PRESS-RELEASE “Rock ‘n Roll Anthropologist” Penelope Spheeris to Receive 2017 LIFF Lifetime Achievement Award Laughlin NV, September 23, 2017 --- Film Director, Producer and Screenwriter Penelope Spheeris, often referred to as the “Rock ‘n Roll Anthropologist” for her acclaimed documentary films depicting the music scene in Los Angeles over the past 40 years, is set to receive the 2017 Laughlin International Film Festival (LIFF) Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday, October 14th at LIFF’s 6th annual Awards Ceremony to be held at the Tropicana Casino, Pavilion Theater. Spheeris, who holds a UCLA Master of Fine Arts degree in Theater Arts, will be honored for her long list of achievements as a break-through filmmaker who covered the LA music scene in depth, telling the story in a way never before explored by a filmmaker. Spheeris is best known as the Director of “Wayne’s World” (1992). The film, which was Mike Myer’s feature film debut, was both a critical and commercial success and the 8th highest grossing box office success that year. Her music video of “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Queen) which was featured in the film won her a Grammy nomination. In her early career, Spheeris produced short subjects for comedian Albert Brooks, many of which were highlighted in the first season of “Saturday Night Live”. In 1974 she formed the first Los Angeles music video production company, “Rock ‘n Reel”. She went on to make her first feature film “The Decline of Western Civilization” (1981), a punk rock documentary which she produced as well as directed. Later, in 1988, she followed up with “The Decline of Western Civilization, Part II: The Metal Years”, a film which included footage and interviews of legendary bands such as Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, Megadeth and Motörhead. In 1998 she followed with “The Decline of Western Civilization, Part III”, another in depth look at the punk rock scene on the streets of Los Angeles at that time. The “Decline of Civilization” film trilogy was defined as “A bracing, stimulating and technically superb close-up look at the L.A. punk scene” by Variety magazine. The films were made available on both DVD and Blu-ray in 2015 by her distributor Shout Factory. A very special addition to the upcoming LIFF event will be a screening of the film “Dudes”, which Spheeris produced and directed in 1987. “Dudes” is a story about alienated punk kids who discover a sense of values while setting straight the death of a friend. The film stars musicians Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Lee Ving (Fear), along with actors John Cryer (“Two and a Half Men”), Daniel Roebuck (“Mob City”) and Catherine Mary Stewart (“Weekend at Bernie’s”). The “Dudes” soundtrack features The Vandals, The Little Kings, Keel, Jane’s Addiction and Steve Vai. The film is “An almost unclassifiable oddity – a punk-road movie-Western-ghost story” (Moria Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review). LIFF will be screening “Dudes” on Saturday, October 14 at 5:15 PM at the Laughlin Stadium 9 theaters in the Laughlin Outlet Center, with Penelope Spheeris in attendance for an audience “Q & A” session after the film. Pre-sale tickets are available on-line at www.laughlinfilmfestival.com or will be available at the LIFF Sales table in front of the theaters beginning on Thursday October 12th. Tickets are $10.00 ($8.00 students / seniors). The full schedule for all films being shown as part of the Laughlin International Film Festival is posted on the LIFF website: www.laughlinfilmfestival.com. LIFF “VIP All access” passes and “All Day film screening passes” are also available on the website for pre-purchase or may also be purchased at the LIFF Sales table during the festival. Tickets for all individual feature films and assorted film blocks will be sold are $10.00 ($8 for students/seniors). For more information, e-mail to: [email protected] or call (702) 755-8391 ### For more information, contact: Dagmar "Mara" Karsen Executive Director / Co-founder Laughlin International Film Festival (LIFF) LIFF Phone: (702) 755-8391 LIFF Fax: (951) 824-7535 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.laughlinfilmfestival.com .