LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ArcLight Cinemas, an evolution in the movie going experience, hosted its first annual Documentary Festival last week and announced the winner at a Gala held at ArcLight Cinemas, Hollywood on November 12. “Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians” was named the winner of the inaugural festival and received a check for $10,000.
The ArcLight Documentary Festival was created to offer talented, independent filmmakers a chance to share their work with fellow film-enthusiasts. More than 150 films from across the country were submitted, with more than 150,000 views of the trailers on the ArcLight Cinemas YouTube channel. In a film festival first, the ten finalists were selected by popular vote with the trailers collecting more than 30,000 votes on the channel.
“We couldn’t be more excited about the response we’ve received from filmmakers and our membership regarding our first Documentary Festival,” said Gretchen McCourt, Festival Executive Producer with ArcLight Cinemas. “ArcLight Cinemas is about the celebration of film and we want to thank all of the filmmakers and voters for sharing our love of documentaries.”
The final ten films were screened by a collection of judges including Rebecca Cammisa, Academy Award nominee for “Which Way Home;” Rhadi Taylor, Associate Director, Documentary Film Program at the Sundance Institute; Marjan Safina, board of directors for the International Documentary Association; and Gretchen McCourt, Festival Executive Producer. The festival was programmed by Jonathan Josell, festival co-director and owner/creative director at Mission Control.
Holy Rollers follows the rise of the Church Team, arguably the largest and most well-funded blackjack team in America. In their short existence, they have taken millions from casinos. Producer Jason Connell accepted a check for $10,000 on behalf of director Bryan Storkel and his entire crew.
“We are excited to see ArcLight Cinemas embrace the documentary film community,” said Connell. “I speak for many in saying that it is an honor to screen our film in this remarkable theater and being recognized by the panel of judges has made this process even more memorable.”
About ArcLight Cinemas
ArcLight Cinemas, created by Pacific Theatres, represents an evolution in the movie going experience. ArcLight Cinemas with locations in Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Pasadena and El Segundo, offers an unprecedented combination of technology, amenities, comfort, and customer service. Facilities include the historic Cinerama Dome (only at the Hollywood location) and state-of-the-art “black box” auditoriums as well as a café bar and a cinema-focused gift shop. Tickets can be purchased online without a fee and printed at home and at the theaters’ automated ticketing kiosks. For more information about ArcLight visit www.arclightcinemas.com.