CineVegas film festival director LeBlanc fired

David Strow

Thursday, Nov. 18, 1999 | 11:21 a.m.

The executive director of the CineVegas International Film Festival has been fired less than three weeks before the festival's second annual run.

The departure of Michele LeBlanc was announced in a Tuesday fax from Paul Bodner, CineVegas's chairman, and Greg Beber, its general counsel.

"Ms. LeBlanc is no longer an agent or authorized representative of CineVegas in any capacity," the letter said. "Ms. LeBlanc no longer has any authority to speak for CineVegas, to negotiate for CineVegas, or to bind CineVegas to any contract or agreement.

"If you are contacted by Ms. LeBlanc purportedly on behalf of CineVegas, please do not discuss any festival business with her, and please refer her to my office."

The letter did not discuss the reasons for LeBlanc's departure, but noted that Las Vegas filmmaker Amie Williams, the festival's artistic director, has assumed LeBlanc's duties. LeBlanc was under contract through February 2000.

Williams declined to discuss the reasons for the departure, but insisted that the festival, which will begin Dec. 6 at the Paris Las Vegas hotel-casino, would not be hindered by LeBlanc's departure.

"We have a wonderful festival, with over 80 films from all over the world," Williams said. "The entire board has been involved ... it's going to be twice as good as last year."

But LeBlanc, an entertainment attorney who came to CineVegas from Paris in June, says she was the one who attracted most of those films to the festival, and she claims she's taking the fall for issues that were not her fault. Specifically, she claims she was successful in attracting more than 100 films from across the world, but because others in the organization failed to line up more movie screens, dozens of films had to be canceled.

"The points they brought up ... are not in my contract," LeBlanc said. "I couldn't put on the festival because they stopped me from doing it.

"I was planning for 200 screenings, 100 films. We had 120, 130 films. Now, I don't think they even have 90 films."

At this point, the festival has three screening venues -- Paris Las Vegas and the Gold Coast hotel-casino are the main venues. Children's films will be shown at United Artists-Green Valley. Williams declined to discuss whether there have been difficulties in lining up screens.

But a source close to the festival, who asked not to be identified, confirmed that there had been problems lining up screens for the movies. The source called the festival "very disorganized."

"They're nowhere near as prepared as they need to be in this situation," the source said. "There are tons of screens in this town."

This source also said there was tension over an awards ceremony LeBlanc was producing in conjunction with CineVegas. Bodner and Beber, in their Dear Friend of CineVegas letter, said this ceremony, LePrix Cristal, has been canceled.

The source close to the festival said LeBlanc had been attempting to "create the film festival in her image," and took little input from the board.

"She wasn't dealing with the reality of what it takes to put on a film festival in Las Vegas," the source said.

CineVegas was launched last December at Bally's Las Vegas, and featured a total of 29 films. Its most visible coup was landing the world premiere screening of "Star Trek: Insurrection." Board members include "Baywatch" creator Michael Berk.

LeBlanc claims the groundwork was laid for her force-out while she was travelling in Europe earlier this month recruiting films for the festival. Prior to the trip, she said board members and her colleagues hadn't expressed any concerns with her performance and had complimented her.

This changed upon her return Nov. 11. At that time, she said she met with CineVegas's executive board and was told that her contract would be terminated as of the end of December. LeBlanc said she was told she would be offered a buyout for the remaining two months on her contract, but that never materialized.

The only official notification she said she received on her termination as executive director, LeBlanc said, was an e-mail from Beber on Tuesday ordering her to stop contacting people on behalf of the festival.

"I really want this thing to work, to make it fantastic," LeBlanc said. "Who would work 120 hours a week on something they didn't believe in?"