Home is where the heart is....

I don’t know exactly who said it, whether it was Mark Twain, or Happy Chandler, but Jane Beshear reminded me at one of our meetings of the saying, “I’ve never met a Kentuckian who wasn’t on their way home.” Well that’s me.

Louisville’s International Film Festival affords me many ways to pay back to my hometown for the opportunities given to me. I want to let the world know that there is a lot more to the state of Kentucky and the city of Louisville than the Kentucky Derby.

Although I left many years ago to pursue my dreams in the entertainment industry, my heart has never left Kentucky. My frequent visits with Foster Brooks and Ned Beatty to help with their various causes for children of Kentucky has brought me incredible happiness and pleasure. My dedication to Kentucky has been extended recently through my involvement with the James Graham Brown Cancer Center’s “Mint Jubilee.”

My life and my professional career are firmly rooted in acting and the entertainment industry. Although I have helped many friends’ causes in Kentucky in the past (and will continue to do so in the future), my dream and passion is to showcase Louisville and the beautiful state of Kentucky. I want to make sure that filmmakers, producers, directors, casting agents and all the people who make films are aware of the opportunities of film making in Kentucky. We’ve worked hard on the recently passed tax incentives program and with that success behind us, we need to promote Kentucky as an ideal location for filmmaking and to increase awareness among filmmakers.

I am keenly aware that tax incentives are not enough, that’s why the Louisville Film Arts Institute (parent organization to the LIFF) is actively working to open the eyes of students in the educational process to the possibility of careers in film production. The LFAI is dedicated to creating funding for scholarships in school districts for students of film and to bring equipment into the schools. It is my hope and dream that moving forward, the Festival will generate funds to support film art studies for students that may be at risk of dropping out of school. We have begun our program with the Jefferson County Public Schools and they are very excited to be involved in it.

My role as a Governor of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences affords me the opportunity to pull from a pool of experienced and talented people to assist me in this dream. There are many creative and talented people from Kentucky in Hollywood. I want to create a venue for them to return to their home state and use their talents and success to promote the film arts in the Commonwealth so that more youngsters can enjoy the success they have enjoyed.

The first annual Louisville’s International Festival of Film is the beginning of this dream. I will use this space to update anyone interested in the success, challenges, and planning of the 2009 LIFF and the LFAI in general. Also, please watch for blog posts from staff of the LIFF as we all team together to bring you up to date on the Festival and our dedication to Kentucky.