| Founded | 1970 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Gary Essert George Cukor Paul Chamberlain |
| Dissolved | 1987 |
| Location |
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The Los Angeles International Film Exposition, also called Filmex, was an annual Los Angeles film festival held in the 1970s and early 1980s. It was co-founded by Gary Essert, George Cukor and Philip Chamberlain in 1970. [1]
In 1976, Alfred Hitchcock was the first person to receive the Filmex Trustees Award. [2]
In 1983, co-founder Essert was forced to resign due to the festival's budget problems and disagreements with the board of trustees over policy. In his place, Suzanne McCormick was named as executive director and Ken Wlaschin as artistic director. [3]
In 1985, Jerry Weintraub became chairman and chief executive of the board promising to make Filmex the world's number 1 film festival. [1] Later in 1985, Weintraub became chairman and chief executive officer at United Artists and in 1986, Weintraub decided that responsibility for Filmex had to be shared and that it needed to merge with either the American Film Institute or American Cinematheque, the latter having been formed by Essert in 1984 after he left Filmex. The board voted to merge with American Cinematheque and all Filmex staff were laid off except Wlaschin. [1] However, the board of the American Cinematheque wouldn't approve the deal until Filmex's debts were cleared. [4] No Filmex took place in 1986 and in January 1987, the American Film Institute launched the AFI Fest Los Angeles to take the place of Filmex with Wlaschin named as director of the new festival. [4] The Institute paid Filmex a fee to take over the date. [4] The Filmex Society, whose benefits included allowing members to attend advanced studio screeings, continued, with privileges extended to the AFI Fest. [4]