Film School Confidential 2008: A Showcase of San Diego and Latin Filmmakers

Rodrigo Gudino's Demonology of Desire screens Sunday at MoPA. (Rue Morgue Cinema)

Dissent. Revolt. Liberate. It's Film School Confidential 2008! That's right, it's time again to celebrate the passion, dedication and fresh young talent found right here in San Diego and Tijuana. The festival takes place at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park on Sunday November 16 at 6:00 pm. Film School Confidential is an event sponsored by the Media Arts Center San Diego, the Museum of Photographic Arts, and the San Diego Film Critics Society. Film School Confidential is now in it's seventh year. Unlike other student festivals, FSC is a curated event. There are no calls for entries and filmmakers do not have to pay a fee to submit their films. Instead, the films are chosen based on recommendations by teachers, professors, and other filmmakers. This year the festival offers something of a descent into darkness. There are a few bright, even fanciful films early on but by evening's end the tone grow exceeding dark with a trio of Latin horror shorts. We will also be honoring retired Point Loma teacher Larry Zeiger with the Kyle Counts Award for his years of encouraging and showcasing young talent.

Here's the line up:

Que Viva! Cine Latino

The stunning animated film Tyger screens for free tonight. (Guilherme Marcondes)

Every Wednesday in September Que Viva! Cine Latino will present free family friendly screenings at the Otay Ranch Town Center in Chula Vista. This Wednesday, September 10, you can enjoy a program of short films from the San Diego Latino Film Festival. The outdoor event begins at 7:30pm. The highlight of the evening program is the animated short Tyger. Loosely based on poet William Blake's dystopian vision of the modern world, this imaginatively designed work by Guilherme Marcondes mixes still photography, animation and puppetry to deliver a stunning visual poem.

Also on the program are Saliva, about a young girl's fear over her first kiss; Mi Tio Paco, about a pick up artist whose style is cramped by the little nephew he has to watch at the beach; Lapsus, featuring a nervous nun moving between a white space, and a black void in a clever commentary about moral themes of 'black and white'; El Ataque de los Kriters Asesinos about a housewife and some killer dust bunnies; Viaje a Marte, a delightful animated film about a young boy who dreams of going to Mars; and more. There will also be a live dance performance and art exhibition from 6:30-7:30 pm featuring Ballet Folklorico Tapatio de San Diego (made up of students ages 2-17). Come and enjoy these wonderful films. Plus it's free. You can't beat that.

alt.pictureshows 2008

Phillip Van's Come Wander with Me is one of the short works playing at this year's alt.pictureshows (Phillip Van)

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and the Muse Chasers present the sixth annual alt.pictureshows. A diverse collection of short films curated by Neil Kendricks will play at Sherwood Auditorium and at locations throughout the MCASD's galleries. Kendricks has designed the event as a definitive experiment in "physical channel surfing." Short films screen on a loop throughout the Museum during the one-night event, with works from filmmakers such as David Lynch, Nash Edgerton, Ari Gold, Ken Wardrop, Rob Meyer, Mads Matthieson, Justin Nowell, David Michod, Amanda Micheli, Isabel Vega, and others. You'll be able to find dark comedy, twisted romance, offbeat dramas as well as personal and experimental documentaries. Kendricks, who's a local filmmaker and artist, has a knack for finding wonderful films and always invests the event with a sense of discovery. I did not have an opportunity to preview any of the new films for this year's event but I can heartily recommend Lynch Mob, a trio of films from David Lynch (Six Men Getting Sick, The Alphabet, The Grandmother). I can attest to the fact that in the past there have always been gems to delight and challenge. I hope you'll come out for this unique experience. 

Please note some films contain adult and mature subject matter. Tickets are $5 general admission and free to MCASD Members.

