Randy Parsons: American Luthier Screening at the 2012 Big Bear Lake International Film Festival

Aug. 29, 2012 - PRLog -- Randy Parsons: American Luthier, an independent documentary short film produced and directed by David Aldrich, will be screening at the 2012 Big Bear Lake International Film Festival (BBLIFF) on Saturday, September 15 at 12:15pm-1:30pm, Village Theater South, 40789 Village Drive, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315.  Tickets are available at http://www.bigbearlakefilmfestival.com/festival/tickets-events/

BBLIFF is celebrating its 13th anniversary in the idyllic setting of Big Bear Lake. Located two hours outside of Los Angeles, the festival gives film industry professionals an opportunity to attend and scout for new filmmakers and films looking for distribution. In addition to a film festival, the festival holds a screenplay competition, filmmaking and screenwriting panels, seminars, and roundtables presented by industry professionals.

"Randy Parsons: American Luthier” has had an impressive film festival run, with BBLIFF being just one the many the film festivals that have selected Aldrich's debut documentary for screening. The journey began in October 2011 when the film premiered at the ITSA Film Festival in California, and won the Jury Award for Best Documentary. The film has been an official selection in more than thirty festivals so far -- it has screened in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Korea -- and its cinematography has been recognized with a recent nomination and an award.

Aldrich's short documentary showcases the journey and talents of Randy Parsons, whose hand-crafted guitars stand out as works of art in an industry where major manufacturers have moved to computer-controlled mass production techniques. The days of a highly-skilled worker making an instrument from beginning to end have largely passed, but Parsons' insistence on using hand tools and traditional techniques has given him a distinct advantage: Parsons can build anything his customers dream up, and he doesn't have to recalibrate million dollar machines to do it.

"American Luthier" recounts Parsons' transformation from aspiring musician to guitar-maker. The guitar had been Parsons' identity since he was a child, but after studying classical and jazz guitar in college, he realized that he would never make a living as a musician.  So he gave it up -- and then one day he had a vision of how the guitar would come back into his life. Now he's creating instruments that are highly sought after works of art by musicians such as Jack White and Jimmy Page. "This is a film about someone who gave up their passion for playing guitars and discovered that they had a passion for making guitars. Audiences have been inspired by Parsons' story and his commitment to preserve the art of making guitars." says Aldrich.