Contact: Laura Kobzeff          FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (916) 425-8820
info@damah.com

Emmy nominee ICM Executive Chris Lockhart will give “The Inside Pitch” workshop at the Fifth Annual Damah Film Festival to be held May 19-21 at Culver Studios in Culver City, California.

As the Executive Story Editor at leading talent and literary agency ICM, Christopher Lockhart works with ICM co-president and legendary talent agent Ed Limato to find potential projects for a small roster of "A" list clients including Mel Gibson, Denzel Washington and Steve Martin. Now he'll help you pitch your project for the best chances of success. Pitch workshop participants will get an opportunity to pitch their movie ideas to Mr. Lockhart who will share his honest opinions and guide filmmakers in shaping and strengthening both the presentation and story idea to suit what Hollywood insiders expect.

"So much of successful screenwriting in Hollywood today is about marketing," Lockhart instructs. "It's about the trends, it's about the needs of the buyer, it's about attachments and a host of other things that go beyond just the material itself."

"My feedback is based on my story experience and designed to help writers think about their story, improve their overall pitch and avoid common pitfalls. I'm very blunt but sincere, and I think most writers appreciate it." Common mistakes include the substantive, e.g., writers knowing their own stories well enough to account for logical gaps, and the technical, e.g., failing to make a succinct, compelling pitch. "The pitch workshop evolved from my desire to bridge a gap between writers and the dreaded story executive." Lockhart jokes, "We're not all like Tim Robbins in 'THE PLAYER.'"

A graduate from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with an MFA in dramatic writing, Christopher Lockhart is also a popular screenwriting teacher, lecturer, author and development consultant.

Founded in 2001, the Damah Film Festival – Spiritual Experiences in Film is open to all traditions and perspectives. Ralph Winter (“X-Men,” “Fantastic Four”), Hunt Lowry (“The Last of the Mohicans,” “Airplane!”), Stephen McEveety (“Braveheart,” “The Passion of the Christ”) and film critic Michael Medved are among the 2006 Damah jurors. Damah Film Festival (“du mah´” - a Hebrew word meaning “a metaphor that transforms”) is dedicated to encouraging an emerging generation of filmmakers from diverse perspectives to voice the spiritual aspect of the human experience through film. Tickets and information available at www.damah.com

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For more information about the Damah Film Festival, or to schedule an interview, please contact Laura Kobzeff: (916) 425-8820;
info@damah.com