CBGB Music & Film Festival Sets 'CBGB', the Movie as Opening Night Premiere

The major motion picture CBGB will have its US festival premiere at this year's CBGB Music & Film Festival the five-day festival/conference that will take place in New York City from Wednesday, October 9 to Sunday, October 13. Based on the renowned New York club, credited as being the birthplace of American indie & punk, CBGB will kick off this year's festival. The Landmark Sunshine Theater on E. Houston St. will serve as the conference and film festival hub.

Based on the behind-the-scenes story of the beginnings of the US punk movement, CBGB features a talented ensemble cast channeling the prime movers of the era. Starring Alan Rickman (HARRY POTTER, LOVE ACTUALLY) as late CBGB owner Hilly Kristal, the film chronicles the creation of the music landmark and musical movement that spawned Blondie, Television, The Ramones, Talking Heads, Dead Boys and The Police. Other stars in the film include Malin Akerman (WATCHMEN, THE PROPOSAL) as Debbie Harry of Blondie, Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) as Iggy Pop, Mickey Sumner (FRANCIS HA) as Patti Smith, Rupert Grint (HARRY POTTER) as Cheetah Chrome of Dead Boys, and Johnny Galecki (THE BIG BANG THEORY) as record exec Terry Ork among many others.

The CBGB Film Festival will premiere an estimated 40 new movie titles, featuring Q&A sessions with directors, producers and/or actors. "We have programmed a lot of great films that cover a wide array of music topics without getting too far away from the independent spirit of CBGB," says CBGB Film Festival Director Joe Amodei. "We are also putting together a list of who's who in the indie film world to participate in some lively and informative film panels."

In addition to CBGB, a number of important music films will also have their worldwide premieres at CBGB Film Festival, including Louder Than Love: The Grand Ballroom Story (directed by Tony D'Annuncio and documenting the Detroit music scene) and Looking For Johnny, The Legend of Johnny Thunders (directed by Danny Garcia about legendary punk guitarist Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls). "Attending the CBGB Film Festival in New York City in its first year was an honor and a total blast at the same time," says director Garcia, who makes his second premiere at CBGB Film Festival (last year he debuted the acclaimed The Rise and Fall of The Clash). "I'm really looking forward to returning for this year's edition."

This year's festival will bolster its feature film line-up with the addition of short films from around the globe. "It's exciting to see the inclusion of some really cool shorts to the line-up this year," says Amodei. "With storylines ranging from a Springsteen fanatic who only speaks lines from The Boss's songs to a short, wild animated look at Vladimir Putin and the Pussy Riot saga, it looks like there will be something for everyone."

An abbreviation for "Country, BlueGrass, and Blues", CBGB holds a very important place in rock 'n' roll history when it began its auspicious origin as a music club on The Bowery in NYC's East Village. Founded by the late Hilly Kristal in 1973, CBGB became a hotbed for American punk and new music.

The deadline for early bird badge sales has been extended until August 16th. All Badge holder access to Music Showcases, Film Screenings, Conferences and VIP areas on first come/first served basis. CBGB Music & Film Festival 2013 will take place in NYC from October 9-13, 2013.

The CBGB Film Festival will continue to accept film submissions until September 1st. Entries can be submitted to: Joe Amodei c/o Virgil Films, 403 Broome St., 6A, New York, NY 10013.

For more information, please visit www.cbgb.com or email cbgb@missingpiecegroup.com.

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