Snacking

Perched on a dry lake in historic Bitter Leaf, California, the Raccoon Village Family Resort is a shadow of its former glory. Then in breezes that shamen of showmen Jack Hicks with a lightning tongue and a bizarre proposal to resuscitate Raccoon Village by holding The Bitter Leaf Film Festival (formerly "The Blazing Hills Film Festival" until the fire). The rules: each entry must not have cost more than $500 to film. Suddenly the cut-rate spa overflows with cut-rate glitterati cutting deals, ducking photogs, and talking big-big-big. Meet Luis Cristal, Eurotrash auteur of the film Black which is just that -- no picture, almost no sound. Just black. And Mitchell Starch, whose Abbot and Costello Meet Alien is sure to be the hit of the Festival...as long as he can take care of a few legal matters first, like permission to use the Abbott and Costello and Alien footage. And Rudolfo Finnini, whose next project is a Punk-Rasta version of Lewis Carroll's tale entitled Alice With Attitude. It's all for art, of course. But will anything be left of Raccoon Village when the geniuses are through snacking?

Tom Schanley as pseudo-director "Rudolfo Finnini" cozies up to J. Keith van Straaten.	Francis Dellavecchia consorts with star-lite "Lucy Crucible" (Candace Duke).
Wreaker-of-celluloid-havoc "Luis Cristal" (Larry Maraviglia) can't believe that Francis Dellavecchia doesn't know his work.	Francis Dellavecchia cowers with director-fugitive "Mitchell Starch" (Steve Sheeren).
The incomparable "Ruby Razor" (Alison Shanks).	Tom Schanley is gaudy bard "Rudolfo Finnini" (with Francis Dellavecchia).
"Lucy Crucible" (Candace Duke) wants it all!	"Luis Cristal" (Larry Maraviglia) gets insistent with Francis Dellavecchia.
"Ruby Razor (Alison Shanks) gets handy with Julia Murphy.	J. Keith van Straaten gets squeezed.
Criminally creative director "Mitchell Starch" (Steve Sheeren, who also co-produced).	Alison Shanks as ultra-womyn's director "Ruby Razor".
Tom Schanley as the awe-aspiring genius "Rudolfo Finnini".	Slippery "Mitchell Starch" (Steve Sheeren) backs up Francis Dellavecchia.
Julia Murphy saves neu sensation "Lucy Crucible" (Candace Duke) from the media.	Is to not to touch my film!
Direc-tator "Rudolfo Finnini" (Tom Schanley) sees Francis Dellavecchia in a new way.	Candace Duke as screen-idle "Lucy Crucible", here surrounded by papparazzi and her bodyguard "Snake" (Solomon Miller).
Vaguely European director "Luis Cristal" (Larry Maraviglia) wants Julia Murphy to poison the forest creatures.

Synopsis and Review of Snacking

Synopsis (from FilmsOn.com)

The Sundance Film Festival, despite its early intentions, has become a glamorous winter-playland snow camp, like something that belongs in Frontierland at Disneyland. There, the rich and famous can walk on the streets like normals, and where unknown filmmakers can hobnob with studio execs like superstars.

But when film stars descend on a remote mountain summer camp in this comedy send-up of Sundance, three hopelessly overwhelmed camp counselor/festival producers are thrust into the awkward position of checking them into their shack-like cabins as the first ever Bitter Leaf Film Festival.

Ranging from the all-in-black-Prada feminist famous director super-bitch to the egocentric Italian cineaste who demands to poison all the chirping forest animals so he can have some peace and quiet, these very special guests of the fest threaten to rattle the poor little festival to shreds.

Review (from FilmsOn.com)

The writing is the star of this short excerpt from what is presumably a feature script by writer-director Emmett Loverde. Fascinatingly nuanced and neurotic characters form the eccentric base of this wry and knowing story that builds a delightfully wicked satire around the more unfortunate elements of film fests.

Exaggerated comedy can be overbearing, unless treated with a light touch by the performers. Everyone clearly had a blast on this film, and it shows. More of an in-joke for those in the film biz, it'll be a giggle-fest for everyone else nevertheless.

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