WICA presenting ‘More Than Words: The Films of Lewis Carlino’

Whidbey Island Film Festival, a program of Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA), is presenting “More Than Words: The Films of Lewis Carlino.”

It’s a two-day celebration of master screenwriter and director Lewis Carlino, featuring screenings of “The Great Santini” and “Resurrection,” guest speakers, post-film discussions, special events, and “A Conversation with Lew Carlino,” according to a WICA press release.

Carlino is an American screenwriter and director. His career has spanned decades and includes such works as “The Fox,” “The Brotherhood,” “The Mechanic,” “The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea,” “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,” “Resurrection” and “The Great Santini.”

Carlino has been nominated for many awards, including the Academy Award for “best adapted screenplay” and the Saturn Award for “best writing.”

The special benefit event, runs July 12-13. Passes are on sale now at www.WhidbeyIslandFilmFestival.org.

In “The Great Santini,” Robert Duvall is “Bull” Meechum, a gung-ho Marine pilot known as the Great Santini.

“A warrior without a war,” he battles on the domestic front with his loving but bullied wife (Blythe Danner) and his adolescent son (Michael O’Keefe).

Duvall and O’Keefe received Oscar nominations for their work in this film.

In “Resurrection,” Edna Mae (Ellen Burstyn) experiences the afterlife for a brief time after a car accident.

As she begins her long process of physical healing, she discovers that she has the ability to heal physical infirmities. While most people simply accept her gift, her lover (Sam Shepard) becomes mentally unbalanced and dangerous.

Burstyn and Eva Le Gallienne received Oscar nominations for their work in this film.

During the “Conversation with Lew Carlino,” local actor Jim Scullin sits with Lew Carlino as he reflects upon a career that begins with a little play titled The Brick and the Rose; a collage for voices (1957) and continues for over 60 years in television and film.

The event is presented in part by KCTS 9, Island County, the city of Langley and individual donors.

Founded in 1996, Whidbey Island Center for the Arts inspires, nourishes, and enhances the artistic, social and economic well-being of the community.

They do this by promoting, developing and presenting a diverse offering of high quality-theatre, music, dance, literature, visual arts and film, the press release states, and by creating educational and participation opportunities.