> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Glamour and glitz be gone - URL: https://www.smdp.com/glamour-and-glitz-be-gone/ - Published: 2007-03-15T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T00:14:33.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Entertainment, Venice, #archive-import *Festival is miles from Hollywood* VENICE It’s not that Venice Film Festival. The curtains open for the fourth annual “The Other Venice Film Festival” tonight, which will screen works by more than 90 filmmakers by the end of the weekend in venues throughout the Westside. This year’s festival is expected to bring in close to 2,000 indie film lovers from across the region to take part in what one director — Santa Monica resident Marek Probosz, who submitted “The Death of Captain Pilecki” — calls one of the few true independent film festivals in the world. “To me, this film festival embodies all the spirit that all independent film festivals had once upon a time,” the Polish actor/director said. “One by one, they’ve all gone.” For the first time, the four-day event will feature a live stage reading of a screenplay. “Riding the Pine” will be performed on Sunday by a cast that includes Golden Globe winner Camryn Manheim, “One Tree Hill” star Paul Johansson and Steven Weber of “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” The festival kicks off tonight at 7 p.m. at the Electric Lodge with a screening of 10 short films, ranging in genre from comedy to drama. The event will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the film-makers. The event will continue Friday night with the screening of another 10 films, including “One Sung Hero,” starring Tenacious D member Kyle Gass and Nicole Sullivan from Mad TV. Full day screenings will take place on the weekend, culminating in an awards ceremony on Sunday when Oscar award-winning producer and Venice resident Tony Bill will receive the Local Maverick Spotlight Honorary Abbot Award. One of the highly anticipated film screenings is “The Death of Captain Pilecki,” which stars Probosz of Santa Monica. The actor and director has submitted works before to “The Other Venice Film Festival,” including in the inaugural year when he won the Winner Audience Choice award for “YMI,” which he directed. “The Death of Captain Pilecki” tells the true story of how Polish soldier Witold Pilecki intentionally entered the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II and organized i nmate resistance. During his stay, he informed Western allies of the deadly activities within the concentration camp. The communist regime executed him in 1948. “It’s the biggest honor to play Pilecki,” Probosz said. Probosz’ films have been featured in film festivals around the world, including the Cannes Film Festival, San Sebastian Film Festival and the original Venice Film Festival. None even compare to the true independent feel of the Venice fete, he said. “We need more festivals like ‘The Other Venice Film Festival,’” Probosz said. The festival was founded by local Venice residents Ruby De La Casas, Gary Ellenberg and A.J. Peralta in 2004 after each saw a need to showcase local talent in one big event. A resident of Venice for 10 years, Ellenberg, a filmmaker, said that the small West Los Angeles community is crawling with talented and artistic minds. The founders settled on the name “The Other Venice Film Festival” to avoid copyright infringement over the name of the original festival in Venice, Italy. “We kind of embrace that we are non-mainstream,” Ellenberg said. “We’re independent. We don’t have the red carpet and we try not to kiss Hollywood’s ass.” Several films that were screened at the film festival enjoyed theatrical releases, including “Frankie and Johnny Are Married,” written and directed by Michael Pressman, and “Jam,” directed by Craig Serling. “(The Other Venice Film Festival) is a great place to start and finish,”Ellenberg said. Santa Monica resident Harlan Steinberger hopes his film, “Welcome 2 The Hen House,” will be well-received. The director of Hen House Studios in Venice submitted his film for the first time this year. “Welcome 2 Hen House” is a documentary focusing on 50 independent bands that recorded their albums at Hen House Studios. Over the past five years, Hen House Studios offered their recording studio for free to artists and bands in exchange for the right for Steinberger and his crew to film them in the process. In the end, Steinberger compiled more than 1,000 hours of footage on more than 100 bands, each being featured for about 15 minutes. He later cut the number of bands down to 50 in the final draft. “We are a Venice-based studio and a lot of bands in the movie are from Venice,” Steinberger said. “It seemed like a perfect match and luckily, they agreed (to be filmed).” For more information, visit the event Web site at www.othervenicefilmfest.com. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/031507-02_01.jpg) IN RHYTHM: A singer records in Venice in a scene from ‘Welcome 2 The Henhouse,’ which will premiere at the ‘Other Film Festival.’ (Photo: Photo courtesy) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/031507-02_02.jpg) AUDIO VISUAL: The musicians featured in the documentary ‘Welcome 2 The Henhouse’ agreed to be filmed in exchange for free studio time. (Photo: Photo courtesy) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/031507-02_04.jpg) AUDIO VISUAL: The musicians featured in the documentary ‘Welcome 2 The Henhouse’ agreed to be filmed in exchange for free studio time. (Photo: Photo courtesy) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/031507-02_06.jpg) the bird (Photo: Photo courtesy Flipping Tinseltown) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 15, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/031507.pdf?ref=smdp.com)