You would think going to a fledgling film festival in Atherton wouldn’t seem to have much appeal for a star like Mark Ruffalo, whose first try at directing, “Sympathy for Delicious,” won a special jury prize at Sundance in January.

But there you would be wrong.

“These people showed a lot of support for this film at Sundance, so I thought it would be nice to return their support by supporting their little film festival out there,” said Ruffalo on the phone from New York.

Ruffalo will present “Sympathy for Delicious” in person tonight at the inaugural Windrider Bay Area Film Festival, which runs through Saturday at the Center for Performing Arts at Menlo-Atherton High School. It stars Christopher Thornton, a longtime friend of Ruffalo’s who has been in a wheelchair since a climbing accident some years ago and who co-wrote the screenplay, as a homeless DJ with healing powers who wants to be a rock musician. It also stars Orlando Bloom as an egotistical rocker, Juliette Lewis as a drugged-out bass player and Ruffalo as the priest who helps and struggles to understand the homeless healer.

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PARK CITY, Utah — It’s hard to think of Mark Ruffalo, Philip Seymour Hoffman or Diego Luna as first-time film … anythings.

But at Sundance this year, these actors are newcomers of sorts, all showing off their work as first-time filmmakers.

Luna, best known for acting in Y Tu Mama Tambien, The Terminal and Milk, directed and co-wrote the Spanish-language heartwarmer Abel, about a family who indulges a little boy’s fantasy to become head of the household, pushing aside his absentee father.

“It’s a very personal story,” Luna said. “It’s about a kid who has to become an adult before he’s ready. That happened to me. I started to work (as a child actor) when I was 6. My mother died when I was 2. I had to behave as a grown-up, though I wasn’t, and I wanted to reflect on that.”

Ruffalo’s Sympathy for Delicious is the fantastical story of a recently paralyzed club DJ who discovers he has the power to heal through touch.

But instead of using the gift for good, he is tempted to use it for selfish reasons, making himself a new-age star to restore his craving for sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll — to the dismay of the world.

Jack Goes Boating is a story Hoffman lived with for a long time, playing the lead character in the stage version, and feeling a connection to the tale of a lumbering limo driver who tries to open up his life to new experiences: cooking, swimming, a girlfriend (played by Amy Ryan) and, of course, boating.

“I was trying to just direct it and not act in it, but it was very difficult to try to find somebody to play the part in the time we had before we had to shoot,” Hoffman said.

Actors don’t worry about those things.

“I thought I could put off the making of the film, but then we had to do it,” Hoffman said. “So I said, ‘All right, I’ll just do it.’ “

Among the better-known filmmakers is actor Mark Ruffalo, who is making a directing debut with Sympathy for Delicious, about a paralyzed man drawn into the world of faith healing.

The Sundance Institute has today unveiled the lineup of films in competition for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival (Jan. 21-31). The U.S. Dramatic Competition’s 16 films include: Derek Cianfrance’s romantic drama Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams; HIMYM star Josh Radnor directing and starring in happythankyoumoreplease; Kevin Tyler Asch’s Holy Rollers starring Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha; James Franco starring in Allen Ginsberg story Howl; Mark Ruffalo’s directorial debut feature Sympathy for Delicious; and Jake Scott (Ridley’s son) directing James Gandolfini and Kristen Stewart in Welcome to the Rileys.

You can get more information at Sundance’s Official Website by clicking here.

Movies never seem to get tired of mining the comedic territory of artificial insemination. Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman have the squirm-inducing “The Baster” coming up next year. Now we learn that sperm donation means “The Kids Are All Right” for at least one cast of characters.

Variety reports that Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowski (”Alice in Wonderland“) and Josh Hutcherson (”Journey to the Center of the Earth”) have joined director Lisa Cholodenko’s indie project — not a remake of the classic same-titled documentary about British classic rock outfit The Who — which begins shooting today.

The plot revolves around a same-sex couple, played by Bening and Moore, who are raising two children (Hutcherson and Waskikowski) conceived through artificial insemination. The two kids decide to track down their donor father, and find that he’s none other than Mark Ruffalo. He enters their lives and upsets their happy family dynamic, for better or for worse. I’m not sure if this is meant to be funny or serious, so let’s be safe and label it a “dramedy,” and hope that it’s not a fatherhood thriller!

Sony Pictures is bringing the crime drama ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’ to Blu-ray in late-April.

Starring Ethan Hawke and Mark Ruffalo, and penned by ex-New Kid Donnie Wahlberg, ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’ will follow up a brief theatrical run with an April 28 Blu-ray debut (day-and-date with the standard DVD).

Among the bonus features is audio commentary with co-writer/director Brian Goodman and co-writer Donnie Wahlberg, the featurette “Makes You Stronger: The Making of What Doesn’t Kill You,” and deleted/alternate scenes.

Source: High-Def Digest

After last week’s tragic shooting death of his brother, work is probably the last thing on Mark Ruffalo’s mind.

Now comes word that the You Can Count On Me actor has dropped out of what was supposed to be his next job, the indie dramedy Greenburg. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ruffalo will be replaced by Ben Stiller, who will make a rare dramatic turn in the Noah Baumbach-helmed project.

No official reason has been given for Ruffalo’s departure, but considering the circumstances, it’s easy to understand what his motivation might be.

Beverly Hills police continue to investigate whether his brother, Scott Ruffalo, died from a gunshot wound to the head after playing Russian roulette. An autopsy is scheduled to be performed later today.

Ruffalo’s not the only major departure from Greenburg. Amy Adams was supposed to costar, but she, too, has decided to pass, and a search is under way for her replacement.

blockquote>Celebs, Activists Issue Call as Human Rights Organization Brings Guantanamo Cell Replica to Southern California

Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) will bring its national tour of a life-size Guantanamo prison cell replica to Santa Monica, California, starting Thursday, Sept. 18, and running through Saturday, Sept. 20. Academy Award-winning director Paul Haggis, actor Mark Ruffalo and others will join AIUSA executive director Larry Cox and lawyers challenging the unlawful detentions at Guantanamo for a press conference at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica calling on the Bush administration to shut down Guantanamo.