H'w'd Fest flies ... so far

Conceived and organized by fest circuit neophytes, the very fact that it opened at all was just short of a miracle. It wasn't even conceived last year, and only six months ago had it evolved into a competition for orphan films by emerging directors to be augmented with a series of panels.

The seed blossoming in the mind of fest founder Carlos de Abreu was to have a venue where undiscovered talent would have access to industry heavyweights.

De Abreu had trod this path before with his book "Opening the Doors to Hollywood" and via his Columbus Screenplay Discovery Awards. However, putting on a festival on the order of the local AFI, Gay & Lesbian or L.A. Independent Fest is considerably more complex than just having the Rooney-Garland, "Let's put on a show" ethos.

"I think it's great in a lot of ways," Sundance fest director Geoff Gilmore said. "There's this real sense of a threat to other festivals even before a single film has been screened. Also they have a wonderful naivete. They seem to be totally unaware that anyone else has new directors sections or that one of the foundations of these events is to foster the discovery of new talent."

De Abreu, a former exec with Cartier, said that one of the magic keys to the kingdom was simply the name "Hollywood." Sponsors came aboard, industry movers and shakers agreed to become honorary chairs and support organizations ponied up materials and services for juried prizes. It sounded good, respectable and solid much in the way the name Golden Globes has that 24-karat essence.

The facility with which the Hollywood Fest organization was able to assemble the basic trappings and materials for putting on its show have engendered anger, jealousy and shock among some fest directors. From the outside, it's been too easy.

That sense of flying blind and not bumping into walls infuses virtually every facet of the Hollywood festival. Dates were selected on the basis of hotel availability and it was only after major commitments had been locked in that someone discovered they would be running the week before the AFI Intl. Film Fest.

And despite the fact that they have different names and mandates, the new outing is generally perceived to have some connection with the more established one.

As to retaining its lucky charm, the upcoming days will be extremely revealing. Most festivals operate with a core year-round staff and an army of volunteers that swells in the days and weeks leading up to opening night.

Already there are signs of strain and miscues as raw recruits attempt to do their best in the absence of orders from generals with battlefield experience. Delivery of press material has been hit-and-miss, inquiries to the office have gone unanswered for days and its desk at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel lacks a telephone, so just try reaching someone for information about tickets and showtimes.

The tests to come are even more daunting. Filmmakers, guests and prints have to be coordinated with exacting precision. Will tempers prevail if a panelist fails to show up or a plane with a director is delayed by several hours? What happens when a delivery truck carrying films breaks down and screenings are backed up or have to be rescheduled to another day or venue? There are hundreds of potential glitches to address that are all about logistics, cool heads and quick wits that test the mettle of fest directors on a moment-by-moment basis and have famously undone several recent startup showcases.

However, just running smoothly isn't enough. Ultimately the acid test for any festival is its programming. In Hollywood, it's doubly difficult to succeed because you have to satisfy both the public and the industry.