Filmex


The Los Angeles International Film Exposition, also called Filmex, was an annual Los Angeles film festival held in the 1970s and early 1980s. It was co-founded by Gary Essert, George Cukor and Philip Chamberlin in 1970.
In 1976, Alfred Hitchcock was the first person to receive the Filmex Trustees Award.
In 1983, co-founder Essert was forced to resign due to the festival's budget problems and disagreements with the board of trustees over policy. In his place, Suzanne McCormick was named as executive director and Ken Wlaschin as artistic director.
In 1985, Jerry Weintraub became chairman and chief executive of the board promising to make Filmex the world's number 1 film festival. Later in 1985, Weintraub became chairman and chief executive officer at United Artists and in 1986, Weintraub decided that responsibility for Filmex had to be shared and that it needed to merge with either the American Film Institute or American Cinematheque, the latter having been formed by Essert in 1984 after he left Filmex. The board voted to merge with American Cinematheque and all Filmex staff were laid off except Wlaschin. However, the board of the American Cinematheque wouldn't approve the deal until Filmex's debts were cleared. No Filmex took place in 1986 and in January 1987, the American Film Institute launched the AFI Fest Los Angeles to take the place of Filmex with Wlaschin named as director of the new festival. The Institute paid Filmex a fee to take over the date. The Filmex Society, whose benefits included allowing members to attend advanced studio screenings, continued, with privileges extended to the AFI Fest.

Filmex timeline

1971

1972

Young Winston opens Filmex '72 at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

1974

1975

1976

  • A Bicentennial Extravaganza opens the spring Filmex '76.
  • Alfred Hitchcock drives up in a Universal tour bus for the premiere of his Family Plot on Opening Night. Hitchcock becomes the first person to be awarded the Filmex Trustees Award. At the gala ball at the Century Plaza Hotel following the screening, Hitchcock gives a speech in which he decries a line attributed to him that "actors are cattle." That evening, Hitchcock said, "What I probably said was, 'Actors should be treated like cattle.'"; He was feted by several celebrities before his speech, including James Stewart. Those who attended were given a clear plastic paperweight with Hitchcock's famous caricature on one side and the Family Plot poster on the other.
  • A Tribute to Cuban Cinema is held, which generates controversy.
  • A Cowboy Film Marathon is held, screening 48 films. George Stevens, Jr. speaks after a showing of his father's film Shane.
  • On December 18, 1976, Filmex holds the world premiere for Barbra Streisand's A Star Is Born at the Westwood Village|Fox Village Theater] in Westwood Village. The stars, including Streisand, are in attendance with a post-event party at Dillons, at the time a new disco in the Westwood area. Ryan O'Neal, Peter Bogdanovich, Marisa Berenson, Alan Carr, Chevy Chase and Funny Girl composer Jule Styne are among the guests. The theme was "A Night in White," with many of the guests garbed in white attire. Streisand, dressed in all black, entered the screening just before the lights went down protected by a "V" of guards who protected her path to her seat at the front of the theater. Gossip columnist Rona Barrett and her husband were in attendance in the back left of the theater. After the screening, guests walked several blocks in a roped off area to Dillons disco in Westwood. The top floor of Dillons was restricted to Streisand and her party. Tina Turner was turned away from gaining access, along with several other guests. Celebrity photographer Alan Light, then a teenager, took several photos of attendees in the lobby of the Westwood Village while standing on a table near the entrance. He and his mother were somehow able to gain access later in the evening to Streisand's upper level restricted area of Dillons.

1977

Passing Through by Larry Clark
  • Filmex '77 is dedicated to Rosalind Russell, who had died that year.
  • A 48-hour Movie Musical Marathon is held.Animato by Mike JittlovEraserhead premieres at midnight on March 19. This was the uncut version, and much of this edit was lost when David Lynch recut the film in response to feedback from this first version.
  • AFI debuts a special section called AFI Critics Choice.Annie Hall is the Closing Night film.

1978

  • Filmex announces that in its first seven years, 48 films were acquired for distribution after Festival exposure.
  • The festival's theme is animation, with several screenings of animated films featured
  • In keeping with the overall salute to animation, the first known retrospective of animated television commercials is the first of four special screenings compiled by James Hall, shorts and documentary selection committee member since 1975; with film and advertising industry artists attending a post-screening reception sponsored by Advertising Age magazine.
  • Lillian Gish appears at the screening of Broken Blossoms.
  • In-person Tributes are held for Norman Jewison and Olivia de Havilland.
  • Filmex '78 salutes Oscar's 50th anniversary with a 50-hour film marathon.

1979

1980

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle plays at Filmex '80.
  • A Tribute to Paul Robeson is presented.
  • The first theatrical retrospective of political television commercials was compiled by documentary and shorts selection committees member James Hall, featuring 30 years of presidential and local TV ads
  • The Mighty Movie Marathon

1981

  • Filmex '81, the 10th anniversary, is held at nine different locations around Hollywood in Los Angeles.
  • The opening night gala was a financial disaster.
  • A Special Section called "Treasures from AFI" is presented.
  • The "Scared To Death" 50-hour Horror Film Marathon is held.
  • Loretta Young is saluted with a Tribute.
  • The first theatrical retrospective of classic television commercials was compiled by documentary and shorts committees member James Hall for a screening at the Fairfax Theatre. From this program, Hall created three TV "specials" for NBC-TV.
  • Elizabeth Taylor is awarded the Filmex Trustees Award at the Ahmanson Theatre. A dinner-dance is also held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the $90,000 proceeds of both are earmarked for the creation of a cinematheque with the declared aim that it will eventually build on the work of Filmex and provide year-round film programming of classic and new films from around the world at the Los Angeles Film Center.

1982

The Loveless, Eating Raoul, The Secret Policeman's Other Ball, Chan Is Missing, Cat People, Das Boot, Diva and Coup de Torchon top the list of films screened at Filmex '82.
  • Natalie Wood is remembered with a Tribute, shortly after her death.Victor Victoria has a splashy premiere.
  • Tom Laughlin joins the board of trustees, giving a $100,000 matching grant to help finance the festival.
  • Essert is accused by the LA Times of mismanagement and fiscal irresponsibility and of alienating some of the board.

1983

1984

1985

1986

  • Filmex's board of trustees votes to merge with the American Cinematheque however, the merger does not go through.
  • All Filmex staff are laid off other than Wlaschin.
  • The 1986 festival was cancelled.

1987

  • AFI Fest is launched in Filmex's slot in March with Wlaschin as the festival's director.