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July 02, 2009
Michael Aushenker , Staff Writer
'Corso: The Last Beat,' a documentary about the last surviving Beat Generation poet Gregory Corso by Palisadian filmmaker Gustave Reininger, has won the Taormina Film Festival's Audience Jury Award.
The film had been accepted as part of the official 'Beyond the Mediterranean' competition section of the 55th Annual Taormina Film Festival in Sicily, which took place from June 13 through 20. 'Beyond the Mediterranean' showcased 24 films.
'Corso was the only American selection,' said Reininger, phoning from a Rome airport. 'They did not see it as a documentary. It was seen as a drama.' Reininger had been invited to travel with the film all over Sicily by American film critic Deborah Young, the festival's director.
Reininger was very pleased with 'Corso''s reception: 'The audience had a lot of young people, students from all over Sicily and Southern Italy.'
'I was actually in the shower when I got the news,' Reininger said. No sooner did he jump out, than there were reporters outside his door.
Reininger said that the prize was awarded to 'Corso' in the Teatro Antico, the 2,500-year-old Greco-Roman ampitheater.
Reininger was happy to premiere 'Corso' at the Sicilian festival.
'Out of loyalty to Gregory, I thought I'd debut the film in Italy,' said the filmmaker of the late Italian-American subject of his film.
'I just had a really great time going out and getting people to see the film,' Reininger said. 'I didn't get much sleep. But it was just really marvelous.'
Oddly enough, Reininger almost felt at home in the Italian burg.
'Taormina looks just like Pacific Palisades,' Reininger said. 'It's like standing at the end of Via de la Paz.'
The Palisadian-Post was the first media outlet to profile Reininger's documentary (''Last Beat' Standing,' January 29). Thanks to the online version of the article, Reininger was invited to attend Taormina.
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