film, with Mike Macari, Roy Lee and Michele Weisler serving as executive producers.

The 2002 Annual Hollywood Film Festival will be announcing its program line-up and closing night premiere on September 20. This year's festival incorporates the Hollywood Film Conference, Hollywood Humanitarian Symposium, Hollywood Film Screenings, and Hollywood Movie Awards.

The sponsors of the Hollywood Film Festival include the American Cinema Editors, ArcLight Cinemas, Art Directors Guild, Barco, Be A Star With Revlon, California Film Commission, Casting Society of America, Daily Variety, Entertainment Tonight, European Union, FilmMaker Magazine, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Hollywood Network, Hollywood Video, The Hollywood Reporter, International Cinematographers Guild, International Documentary Association, Motion Picture Editors Guild, The New York Times, Paramount Studios, PR Newswire, Raleigh Studios, and YAHOO! Movies, Inc., among others.

ArcLight Cinemas, which includes the historic Cinerama Dome, on Sunset Boulevard, offers guests a variety of movie-going experiences, from big screen presentations to special exhibits and film festivals, and it provides guaranteed reserved seats, online and on-siteticketing, an elegant bar/cafe and gift shop. 
 
 

Source: The Hollywood Film Festival