BEST of BestFest America Screens August 7 at UltraStar Cinema

Bartholomew's Song, from Destin Cretton and Lowell Frank, screens as part of the Best of BestFest (Flagpop)

The 10th Annual BestFest Festival arrives August 16-17 at the Jewish Community Center's Garfield Theater. But as a lead in to this year's event you can sample some of the Best of BestFest Thursday August 7 beginning at the Ultrastar Mission Valley Theaters at Hazard Center. BestFest America will host a reception and screen five award-winning films. The reception begins in the UltraLounge and will feature food from Roppongi's, Sammy's Woodfired Pizza and Mosaic Catering. The screening begins at 7:30 om and will include: 2001's Killing Time by SDSU's Ron Najor and Tyler Spangler; 2005's I'm Afraid of Americans by Grossmont College's De Veau Dunn; 2006's Bartholomew's Song by SDSU's Destin Cretton and Lowell Frank; 2007's Bananamation by La Jolla High's Daniel Jaffe; and, 2007's Flattest by Torrey Pines High's Michael Gallagher, Matt Rosen, Chris Hanke, Mark Wessling, Jana Winternitz, Peter Dominguez, and Ariel Adler. The filmmakers will be on hand to introduce the films and take questions from teh audience. I have screened both Killing Time and Bartholomew's Song as part of the Film School Confidential student showcase that I run so I can attest to the high quality of those two films. My advice: check out these young filmmakers now so you can say you saw them back when...

Tickets are available at the UltraStar Mission Valley Theaters box office or online. Tickets are $10 for the reception and screening; $5 for the screening alone.

Teen Producers Project June Screening

The Media Arts Center's Teen Producers Project will host a free screening of its' latest videos this Friday, June 27th at 6:30PM at Crawford High Educational Complex Auditorium (4191 Colts Way, SD, 92115). Student filmmakers from San Diego neighborhoods produced a trio of compelling short documentaries that examine immigration policy, community violence, and the experiences of refugees and immigrants pursuing the American Dream. Working with MACSD instructors, teen filmmakers interviewed, researched, and produced socially conscious works about issues that impact their lives and the lives of people in their communities. After the screening, youth filmmakers and MACSD artists will hold a Q&A with the audience about the making of these videos. Discussion to be facilitated by University of San Diego Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies, Jesse Mills.

The films to be screened are: Perspectives of the American Dream, in which teens compare and contrast the experiences of individuals from two San Diego communities; I Want My Parents Back, which focuses on the issue of immigration by highlighting the story of a local San Diego family; and Fighting Community Violence, which documents the effects gang violence has on former gang members, emphasizing the consequences of joining a gang as well as providing positive alternatives to participating in gang activity.

The MACSD press release states: "Youth who participated in the Teen Producers Project this past year and produced these three documentaries, were excited about the process of learning about their community and at the same time learning to be video producers." Steve Garcia, a Teen Producer who worked on Fighting Community Violence, says, "Video is a good way to tell a lot of people what's going on; at Teen Producers Project, I can make friends and see how people help each other." Argenis Herrera, Teen Producer who worked on I Want My Parents Back, adds, "I believe documentary films are a great way of getting a message to the world and have it seen and heard."

For more information about the Teen Producers Project and the upcoming screening, please call 619-230-1938 x 101 and/or visit www.mediaartscenter.org.

San Diego Stories Digital Story Station

A Childhood Interned (MACSD)

Media Arts Center San Diego (MACSD), which also sponsors the San Diego Latino Film Festival, will present a pair of premiere screenings of their latest project, San Diego Stories Digital Story Station. The free screenings will take place Monday, June 23, at 6:00 p.m. in the Chula Vista Public Library (365 F St., Chula Vista, 91910) and then Saturday, June 28th at 4:30 p.m. at Escondido Public Library (239 S. Kalmia, Escondido, 92025). Both screenings celebrate a variety of short digital stories that have been produced by residents from Escondido, Chula Vista, and throughout San Diego County. The diverse works cover such subjects as Japanese Internment during World War II; stories of Love and Forgiveness; the History of Escondido's Grape Day Festival; the history of the Native American community in San Diego; stories of immigration; the history of the Chula Vista Nature Center; and many more stories about the people, communities and histories that together create the unique fabric of San Diego County. Following both screenings there will be a public discussion with the community storytellers and MACSD artists who worked on and produced the Digital Stories.

