The ninth annual HollyShorts Film Festival will open on Aug. 15 with "Zero Hour," a film written by "Babel" and "21 Grams" screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga and directed by his protégé Dan Carrillo Levy, and will also feature an opening-night screening of "Punisher: Dirty Laundry," directed by Phil Joanou ("Three O'Clock High," "Rattle and Hum") and starring Thomas Jane, HollyShorts organizers told TheWrap on Tuesday.
The opening-night event, which kicks off the largest short-film festival in Los Angeles, will take place at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Aug. 15. Prior to the shorts screenings, the festival will screen one feature film, David Rodriguez's "Last I Heard," with Paul Sorvino and Michael Rappaport.
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"Zero Hour" stars Camilla Belle and Latin-American star Jaime Camil, and follows a young couple on a trip through the Mojave desert. Director Carrillo Levy is also a producer and marketing executive, and is currently working on the feature "Words With Gods" with Guillermo Arriaga.
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"Punisher: Dirty Laundry" is a tribute to fans who have kept the Marvel comics hero the Punisher alive through a number of comic-book and film reboots, including the 2004 film in which Thomas Jane starred. The 10-minute film, which returns Jane to the role he left because of creative differences during the preparation of a "Punisher 2" sequel, recently screened at Comic-Con. Jane described it as "a love letter to [the character] Frank Castle and his fans."
The HollyShorts Film Festival, which runs from Aug. 15 through Aug. 22, is an annual showcase of films of 30 minutes or less. Tickets are available at www.hollyshorts.com.