Cinema at the Edge Film Festival,

About the event

Housed at the Edgemar Center for the Arts, nestled in the Frank Gehry designed complex on bustling Main Street in the beach town of Santa Monica, California, the Cinema at the Edge Independent Film Festival presents films of all genres that feature a distinct vision, a unique voice or a challenge to what is expected and accepted in the medium. Cinema at the edge gives new and recognized films and filmmakers the chance to ignite audience buzz, gain acclaimed exposure, and provide global distribution opportunities.

The Edgemar Center for the Arts is well known on the West Side of Los Angeles as a venue where up and coming talent share quality work, and Artistic Director Michelle Danner is thrilled to now invite the global independent film community to experience this vibrant beachside collective at the 5th Annual Cinema at the Edge Independent Film Festival. Cinema at the Edge programs films with a unique voice and a clear vision, that blend genres or break conventions of the medium, with an added focus on life in the beachfront communities of Santa Monica and Venice and the talented group of independent filmmakers who make LA's West Side their home. Previous festivals have featured audience favorites from Sundance, SXSW and other major festivals, while maintaining a focus on world or regional premieres, challenging films that deserve a second look and showcasing local artists.

Previous iterations of the festival have welcomed Brett Ratner as an Honorary Chair, as well as a celebrity jury that included film veterans such as Susan Sarandon and John Singleton. Narrative features, documentaries and programs of short films screened for packed theaters at the Edgemar Center, and festival-goers also enjoy access to opening and closing night parties, an awards ceremony, a filmmaker breakfast and and a series of panels focused on the various stages of the filmmaking process. Our panels are made up of prolific LA-based producers, development executives, entertainment attorneys and distribution professionals, joined by filmmakers screening their work at the festival. Awards are given out by the jury in the narrative, documentary and short film categories. Each screening at the festival is followed by a Q&A, even if it has to take place over Skype from countries away.

Why should you sponsor?

Sponsors should support Cinema at the Edge because we are a young, up-and-coming film festival which seeks to support and raise the voices of creative independent filmmakers who are pushing the envelope and bringing something new and unexpected to the medium. We are a festival created by filmmakers, for filmmakers, and we have a staff of hardworking, talented, and dedicated individuals who seek to make each year of CATE even better than the last. We feature narratives, documentaries, and short films from all over the world, because we believe that everyone has a story worth telling. And as a small, independently-run film festival, we need all the help we can get to make sure those stories can find an audience.

Michelle Danner

Michelle Danner is the founder and artistic director of The Edgemar Center for the Arts. Michelle directed and produced the film, “Hello Herman” starring Norman Reedus (AMC’s “The Walking Dead”) through her production company All In Films. Renowned as an acting coach, Michelle has worked with many A-List talent privately and on set, including: Gerard Butler, Chris Rock, Seth MacFarlane, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Penelope Cruz, Michael Pena, Isla Fisher, Common, Salma Hayek, James Franco, and Zooey Deschanel. She has directed and acted in over thirty award-winning plays and musicals in New York and Los Angeles. Her directorial debut in film was 2006’s “How to Go Out on a Date in Queens” with Jason Alexander, Esai Morales and Ron Perlman. She is in post production with her latest movie the "Bandit Hound", starring Catherine Bell, Judd Nelson, Lou Ferrigno, Verne Troyer and Paul Sorvino.

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