Colin Trevorrow and the young cast of ‘The Book of Henry’ crack open the L.A. Film Festival
The L.A. Film Festival opened on Wednesday night with the world premiere of “The Book of Henry,” directed by Colin Trevorrow and written by Gregg Hurwitz.
Trevorrow first broke out with festival circuit hit “Safety Not Guaranteed” in 2012, which launched him into a career that now finds him in an enviable position as part of both the “Jurassic World” and “Star Wars” franchises.
In introducing “The Book of Henry,” a comedy-drama hybrid about a family starring Naomi Watts, Trevorrow acknowledged the unique position he has come to occupy in the industry.
“I asked to come here, I wanted to come here and it’s because this festival is important and this festival matters,” Trevorrow said. “I know what this festival does to encourage new and diverse voices, perspectives on the human condition that we may not have seen before. It is so important in a business that can get a little heavy into the business side sometimes, for us to remember why we’re here, why we started and why we do this. So for me to be able to return to a film festival is a great privilege and it’s an honor for me.”
He added, “I started as an independent filmmaker, I still feel like an independent filmmaker, and you’re about to see an independent film.”
Before bringing out the cast, Trevorrow called out a number of key creative collaborators, including cinematographer John Schwartzman, editor Kevin Stitt, production designer Kalina Ivanov and composer Michael Giacchino. He noted songwriters Ryan Miller and Thomas Bartlett, who created “Your Hand I Will Never Let It Go,” sung by “the queen of rock” Stevie Nicks. (Nicks was in attendance at the premiere.)
Trevorrow then brought out the members of his cast that were in attendance, introducing Bobby Moynihan, Dean Norris, and young stars Maddie Ziegler, Jacob Tremblay and Jaeden Lieberher.
Watts was not at the event because she is shooting another film — “She couldn’t leave Budapest on a Wednesday,” said Trevorrow — but did send along a taped introduction that played before the feature. In it, Watts noted how the movie celebrates “the strength, power and exhausting responsibility it takes” to be a mother.
Trevorrow concluded his introduction by addressing any other filmmakers in the audience with movies showing in the festival.
“I feel like an old guy — ‘enjoy this time in your life, kids.’ It’s not that,” he said. “Very sincerely, this is a very special moment in your evolution as a filmmaker as you share your voice with others. Having had other experiences since, I can tell you that being at a film festival and meeting other filmmakers like you, and creating relationships that will last for the rest of your career and even the rest of your life, is special and you’ll never forget it. And you’ll look back on it in a way that I don’t think you will anything else you’ll ever experience.”
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