“From Script to Screen”

About the Panel and Mardik Martin:
The 2009 International Beverly Hills Film Festival is holding a panel and discussion with Mardik Martin and Evan York. Mardik is a currently a senior lecturer at the University of Southern California [USC], where he teaches screenwriting.  He emigrated from Baghdad at the age of 18 to attend New York University in the early 1960s.  He first earned a B.A., at NYU and then won a script contest, which allowed him to complete his Master’s in screenwriting.

While a student at NYU, he also met a fellow student by the name of Martin Scorcese. Together they made many shorts and documentaries and collaborated on a screenplay titled “Mean Streets”—it was the film that eventually launched Mardik’s career, as well as that of Scorcese, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel and Jonathan Taplan.  

The film was shown at the New York Film Festival in and received critical acclaim. Hollywood then beckoned Mardik who was signed by United Artists as the creative associate to Bob Chartoff and Irwin Winkler for seven years. While signed by United Artists, Mardik wrote and rewrote many films, including “Valentino,” “New York, New York,” “Nickelodeon,” “Comes a Horseman” and many others as writer and creative assistant.  In 1980, Mardik co-wrote “Raging Bull” which went on to receive an Academy Award Best Picture nomination and was recently selected by the American Film Institute as the 4th best film of all time. Mardik is still involved in “Hollywood movies” by serving as a script doctor for select projects.

About Evan York:
A decade ago, artist Evan York decided to teach himself stop-motion animation. This decision would send him and co-director/producer, Ramy Katrib on a 10-year filmmaking journey culminating in the full-length documentary, “Mardik: From Baghdad to Hollywood.” This film details the amazing life of Armenian screenwriter Mardik Martin (“Mean Streets,” “NY,NY,” “Raging Bull”), and his improbable journey from Baghdad to Hollywood. “Mardik: Baghdad to Hollywood” has been shown over the last year in at least 20 film festivals.  In two of them, Mardik proudly received a lifetime achievement award.   York has since produced over 50 animated short films. In addition, he’s created a 20 episode series called “The Dream Machine” and an 18-min animated short, “7 WEAKS”, for Small and Creepy Films (founded by Caroline Thompson and Steve Nicolaides.)

Date & Time:   Saturday, April 4, 2009 at 12:00PM
Location:          CLARITY THEATER (Outside in the Garden)
                          100 N. Crescent Drive
                          Beverly Hills, CA 90210