Liberty Film Festival

Founded in July 2004 by American independent filmmakers Jason Apuzzo and Govindini Murty, the Liberty Film Festival took place primarily in West Hollywood, CA and was active between 2004 and 2008. The LFF screened over 80 films, of which approximately fifty were premieres and thirty achieved distribution,{{cite web|url=http://www.libertasfilmmagazine.com/about_lfm/the-liberty-film-festival/ |title=Festival record |publisher=Libertasfilmmagazine.com |access-date=December 16, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111205135604/http://www.libertasfilmmagazine.com/about_lfm/the-liberty-film-festival/ |archive-date=December 5, 2011 }} with events attracting over 12,000 attendees. During its active years the LFF also hosted tributes to directors Cecil B. DeMille, Raoul Walsh, John Ford, and Fritz Lang, actors John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and Charlton Heston.{{cite web|url=http://www.libertasfilmmagazine.com/about_lfm/the-liberty-film-festival/ |title=LFF events, honorees |publisher=Libertasfilmmagazine.com |access-date=December 16, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111205135604/http://www.libertasfilmmagazine.com/about_lfm/the-liberty-film-festival/ |archive-date=December 5, 2011 }} Festival speakers included Frank Price, former President of Columbia Pictures and Universal Studios, Joel Surnow, Creator and Executive Producer of the Emmy Award-winning TV series 24, actors Robert Davi (License to Kill) and Morgan Brittany (Melrose Place), writer/director David Zucker (Airplane!), writer/director Cyrus Nowrasteh (ABC's The Path to 9/11), film critics Richard Schickel and Michael Medved, screenwriter Paul Guay (Liar Liar), Kurdish-Iraqi director and human rights activist Jano Rosebiani (Jiyan), and a number of other film and media professionals.

