SANTA CLARITA REEL-LIFE STORIES : SUBURB HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO MERIT ITS OWN FILM FESTIVAL.

Byline: Amy Dawes Daily News Film Writer

It doesn't have the French Riviera, like the Cannes Film Festival; or the snowy slopes of Utah, like Robert Redford's Sundance; or the canals of Venice, Italy, like that city's annual filmathon.

But the Spielberg-esque California suburb of Santa Clarita has two things in abundance - families and film professionals - and the combination has helped the town lay claim to a fledgling film festival all its own.

Beginning Friday evening, the third annual Santa Clarita International Film Festival will occupy a single screen at the Edwards Cinema in the Valencia Town Center for a full week, screening the best in new and classic family films from around the world, and hosting seminars, autograph parties and a gala closing-night awards dinner.

``It's one of the best-kept secrets of the Santa Clarita Valley that so many of the residents are animators, writers, directors, producers or other film-industry workers,'' said Chris Shoemaker, the event's executive director. ``And also, that more than 50 percent of the permits issued for filming in Los Angeles County are for productions shot in the Santa Clarita Valley.

``At the same time, it's a very safe, positive environment in which to raise families. With that combination going for us, we felt that a certain kind of film festival was a natural.''

With its inaugural event three years ago, the Santa Clarita fest became the only one in the world dedicated entirely to family-themed cinema. The festival's guidelines prohibit gratuitous sex, profanity or violence in the movies, which actually can make filling the bill a bit of a challenge in today's climate, says program director Patte Dee.

Still, the number of new movies submitted has grown as the festival has gained attention, which has enabled programmers to be more selective.

``The quality of the material we're receiving has really increased, and so now we're turning away about 20 percent of the submissions,'' said Shoemaker.

The festival, which runs through Feb. 13, will screen 55 full-length features, including 15 world premieres. Events kick off at 6 p.m. Friday at the Edwards Cinema with a screenwriters' showcase in which scenes from the 11 screenplays that reached the finals of the fest's writing competition will be read by professional actors.

The opening-night film, ``The Magic Book,'' a fairy tale comedy from German director Vaclav Vorlicek, follows at 8:30, and a buffet dinner at Sisley's Italian Kitchen in Santa Clarita will follow at about 10 p.m. Tickets for the opening-night event are available to the public.

Highlights of this year's event include a tribute to Oscar-winning movie director Robert Wise, to be presented by Rita Moreno, and a special screening of ``West Side Story.''

Also, a tribute to legendary Disney animator Marc Davis, who worked on classics such as ``Bambi'' and ``Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' and created the characters of Thumper, Tinkerbell, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, among others.

Both tributes will be part of the fest's closing-night awards dinner, to be held at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills. Tickets are $50 and are available by calling [phone].

``We always put plenty of emphasis on animation in our festival, partly because it is a universal art form that the whole family can enjoy, and partly because Santa Clarita is the home of the CalArts animation department, which for a long time has been the training ground for the Disney studios,'' said Shoemaker.

This year's fest also includes a special screening of the family favorite ``E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial,'' at 5 p.m. Sunday, followed by an autograph signing with star Dee Wallace Stone.

Also featured will be the world premiere of ``Common Bonds,'' a movie by the teen-age filmmakers of Next Generation Productions and the Pacoima Middle School, who will be present at the screening at 7 p.m. Monday. A brief public service announcement on racial harmony filmed by the teens also will be presented.

``At least 75 percent of the screenings will include a `talk back' session with an actor, writer or director,'' said Shoemaker. Festival guests are coming from all over the country and as far away as mainland China, he said.

Launching a film festival is a big undertaking, and things literally got off to a shaky start for the Santa Clarita fest when the Northridge Earthquake occurred just a month before the inaugural event was to take place. Cracks in the sound stage where the final awards dinner was to be held led to disastrous flooding, and the event had to be moved just hours before it was scheduled to take place.

``If there was a film genre called `disaster comedy,' it could be drawn directly from the many setbacks overcome by our dedicated volunteers,'' said Mitch Matovich, chairman of the festival board.

But since then a number of corporate sponsors have come aboard, including Target, Bank of America, Microsoft, Pardee Homes, Technicolor, Warner Bros., Santa Clarita Studios and the Producers Guild of America.

``Things are picking up. It's much easier to get sponsors now, and next year should be a very good year,'' Matovich said.

He said he expects to sell 2,000 to 5,000 tickets, at $4 each.

Festival founders Matovich; Dee; and Shoemaker and his wife, Suzanne Shoemaker, who's on the board of directors; are all Santa Clarita residents who also have a stake in the health of the area's filming and production business.

Both Matovich and Shoemaker have film production companies based in the area.

``We're obviously interested in making filming in the valley more attractive and making people aware of the facilities that are out here,'' said Shoemaker. ``Having a film festival allows this community to showcase filmmaking as a viable industry. The stronger the festival grows, the more people want to come here, and the more they get behind it, the more it becomes a place where celebrities want to come and where there's a lot to offer for the general public.''

``It also becomes a place to meet other film professionals and make new contacts. And that's a win-win situation for everybody.''

Film site to festival, this community ready to roll

Third annual Santa Clarita International Film Festival, Friday through Feb. 13, Edwards Cinema, Valencia Town Center.

Opening night film: ``The Magic Book'' 8:30 p.m. Friday.

Opening night dinner: 10 p.m. Friday, Sisley's Italian Kitchen.

Film highlights

``The Paper Brigade'': 2:15 p.m. Saturday.

``Fly Away Home'': 4 p.m. Saturday.

``Coyote Summer'': 8 p.m. Saturday.

``West Side Story'': 2 p.m., Sunday.

``E.T.'': with Dee Wallace Stone autograph signing, 5 p.m. Sunday.

``To the Ends of Time'': 5 p.m. Monday.

``Common Bonds'': 7 p.m. Monday.

``The Great Bike Ride Across America'': 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Special events

Child star autograph party: with Amber Tamblyn, Shay Astar, Toran Caudell and Christopher Wolberg, 5-7 p.m. Monday.

Seminar: ``The Art of Animation,'' 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Cal Arts campus.

Seminar: ``Producers on Producing,'' 1-3 p.m. Sunday at the Cal Arts campus.

Final Awards Dinner: 6:30-10 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills.

Information: SCIFF hotline, [phone].

CAPTION(S):

6 Photos, Box

Photo: (1--Cover--Color) A Family Affair

Chris Shoemaker's Santa Clarita Film Festival tries to hit home with its child-friendly lineup

(2) ``It's one of the best-kept secrets of the Santa Clarita Valley that so many of the residents are animators, writers, directors, producers or other film-industry workers,'' says Chris Shoemaker, Santa Clarita International Film Festival executive director.

(3) `More than 50 percent of the permits issued for filming in Los Angeles County are for productions shot in the Santa Clarita Valley.'

Chris Shoemaker

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News

(4--6) Sunday's screening of ``E.T.,'' left, includes an autograph session with Dee Wallace Stone. Rita Moreno, center, will present a tribute to ``West Side Story'' director Robert Wise, with a special screening of the film starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer, right.

Box: Film site to festival, this community ready to roll (See Text)