AARP today announced it will bring its Movies for Grownups Film Festival to Los Angeles, CA, as part of the organization’s annual National Event & Expo, Life@50+.
Taking place September 22-24, this year’s lineup features some of the season’s great new films, including a few pre-release titles and a Hollywood premiere. Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Seth Rogen and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are just some of the actors confirmed to attend the screenings and participate in panel discussions throughout this three-day event.
Other speakers at the Life@50+ event will include Leeza Gibbons, Jane Goodall, Tim Gunn, Spike Lee, Martina Navratilova, Richard Simmons and many others.
“We created the Movies for Grownups Film Festival to spotlight and celebrate movies with storylines, performances and filmmaking that have distinct relevance to the 50+ audience,” said Nancy Perry Graham, Vice President and Editor of AARP The Magazine. “It’s great to see Hollywood embracing the grownup audience and developing more projects with mature characters and storylines. We’re proud to feature some of these films as part of our film festival this year.”
AARP is rolling out the red carpet for the Hollywood premiere of The Way, written and directed by Emilio Estevez and starring Martin Sheen, which will be the featured screening of the Movies for Grownups Film Festival. Taking place at the NOKIA Theatre on Friday, September 23rd, tickets for the premiere will be available free of charge to registered attendees of AARP’s Life@50+ event. This unique opportunity will allow AARP members and the 50+ community to rub elbows with some of Hollywood’s biggest names.
“Turning a certain age used to be considered a challenge in the movie industry,” added Graham. “But that’s no longer the case thanks to people like Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Meryl Streep, and Betty White, to name a few. They’ve proudly embraced their age and it has translated to huge box office success. We hope to see this trend continue.”
Developed in 2002 by AARP The Magazine’s editors, the Movies for Grownups franchise celebrates films throughout the year in AARP’s award-winning multimedia channels: AARP The Magazine, online at www.AARP.org/movies, radio, events and more.
The following films will be showcased at this year’s Movies for Grownups Film Festival:
Thursday, Sept. 22nd
- Time: 12:30 p.m. Film: Thunder Soul. Location: Regal Cinemas/L.A. Live. Synopsis: In the 1970s, music teacher Conrad “Prof” Johnson transformed Houston’s struggling Kashmere High School Stage Band into a world-class funk powerhouse. Produced by Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx, this music-filled, heartfelt documentary, the band’s illustrious alumni return to play a tribute concert for 92-year-old Prof.
- Time: 1:30 p.m. Film: Mexico: The Royal Tour. Location: L.A.C.C Theater, Room 411 . Synopsis: What better host for a whirlwind tour of Mexico than the nation’s president, Felipe Calderon and AARP’s Travel Ambassador, Peter Greenberg? This exclusive tour of our neighboring country showcases some of Mexico’s best offerings including cave diving, pyramid climbing, zip lining and spelunking down a 1,000-foot-deep cavern. Peter Greenberg will also discuss his experiences after the screening and a free copy of Peter’s latest book will be available for all attendees of the film.
- Time: 3:30 p.m. Film: 50/50 – Pre-Release Screening. Location: Regal Cinemas/L.A. Live . Synopsis: Actor Seth Rogen and writer of the film, Will Reiser, will join the audience in person to introduce this offbeat comedy about a 27-year-old writer (“Inception” costar Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who learns he has cancer. To help him through, he’s got a well-meaning pal (Seth Rogen), a freaked-out girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), a too-involved shrink (“Up in the Air” Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick) and a smothering mom (Oscar-winner Anjelica Huston).
Friday, Sept. 23rd
- Time: 10:30 a.m. Film: Beginners . Location: Regal Cinemas/L.A. Live. Synopsis: In a single day, Oliver (Ewan McGregor) gets two rather stunning bits of information from his dad (Christopher Plummer): He has a deadly form of cancer … and he’s gay, he’s always known he was gay, and he lived a lie all through his marriage to Oliver’s late mom. Quite a bit to swallow, but in this quirky, big-hearted comedy, Oliver not only comes to understand the Dad he thought he knew — he also begins to figure himself out.
- Time: 1:30 p.m. Film: On The Shoulders of Giants . Location: Los Angeles Convention Center Theater Room 411. Synopsis: The best basketball team you’ve never heard of was also probably one of the best basketball teams of all time: The Harlem Renaissance, an all-African American team, went head-to-head with the top all-white team in the U.S. and won the first-ever national professional basketball title in 1939. Featuring Spike Lee and Maya Angelou, among others, this stirring documentary tells the amazing story of the “Rens,” and honors their role in sports history. BONUS: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who co-wrote the film, and acclaimed director Spike Lee will host a discussion on the film following the screening.
- Time: 6:00 p.m. (Red Carpet, 5:00 p.m.) Film: The Way – Pre-Release Screening and Hollywood Premiere . Location: NOKIA Theatre . Synopsis: The Way is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends, and the challenges we face while navigating this ever changing and complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an irascible American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son (played by Emilio Estevez), killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking The Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honor his son’s desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn’t plan on is the profound impact the journey will have on him and his “California Bubble Life.” BONUS: attendees can arrive early to see Sheen and Estevez walk the Hollywood red carpet outside the theatre entrance.
Saturday, Sept. 24th
- Time: 9:00 a.m. Film: Dolphin Tale – Opening Day Screening . Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Theater Room 411. Synopsis: Starring Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, and Harry Connick, Jr., Dolphin Tale is an inspiring family film based on the true story of how a team of determined men, women, and children saved the life of Winter, a bottlenose dolphin who lost her tail in a fishing accident and how Winter went on to inspire disabled people everywhere.
- Time: 12:30 p.m. Film: The King’s Speech . Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Theater Room 411 . Synopsis: Winner of AARP The Magazine’s Best Movie for Grownups for 2010, Colin Firth shows why he won the Oscar Award (and AARP The Magazine’s Best Actor) for his portrayal of the man destined to become king of England who battles a speech impediment. Also featuring Geoffrey Rush as the pioneering speech therapist determined to help him believe in himself, enjoy this Oscar-winning classic one more time.
Find out more about the Life@50+ event here.