The Liberty Film Festival received extensive media coverage in: the LA Times,{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-nov-07-et-goldstein7-story.html |title=The LA Times on The Liberty Film Festival |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date=November 7, 2006 |access-date=December 16, 2011 |first=Patrick |last=Goldstein |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020124649/http://articles.latimes.com/2006/nov/07/entertainment/et-goldstein7 |url-status=live }} The New York Times,{{cite news |last=Ulmer |first=James |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/26/movies/26ulme.html |title=The N.Y. Times on The Liberty Film Festival |work=The New York Times |date=June 26, 2005 |access-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-date=December 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111218033318/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/26/movies/26ulme.html? |url-status=live }} Washington Post,{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4846-2004Oct3.html |title=The Washington Post on The Liberty Film Festival |work=The Washington Post |date=October 4, 2004 |access-date=December 16, 2011 |first=William |last=Booth |archive-date=November 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112172403/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4846-2004Oct3.html |url-status=live }} USA Today,{{cite news |last=Thomas |first=Karen |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-09-30-Celsius-moore_x.htm |title=USA Today on The Liberty Film Festival |work=USA Today |date=September 30, 2004 |access-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-date=July 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709075148/http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-09-30-celsius-moore_x.htm |url-status=live }} Variety,{{cite news |url=https://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=upsell_review&reviewID=VE1117925171&cs=1 |title=Variety reviews "In the Face of Evil" at 2004 LFF |work=Variety |access-date=December 16, 2011 |date=October 7, 2004 |archive-date=June 24, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060624112117/http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=upsell_review&reviewID=VE1117925171&cs=1 |url-status=live }} and Hollywood Reporter;{{cite web |url=http://login.vnuemedia.com/hr/login/login_subscribe.jsp?id=SGIG2OX0VAwojjpMJWPMWwb7H8XdlFSn3RiqdqfFWbr61ed9WSOr6OQ59fPpr3LeqmK5ynCLZygx%0Ah8KkNNMJTrMx1Qj2JWoQ1iss2JHqugT4VoMy4SuTDxnYyad6XroxvS%2Bxw13L%2FRmokCIpg0x18mEr%0AgqZtTauMR65ZVy41rujVggISPY0Ie1aeTEBq9MT%2FUNi4MRiywBWkVBPNMEzqlkYToDl9CSaUheEX%0Apgv4vs9CDXRloFZHzcmzvx%2F5s0drPgGZJQT%2BppL0WO4RK3iR5g%3D%3D |title=Hollywood Reporter on The Liberty Film Festival |publisher=Login.vnuemedia.com |access-date=December 16, 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} the LFF was also featured numerous times on ABC,[http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/atm/reviews.html?sec=1&subsec=5202 LFF's Govindini Murty Co-Host's ABC's "At the Movies"]{{dead link|date=December 2011}} CNN,{{cite news |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0511/24/sitroom.05.html |title=LFF's Jason Apuzzo on Wolf Bliter's "Situation Room" |publisher=Transcripts.cnn.com |date=November 24, 2005 |access-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629134048/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0511/24/sitroom.05.html |url-status=live }} Fox News,{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,148198,00.html |title=LFF on Fox News |publisher=Fox News |access-date=December 16, 2011 |date=December 1, 2011 |archive-date=October 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020115355/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,148198,00.html |url-status=dead }} Fox Business,{{cite web |url=http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NGE5ZDgzMWJlNjBiMGU4NTczMTQ4NDNjNWUxOGYwZjA= |title=National Review comments on LFF's Govindini Murty appearances on Fox Business |publisher=Media.nationalreview.com |date=October 22, 2007 |access-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024235547/http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NGE5ZDgzMWJlNjBiMGU4NTczMTQ4NDNjNWUxOGYwZjA= |archive-date=October 24, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} MSNBC,[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna8485049 LFF's Govindini Murty] on NBC News's Scarborough Country AMC, C-SPAN,{{cite news |last=Santora |first=Marc |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/us/politics/06thompson.html?ex=1179979200&en=c26203fc1e09a178&ei=5070 |title=LFF and Fred Thompson on C-SPAN |newspaper=NY Times |date=May 6, 2007 |access-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-date=February 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225050408/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/us/politics/06thompson.html?ex=1179979200&en=c26203fc1e09a178&ei=5070 |url-status=live }} NPR, and also on the UK’s BBC, France's Canal Plus, Japan's NHK, Italy's RAI, and Dutch national TV.

The Liberty Film Festival has continued on in the form of its on-line film magazine Libertas,{{cite web |url=http://www.libertasfilmmagazine.com/ |title=Official Libertas website |publisher=Libertasfilmmagazine.com |date=December 6, 2011 |access-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-date=December 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111209065242/http://www.libertasfilmmagazine.com/ |url-status=live }} founded in January 2005 by Jason Apuzzo and Govindini Murty. LA Times film columnist Patrick Goldstein has called Libertas "a must read", and New York Times film critic A.O. Scott has called Libertas “insightful as well as provocative.” In 2007, the site was voted one of the top three culture blogs on the internet.{{Cite web |url=http://2007.weblogawards.org/polls/best-culture-blog-1.php |title=Libertas No. 3 Culture Blog at Weblog Awards 2007 |access-date=December 24, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707132716/http://2007.weblogawards.org/polls/best-culture-blog-1.php |archive-date=July 7, 2010 |url-status=usurped }} Libertas went on hiatus in the summer of 2008, returning in 2010 as Libertas Film Magazine (LFM).{{cite web |url=http://www.libertasfilmmagazine.com/ |title=Libertas Film Magazine |publisher=Libertas Film Magazine |date=December 6, 2011 |access-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-date=December 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111209065242/http://www.libertasfilmmagazine.com/ |url-status=live }} In recent years, Libertas has focused its coverage increasingly on independent film festivals, and such progressive themes as women's rights, human rights, science, and technology.

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20111205135604/http://www.libertasfilmmagazine.com/about_lfm/the-liberty-film-festival/ Libertas Film Magazine] – Liberty Film Festival official site

Category:American film awards

Category:Film festivals in Los Angeles

Category:2004 establishments in California