CHS Grad Spearheads Film Festival

For 20 years, Chuck Rose has been organizing the Filmmakers Symposium's Arthouse Film Festival and rubbing elbows the likes of Kevin Smith, John Sayles and Viggo Mortensen. This year, the festival will screen for 12 weeks in two New Jersey theaters starting September 20, and could include names like Clooney, Mirren and Affleck—on the bill if not in the flesh.

The films are screening in Montainside and at the Monmouth Mall, so what's the local tie-in?

Rose started his film-lovin' life right here, where he grew up and went to Columbia High School with film producer Joel Silver (think Lethal Weapon, Die Hard and Matrix franchises). He wrote a column for the News-Record on his Boy Scout Troop (#4 out of Tuscan School) when he was 12. And he played golf at CHS—which afforded him the opportunity to play at the Maplewood Country Club just down the street from his house.

When Rose was 18, his parents relocated to the Jersey Shore and he headed off for Washington University where he made his first Super 8 film. (Rose later added a Master of Arts in Cinema History, Criticism and Aesthetics from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production from New York University. Currently, Rose has under development a World War II drama, "Ziggy's Only Son.")

Old friends from CHS have occasionally lured Rose back, and he even taught film classes at Seton Hall University for a spell, filling in for a professorial friend who was on sabbatical. Rose also noted that Maplewood and South Orange have produced a number of creative types, but instead of focusing on the Shues or Lauryn Hill, Rose mentioned the well-regarded documentary filmmaker Mark Levin, as well as Joel Silver, whom he said used to "run" Columbia High during his time there as a student.

Another local tie-in? Rose's film festival requires advance subscription, and the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School is now offering the Filmmakers Symposium's Arthouse Film Festival participation and registration on its website at  www.somadultschool.org (or call directly at 973-378-7620).

Rose says he tries to include a bigger film with recognizable stars as the first offering of the evening and then often follows with a more obscure, challenging film as the chaser. Producers, directors and actors are often on hand to discuss films after screenings, or Rose provides a forum. The festival has hosted 1,393 movie premieres with 926 live guest appearances over the past 20 years.

The Filmmakers Symposium's Arthouse Film Festival starts September 20 and will run for 12 weeks at AMC Loews Mountainside and AMC Loews Monmouth Mall.

"The program will always be flexible in order to take advantage of opportunities as they arise," said Rose. "Wonderful surprises and fantastic celebrities can pop up out of nowhere, so I try to keep the schedule as fluid as possible. In the past three years, we have premiered 101 films that later earned a total of 21 Oscar, 32 Spirit, 26 British Academy, and 16 European Film Award nominations."

"Even before we started 20 years ago, I worked to create an international VIP network of filmmakers, actors, journalists, critics and film industry pros whose jobs involve finding and evaluating the cream of Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, Venice, Berlin, Tribeca and the other important film festivals.  We also work to ferret out potential hits in the development and production stages so we are ready to pounce on the best films first," explained Rose.

The festival is open to anyone, but seating is limited, so early enrollment is advised.  Subscription is $171 for six weeks or $309 for 12 weeks. Discounts will be available for early registration.  Also being offered is a 'Bring Your Friends' special: for each friend (new subscriber) who signs up with you, you get $50 off your subscription for 12 weeks (or $25 off for six weeks); or bring four friends and your subscription is free. For information or to register, call 1-800-531-9416 or visit:  www.PrivateScreenings.org

Confirmed films and those under consideration for the upcoming festival include:

• "Bride Flight" with Karina Smulders, Waldemar Torenstra, director Ben Sombogaart;
• "Blue Valentine" with Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, director Derek Cianfrance;
• "Brotherhood" with Trevor Morgan, Lou Taylor Pucci, director Will Canon;
• "The Company Men" with Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, director John Wells;
• "Conviction" with Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, director Tony Goldwyn;
• "The Debt" with Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, director John Madden;
• "The Descendents" with George Clooney, Judy Greer, director Alexander Payne;
• "The Double Hour" with Flippo Timi, Kseniya Rappoport, director Giuseppe Capotondi;
• "Gerrymandering" with Howard Dean, Arnold Schwarznegger, director Jeff Reichert;
• "How Do You Know" with Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, director James L. Brooks;
• "How to Live Forever" with Ray Bradbury, Suzanne Somers, director Mark Wexler;
• "Jack Goes Boating" with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Ryan, director Philip Seymour Hoffman;
• "The King's Speech" with Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, director Tom Hooper;
• "Largo Winch" with Tomer Sisley, Kristin Scott-Thomas, director Jerome Salle;
• "Love and Other Drugs" with Jake Gyllenhall, Anne Hathaway, director Edward Zwick;
• "Miral" with Willem Dafoe, Freida Pinto, director Julian Schnabel;
• "The Next Three Days" with Russell Crowe, Liam Neeson, director Paul Haggis;
• "The New Year" with Trieste Kelly Dunn, Ryan Hunter, director Brett Haley;
• "Night Catches Us" with Kerry Washington, Anthony Mackie, director Tanya Hamilton;
• "Nowhere Boy" with Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott-Thomas, director Sam Taylor-Wood;
• "127 Hours" with James Franco, Lizzy Caplan, director Danny Boyle;
• "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" with Li Bing Bing, Hugh Jackman, director Wayne Wang;
• "Tree of Life" with Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, director Terrence Malick;
• "True Grit" with Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges, directors Coen Brothers;
• "Vision" with Barbara Sukowa, Hannah Herzsprung, director Margarethe Von Trotta;
• "Waste Land" with Vik Muniz, director Lucy Walker;
• "Welcome to the Rileys" with Kristen Stewart, James Gandolfini, director Jake Scott; and
• "Win Win" with Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, director Tom McCarthy.

Rose is an alumnus of the Warner Bros. Writers Workshop, and holds a

The festival is constantly evolving. Call for the latest updates, digital versions and photos.  Also visit www.PrivateScreenings.org.