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"Hungry Hearts," a dark comedy about four zany Beverly Hills women who kidnap a gourmet chef for a wild and mysterious weekend, swept all four major categories at the 4th Annual California Film Festival's "Slate Awards," including Best Picture, Best Actress, Susan Blakely, Best Actor, S. Greg Gardner, Best Director Rolf Schrader. Academy-Award-winning actor Martin Landau was honored for his Lifetime Achievement.

Accepting the award for Best Picture were writer-producers Glenn Benest and Timothy Wurtz, producers Gaynelle Sloman, Lisa London, Catherine Stroud, and Hagai Shaham.

Mr. Landau presented the Best Actress, Best Actor awards to Blakely and Gardner, saying that he continues to support film festivals all over the world as the best way today for filmmakers to get their work seen.

"It was a labor of love," said Benest. "We had a lot of adversity that fortunately turned to our advantage in that we lost our director, leading man and line producer shortly before we started shooting and ended up with far better people."

"This means so much to me because everyone on the cast and crew of an independent film is there for the love of their craft and it makes us all proud," said Blakely, Golden Globe winner for Best Actress for her role in "Rich Man, Poor Man." Said Gardner, "To be handed the first award you've ever won from Martin Landau, how cool is that? I will never forget this."

"Hungry Hearts" producers have not yet set a distribution deal. The award-winning film now moves on this week to Palm Springs' Festival of Festivals and will be screened, Friday, November 8 at 8:00 p.m., p.s.t. "Hungry Hearts" will be screened at several other film festivals including The New York Independent Film Festival in February 2003.

SOURCE: Hungry Hearts Productions