Celebrity sports agent Leigh Steinberg and his wife Lucy have donated $50,000 and signed on as title sponsors of the upcoming Newport Beach Film Festival. The new name,at least for this year,will be the Newport Beach Film Festival presented by Lucy and Leigh Steinberg.
The Steinbergs have financially backed the festival in previous years.
The moniker is not the only thing that has changed for the festival. It also has a new executive director and a new board. And it’s a new 501(c)3 organization.
Last year, under previous executive director Jeff Conner, the film festival filed for bankruptcy.
“I believe the idea was not bankrupt,” said Gregg Schwenk, the festival’s new executive director. “As a member of the economic development committee for Newport Beach, I decided I would take on the challenge.”
Schwenk said he and other organizers put together the film festival within six months,a task he said usually takes a year or more. The festival will showcase 45 features and some 100 short films.
Steinberg, a Newport Beach resident, was the inspiration for the movie “Jerry Maguire.”
Films will be screened at Edwards’ Island Cinema Theatres. Opening and closing night galas will be held at Edwards’ Big Newport Cinemas, in Newport Center. Short films will be shown at the Orange County Museum of Art
The event will run March 30 to April 6 and is expected to draw some 30,000 filmgoers.
For more information, call (949) 253-2880 or visit the web site www.newport beachfest.com.
