Lindsey Fest goes Back to the Future
Actor, producer and director Lea Thompson will be a special guest of the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival, scheduled for March 4-7, 2010. Best known for her roles in the “Back to the Future” trilogy and as the star of television’s “Caroline in the City,” Thompson will join writer and producer Bob Gale at the festival for a 25th anniversary celebration of “Back to the Future.”
A native of Minnesota, Thompson began her performance career as a professional ballet dancer, performing in more than 45 ballets with the Minnesota Dance Theatre. She moved to New York at age 20 to pursue an acting career and quickly found success in the films “Jaws 3-D,” with Dennis Quaid, and “All the Right Moves,” with Tom Cruise.
Thompson’s credits include more than 60 roles in film and television, including “Red Dawn,” “Dennis the Menace,” “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Spy School” and John Hughes’ “Some Kind of Wonderful.”
With friend and frequent collaborator Robert Zemeckis, award-winning screenwriter, producer and director Bob Gale co-wrote and co-produced “Back to the Future,” which was the No. 1 U.S. box office attraction in 1985 and earned Gale an Oscar nomination for the screenplay. Gale went on the write both “Back to the Future” sequels.
Gale’s collaborations with Zemeckis also include the 1978 film about Beatlemania, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” and the 1980 comedy “Used Cars,” which starred Kurt Russell and Jack Warden. Gale’s first directorial project was a 1993 episode of HBO’s “Tales from the Crypt.” The 2003 film “Interstate 60” marked Gale’s theatrical debut as a director. The film starred James Marsden, and the cast included Gary Oldman, Christopher Lloyd, Amy Smart, Chris Cooper, Ann-Margret and Michael J. Fox and Kurt Russell in special guest appearances.
Along with Lea Thompson and Bob Gale at the festival will be actor James Tolkan who played intimidating principal Strickland in the “Back to the Future” trilogy and actress Jennifer Parker, Marty McFly’s girlfriend in the films. The DeLorean Time Machine will also be on display at several events during the festival.
The George Lindsey UNA Film Festival is one of the few film festivals hosted by a university. The event was founded in 1998 by UNA alumnus and celebrated actor and entertainer George Lindsey. Lindsey’s own film career has included several important roles, including the character Goober Pyle on “The Andy Griffith Show.”
I am very proud to have had three of my documentaries featured at the Lindsey festival in past years and to have won three awards from the festival. It is always a wonderful event with screenings at various locations across the Shoals area in northwest Alabama.
For more information, visit the festival website at: www.lindseyfilmfest.com.
