WATTSTAX Opening Night
United States
120 mins. John Anson Ford Theater, 7:00 p.m., Aug. 4.

Presented by the Hollywood Film Festival® and the International Documentary Association

A festive screening of this landmark documentary portrait of Black America captured in 1973. Artists who recorded for Stax Records, including Isaac Hayes and the Staples Singers, perform for an enthusiastic audience at the L.A. Coliseum in a concert commemorating the five-year-mark of the first Watts Riots. Interspersed with social commentary from the Black Community and biting comedy from a young Richard Pryor, this film, although unseen by the public for 20 years, has attained a legendary cult status among filmmakers and musicians.

Director: Mel Stuart
Producer: David L. Wolper

THE CHILDREN OF CHABANNES
United States
90 mins. Paramount Theater, 5:30 p.m., Aug. 8.

A tale of courage, resilience and love set during World War II, The Children of Chabannes tells the story of how the people of Chabannes, a tiny village in unoccupied France, chose action over indifference and saved the lives of 400 Jewish refugee children.

Directors: Lisa Gossels, Dean Wetherell
Producer: Lisa Gossels
Cinematography: Mustapha Barat, Philippe Bonnier
Editors: Lisa Gossels, Dean Wetherell

THE CHILDREN OF THE FOURTH WORLD
United States
57 mins. Studio Theater, 7:00 p.m., Aug. 7.

Even as a young girl growing up in Rockville, Maryland, Kari Engen knew that her life would be different. After college she moved to the Guatemala City dump to begin a ministry, called Mi Refugio (My Refuge), to serve the needs of the impoverished children whose families lived off the endless stream of garbage trucks. Children of the Fourth World is a documentary of the sometimes tragic and always inspiring story of Kari Engen and her kids.

Director/Writer/Producer: John Biffar
Director of Photography: John Biffar
Editor: Dave Beaty
Cast: Hosted by Ali MacGraw.

FROM RUSSIA TO HOLLYWOOD
United States
65 mins. Paramount Theater, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 8.

From Russia to Hollywood: The 100-Year Odyssey of Chekhov and Shdanoff, narrated by Gregory Peck, focuses on the epic journey of Michael Chekhov and George Shdanoff whose careers encompassed the major events of the 20th Century. They overcame wars and revolutions to coach some of the most legendary actors and directors in Hollywood in the '40s, '50s, and beyond.

Director/Writer: Frederick Keeve
Producers: Frederick Keeve, Peter Spirer, Charles Block
Co-Producer: Lisa Dalton
Director of Photography: Peter Bonilla
Editor: Robert Gordon
Cast: Narrated by Gregory Peck and Mala Powers. Anthony Quinn, Patricia Neal, Leslie Caron, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Sharon Gless, Beatrice Straight, Craig Sheffer, John Berry, Hurd Hatfield, Ford Rainey and many others share their memories of these two great acting teachers.

HOWLING FOR GOD
Belgium
64 mins. Studio Theater, 1:00 p.m., Aug. 7.

In Macedonia, former Yugoslavia, two Sheiks squabble for power in a Dervish brotherhood. Through the rivalry between these two characters, who correspond to opposing archetypes of religious leaders, the documentary offers a living glimpse of spiritual experience at a popular level which, despite the humorous situations and extraordinary images, may shock our sensitivity.

Director/Writer: Dan Alexe
Producer: Viviane Vanfleteren
Director of Photography: Philippe Guilbert
Editor: Nathalie Pigeolet

MY YIDDISHE MAMA'S DREAM
Israel
62 mins. Studio Theater, 3:00 p.m., Aug. 8.

My Yiddishe Mama's Dream is about world famous Israeli conductor Daniel Oren, son of a Muslim family on his father's side and an ultra-religious Jewish-Hassidic family on his mother's side. It is a portrait of an exceptional man, who is a kind of individual manifestation of the Arab-Israeli conflict. And beyond that, it is a portrait of a genius and exceptional opera conductor.

Director: Asher Tlalim
Producers: Anat Assulin, Udi Segal, Asher Tlalim
Photography: Nili Azlan, Ardon, Asher Tlalim
Editors: Anat Kirchuk, Asher Tlalim
Cast: Daniel Oren, Franco Zeffirelli, Rivka Oren, Sam Siksik Oren, Shulamit Oren