UCLA Screenwriting Professor and Chairman, Richard Walter, shares with his participants the same unfailing foundations and principles that he teaches at UCLA, where he's chaired the legendary screenwriting department for over
27 years. Richard Walter is head of UCLA's Department of Film and
Television. His former students' screenplays include WAR OF THE WORLDS,
SIDEWAYS, and THE SIMPSONS, to mention just a few.

The Ventura Film Festival raises money for forest and ocean preservation, conservation, and restoration. Last year's Ventura Film Festival was a week long event held at the historic Majestic Ventura Theater and five other theaters in downtown Ventura, California and featured over 100 films from all over the world including Surfer Magazine's "Best Surf Film", Bustin Down the Door, and other award winning films such as MOMz Hot ROCKs, David Parsa's LIVE: A MUSIC AND SURFING EXPERIENCE, and Mango Tango.

At the recent Rhode Island Film Festival, "MOMz Hot ROCKs", which screened at the Ventura Film Festival, won the Viola M. Marshall Audience Award for Best Documentary. Marianne Hettinger, who appeared in person at the 2009 Ventura Film Festival to premiere her debut film, Mango Tango, was nominated for best director at the Queens International Film Festival.

The 2009 Ventura Film Festival also featured appearances by Surfrider's Environmentalist of the Year and surfing's first world champion, Peter "PT"
Townend and fellow environmentalist and surf legend, Ian Cairns, who founded the AP and OP Pro surfing competitions.

The rough cut sneak preview of local Ventura filmmaker and USC Film School graduate, Dylan O'Neil, which featured well known actors from major films such as the vampire classic "Blade" was also screened at the 2009 Ventura Film Festival.

More information about the Ventura Film Festival and it's environmental "GREEN" purpose can be read at http://venturafilmfestival.org. Film trailers and entire films can be viewed at http://venturafilmfestival.net.

Screenwriter Richard Walter is a member of the Writers Guild of America for thirty years, is a writer of substantial professional experience throughout the media. He is a published novelist, and the author of the best selling "Escape From Film School" and "Screenwriting: The Art, Craft and Business of Film and Television Writing."

He has written numerous feature assignments for the major studios and has sold material to all three networks. He has also written many informational, educational, and corporate films. Walter lectures on screenwriting throughout the world, and has toured The People's Republic of China, the Middle East, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico, Spain, Hong Kong, Vancouver and Toronto. He also lectures all over the United States. He has appeared on "O'Reilly Factor," "Today," "Hardball," "ABC Primetime," "Scarborough Country," "CBS News Nightwatch," NPR, KABC-Talk Radio and numerous independent television and radio stations. More than a hundred newspaper and magazine articles have described his work and the program he directs at UCLA.

In China this year Walter conducted a one-week seminar for leading writers from across The People's Republic. Among his students were the writers of "Raise the Red Lantern," "Farewell My Concubine" and "King of Masks."

"There were 100 writers crammed in the room," Walter recalls, "from 22 Chinese provinces, and another 50 peering in through the doorway of an anteroom. An additional hundred writers were turned away for lack of space.
This was my second visit teaching in China; I was in Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an in '87, lecturing and consulting. I also taught at the Hong Kong's Academy for the Performing Arts in the early '90s. So you could consider me an old China hand!"

The Ventura Film Festival is a 100% volunteer run environmental organization that was founded in 2004 by 3rd generation Ventura residents and is one of the largest volunteer organizations in Ventura County and is a "GREEN"
organization that raises money for forest and ocean preservation. All profits go towards environmental conservation.

You can volunteer for the Ventura Film Festival to help raise money for forest and ocean preservation by visiting http://venturafilmfestival.org and clicking on the volunteer link in the menu.