Artivist Film Festival Helps Tsunami Victims

To raise money for the upcoming Second Annual Artivist Film Festival on April 24th, with 10 percent of the night's proceeds going toward tsunami relief efforts, socially conscious celebrities gathered Thursday night to enjoy entertainment at the Sunset Room in Hollywood. Among those who turned up for the festivities were James Cromwell and Ann Cusack.

Cromwell, who supports the banning of gestation cages for female animals and opposes factory farming, will be honored for his work with Farm Sanctuary at the festival.

"I got involved with Artivist when they approached me [regarding the award]," said Cromwell, who you might remember as farmer Arthur Hogget in the 90's talking-pig movie "Babe," and more recently for his role in HBO's "Six Feet Under."

The night also included musical performances by Damon Elliot, Shaheen Sheik, and the Fall Water Project, a group that highlighted the evening with a combination of live music and visual art by performing their eclectic-alternative style with an artist doing water-color designs on a light board in the background, truly a sight to see.

Lili Haydn, an amazing violinist who has been called "Jimi Hendrix on the violin" by the funk-master, George Clinton, was also there to entertain.

Artivist, the first international activist film festival, addresses children's advocacy, animal rights and environmental preservation through the film, art and music contributions of international artists.

In its first year the festival brought 80 films to 4,000 people in 14 countries, catching the eyes of many celebrities and activists. The turn out for the 2005 festival is expected to be even more overwhelming and if Thursday night was any indicator, overwhelming is an understatement.