Drawing some 24,000 attendees to the picturesque hamlet of Carmel-by-the-Sea, this year’s fest opens with “Learning to Drive” and will screen some 120 films, an international slate that ranges from feature-length fare (“Nightcrawler,” “Merry Friggin’ Christmas”) to shorts, documentaries and student films.
A special spotlight on animation will feature a DreamWorks master class panel discussion and behind-the-scenes look at “How to Train Your Dragon 2” with producer Bonnie Arnold, supervising sound designer Randy Thom, “POV” production designer Pierre-Olivier Vincent and composer John Powell. The panel will be moderated by Variety’s vice president and executive editor Steven Gaydos on Oct. 18.
“I love being able to share the inner workings of the production process with movie fans,” says Arnold. “We are so fortunate to have industry icons like Randy Thom and John Powell as part of our team and thrilled they can join me and our production designer, Pierre-Olivier Vincent, this year at Carmel.”
Other highlights include a film-financing panel with Lauren Selig of Shake and Bake Productions, attorney Roger Royce and John Eraklis of Exodus Entertainment.
