Pocono Film Festival Fetes Familiar Faces: Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton
By Michael Sadowski Pocono Record Writer October 23, 2009
The Pocono Mountains Film Festival received another jolt Thursday when organizers were informed two outspoken and prominent civil rights leaders plan to attend Saturday's awards banquet.
The Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson have told festival officials they plan to be at the festival's awards banquet Saturday night at Peppe's Ristorante in East Stroudsburg.
The banquet starts at 6:30 p.m.
Festival founder and organizer Bridget O. Davis said she was told the two would be there to support Joe Jackson, the father of the late Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson is posthumously receiving the festival's Humanitarian Award. His father is accepting the award on his behalf.
Sharpton is a well-known Jackson family friend who spoke at Jackson's memorial service in July.
"He's going to introduce Joe Jackson," Davis said. "That's what we were told. They've been friends for a long time."
It was not explicitly explained why Jesse Jackson would be at the festival.
Joe Jackson also will be accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Actress Jessica Biel, who originally was scheduled to receive the Humanitarian Award, will appear via satellite to accept the festival's New Emerging Artist honor. She had to cancel her appearance because she's shooting the 2010 movie "The A-Team" in Canada.
The seventh annual Pocono Mountains Film Festival got under way Thursday with an exclusive showing of the new animated family film "Astro Boy" at the Pocono Community Theater in East Stroudsburg.
As part of the festival, the theater was permitted to be one of 10 theaters in the country to premiere the movie one day before its wide release today.
The show was free, and donations to the nonprofit theater are being collected.
The festival — which includes eight features from local and regional filmmakers — begins in earnest today at the Pocono Community Theater and runs through Sunday afternoon.
For a full listing of the movies playing at the festival and the workshops of the event, visit www.poconomountainsfilmfestival.net.
Pocono / Thanks Joy C!