Edgemar Center hosts the inaugural Cinema at the Edge film fest

By Susan King

May 28, 2013 12 AM PT

Santa Monica’s Edgemar Center for the Arts is the host of the first Cinema at the Edge Independent Film Festival, which kicks off Thursday and continues through Sunday.

“We’re delighted to give independent filmmakers an opportunity to screen their films in a community setting on the Westside,” artistic director and festival founder Michelle Danner said in a statement.

The festival will present screenings, parties and artists’ programs that celebrate indie film. Movies competing in the narrative feature, documentary and short film categories will be eligible for the Jury and Audience Awards. The award winners will then be given the opportunity to screen their films for industry professionals working in international film distribution.

VIDEO: Upcoming summer films

The festival opens Thursday with director John Adams’ drama “Knuckle Jack.” Among the other narrative features in the festival are John Asher’s “Marry Me,” Vincent Grashaw’s “Coldwater” and Sanjay Talreja’s “Surkhaab.” Feature documentaries include “This American Journey” and “City World.”

The final day of the festival features a conversation with veteran indie filmmaker Henry Jaglom (“Festival in Cannes,” “Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?”).

“Many films that screen at the larger film festivals don’t immediately catch fire and tend to fall through the cracks,” co-festival director Jason Chase Tyrrell said in a statement. “We want to give these exceptional films another chance to connect with audiences and to gain exposure and additional opportunities for global distribution.”

ALSO:

Dances With Films: Indie film fest celebrates sweet 16

Cannes 2013: Palme d’Or goes to ‘Blue is the Warmest Color’

Cannes 2013: Alec Baldwin, James Toback feel ‘Seduced and Abandoned’