They do more than just throw parties

Lolita Harper

It is the quintessential Newport Beach experience.

It is the place to be seen. It is yacht parties and Jacuzzi

parties. It is “very high end.” It’s the Newport Beach Film Festival

Cinema Guild, and it’s all about keeping the filmmakers happy, guild

Co-President Rita Goldberg said.

The guild was created to give the local film festival a sense of

intimacy, she said. Although the festival itself touts some very tony

parties, the guild offers a more exclusive form of entertainment,

fashioned with the filmmakers in mind. Some of this year’s events

included a private party on Ethan Wayne’s yacht, a pool party at

Harbor Cove and another party at Wayne’s private home.

“They are very much intimate activities designed just for the

filmmakers so when they come here they have an opportunity to mingle

with other filmmakers from all over the world,” Goldberg said. “Our

parties are very desirable. We even had a top director from Hollywood

call to see how he could attend.”

The guild’s responsibility does not stop with merrymaking.

Volunteers also set up hair appointments, tennis matches, golf games

and dinner reservations for the filmmakers. They offer tours to the

city, suggest places to eat and run their dry cleaning. Anything and

everything to keep the artists happy and show them the best that

Newport Beach has to offer.

The guild is remarkable in its support for the film festival,

publicity director Todd Quartararo said.

“Not only do they raise money for the fest, but they support us in

other ways,” he said. “They do great parties.”

Guild members are committed to improving the festival, Goldberg

said.

“We love it and rally around it,” Goldberg said. “We just take the

larger scene and make it more intimate.”

All the events of the Newport Beach Film Festival Cinema Guild

have one purpose: to make connections.

The parties are meant for mingling. The scheduled lunches, tennis

and golf games are set up to mingle. Mingling here, mingling there,

the guild sponsors mingling everywhere.

“We want them to mingle with local residents who are part of the

mechanism, mingle with other filmmakers and industry insiders,”

Goldberg said.

She also wants the visiting filmmakers to “get a flavor of the

local city.”

“This is the Newport Beach lifestyle,” Goldberg said.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and

covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or

by e-mail at [email protected].