``More Than Peaches, Porn & Pop Culture Trends...'' -- The Third Annual Valley Film Festival Starts Wednesday!

The only film festival in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley kicks off its third year this Wednesday, October 29!

``More Than Peaches, Porn & Pop Culture Trends...'' -- The Third Annual Valley Film Festival Starts Wednesday!

(NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA) The Valley Film Festival, a non-profit project of Community Partners® , is pleased to announce its 2003 dates, venue, and film program.

The Third Annual Valley Film Festival will once again take place at the historical El Portal Theatre, in the NoHo Arts District, October 29 - November 2, 2003. Proceeds will benefit the development of (818), a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the education, production, and distribution of filmmaking in the San Fernando Valley.

The San Fernando Valley's only film festival made its debut in 2001, alongside the grand opening of Pacific Theatres' Galleria 16 Theatre. The three-day event showcased twenty-four independent films and screened five Valley "classics": Boogie Nights, Chinatown, Encino Man, Terminator 2, and Valley Girl.

In 2002, The Valley Film Festival moved from multiple screens to a single screen, and expanded from three days to seven, to place more emphasis on each individual film and the selected genres. In addition to the eight short and eight feature films in competition, The Valley Film Festival developed to include a panel discussion with Chris Gore of Film Threat, a Q&A with Kevin Roderick (author of The San Fernando Valley: America's Suburb), two short film programs, and introduced the "After Dark" series which pays homage to what most people think put The Valley on the global map -- porn!

The 2003 program features seven short and seven feature films in a juried competition; five documentaries in an audience voted competition; and an additional twenty-four short films -- including the popular "After Dark" series.

Opening night is free and includes the comedic feature, "Bachelor Man," directed by John Putch and starring David DeLuise (TV's "Jessie") and Missi Pyle ("Galaxy Quest").

Other feature film highlights are "Temptation," starring Annette O'Toole ("Smallville"), written by Lyn Vaus ("Next Stop Wonderland"), and edited by Ed Marx ("Swimming with Sharks"); Canada's "Rub & Tug" starring Don McKeller ("Exotica"); and Mexico's "Un Secreto De Esparanza" with the legendary Katy Jurado, in her last performance.

Short films with big talent this year are: "The Low Budget Time Machine," a sci-fi spoof with original music by Frank Black & Joey Santiago of The Pixies; "Dreaming in Black & White" with Malik Yoba ("New York Undercover"); "Click Three Times" with Isabel Sanford ("The Jeffersons"); and "Room 32" shot by Dan Stoloff (Academy Award-nominated "Tumbleweeds").