POP!
by Sam Horn /
info@samhorn.com
Screenwriter Robert Moresco,
in blue, and his daughter,
Amanda, left, screened their
new film, "The Kings of
Appletown," at Sunset on the
Beach on Saturday. Joining
them were Georja Skinner,
chief officer of the
Creative Industries Division
of the state Department of
Business, Economic
Development and Tourism; and
Michael Palmieri, director
of the screenwriting track
of the Maui Writers
Conference.
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Oscar winner Robert Moresco debuts his latest
film on the beach as part of the yearly writers
festival
When Academy Award-winning writer/producer Robert
"Bobby" Moresco walked across the sand in front of
the movie screen at Sunset on the Beach on Saturday
night, he gazed at the crowd gathered to watch the
film he'd made with his daughter, and assessed the
evening with a screenwriter's sparing prose: "This
is so cool," he said, shaking his head and grinning.
"This is amazing."
POP!
by Sam Horn /
info@samhorn.com
John Tullius, founder and
director of the Maui Writers
Conference, and Tanja De
Hoff attended the screening.
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For 16 years the Maui Writers Conference has been
the go-to series of seminars for successful authors
and would-be scribes to learn, network and infuse
their keyboards with inspiration. But this year the
Labor Day weekend gathering moved to Oahu and
reached out to the local community.
"Our primary mission has always been to bring
literature and publishing to the people of Hawaii,"
conference founder and director John Tullius said.
This time, they did it in the form of a colorful,
outdoor premiere of a movie slated for national
theatrical release at Christmas. "The Kings of
Appletown," starring Dylan and Cole Sprouse of
Disney's "Suite Life of Zack and Cody" fame, seemed
to please the teens and tweens in attendance with
amusing dialogue and exciting chases on motorbikes
and jet skis. Tullius pleaded with viewers to avoid
sharing the outcome of the comedy/action flick.
The movie had been in the cutting room only two
weeks earlier, making the sneak peek even more
special. "We jumped a lot of hurdles to make this
happen," Tullius added. It started with a
long-standing relationship with Robert Moresco,
teaching at the retreat and conference for his third
year. This time, however, he directed the movie,
which was written by his 33-year-old daughter,
Amanda Moresco, who found Sunset on the Beach the
ideal venue for her feature film debut.
"It's a family film, and this is a real family
experience," she said. Because Amanda and her
57-year-old father have worked together for six
years, they "know how to separate the emotional from
the work," she laughed. "But it's always exciting
because my dad's top notch. ... If you're going to
trust your writing with anyone, you're going to
trust it with someone who's not going to let one
thing slide. I couldn't ask for anything more."
Michael Palmieri, director of the conference's
screenwriting retreat and seminar track, met Robert
when Palmieri was an executive at Paramount about 17
years ago. "He always had great characters and
dialogue in his scripts," Palmieri said, "and I was
impressed by his authenticity. He had no pretense."
The Maui Writers Conference always attracts
marquee names willing to share their wisdom in a
tropical setting. This year, 18 New York Times
best-selling authors and a Pulitzer Prize nominee
presided over an extensive list of accomplished but
always accessible publishers, editors, agents,
authors and consultants. And most of them, like
Robert Moresco, remember how it feels to be on the
other side.
Tullius said Robert grew up in Hell's Kitchen in
New York. He started his career as an actor, and
struggled for 35 years before hitting it big with
"Crash," which won Academy Awards in 2006 for
screenwriting and for best film. He remains a
teacher at heart, and founded the Actor's Gym
theater company in Los Angeles to help people
develop their skills. According to PBS, he has
produced and/or directed more than 35 theatrical
productions.
"He brings his humanity to this," Tullius added.
"He's a very open, down-to-earth guy."
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