San Diego Stories is part of the MACSD's Digital Story Station project that gives San Diego County residents an opportunity to highlight something they deeply care about. According to the MACSD: "The aim of the Digital Story Station is to create a growing collection of video stories that can help us all better understand one another and connect our stories to the places we live. There are three Digital Story Stations throughout San Diego County - Chula Vista Public Library, Escondido Public Library and the Downtown Central Public Library. Additionally, MACSD is assisting the California State Library to install Digital Story Stations at libraries across the State of California. By Fall 2008, there will be 21 Digital Story Stations in California.
San Diego Stories is made possible with support from the San Diego Foundation. Additional support for the Digital Story Station is provided by City of San Diego Public Library, the San Diego Commission for Arts & Culture, KPBS, Chula Vista Public Library, Escondido Public Library, and the California State Library."

MACSD is one of the busiest arts organization in town and it continually reaches out to youth and underserved communities to find storytellers and to provide the means for those people to get their stories out in the community. This latest project should provide some compelling works. Plus it's free. You can't beat that. I hope you will come out and support these San Diego Stories.

For more information call 619-280-1938 x101 or go to the MACSD website.

Library Screening: San Diego’s Homeless Youth

A free screening of documentaries on homeless youth will be presented at the Central Library on Sunday April 20. (MACSD)

On Sunday April 20, the San Diego Public Library will screen a pair of films dealing with San Diego's homeless youth. The first film is Telling the Streets: True Urban Legends, and the second is Shadow Children: Five Stories from the Street. The films will screen at 2:00 PM in the Central Library 3rd floor auditorium located at 820 E Street in downtown San Diego. A discussion with the youth and the filmmakers will follow the screening. This event is free.

Telling the Streets: True Urban Legends is the culmination of a 15-week after-school video production, education and training program designed to document powerful stories that surround homeless youth in San Diego. The film is described as: "Stories of individual personal experiences become legends when they are of value to the community. These narratives often communicate essential information on how to survive, and even thrive, on the streets: what dangers to avoid, what services are available; what works and what does not." The program was available at no cost to students participating. It was funded by the California Council For the Humanities with support from The Media Arts Center San Diego. Ellen Delacruz, Language Arts teacher at Toussaint Academy of the Arts and Sciences, worked with Antone Minard Ph.D., folklorist, and humanities scholar, on writing the narratives, which the youth created.

Shadow Children was produced in The Production Center for Documentary and Drama at SDSU. Alex Farnsley, the writer-director will be present to answer questions after the Sunday screening. Farnsley (whose work has consistently impressed me and I have highlighted it at Film School Confidential, a showcase of local filmmakers that I curate) is a writer, photographer, and documentary filmmaker. His work has focused on the problems children and young people encounter on the road to adulthood. Shadow Children received a 2003 Southwestern Student Emmy Award, Honorable Mention in the International Broadcast Educators Film Festival, and a finalist berth at the prestigious international Angelus Awards.

The Media Arts Center San Diego describes its Teen Producers Project as "having been working with underserved youth in the community for the past five years and has dedicated itself to educating youth in the media arts and emerging technologies for use in self-expression, community building and social change. Using video production to preserve important community stories, these students address community issues and gain inclusion in our technology based society." I have included a number of Teen Producers Projects' short films in Film School Confidential, and have frequently been inspired by their work. It's great to have a program that allows teens (and even younger kids) to present their perspectives on stories from their own communities. For more information about the Teen Producers visit the Media Art Center San Diego website. And kudos to the Library for providing a venue for screening locally produced work.

FilmOut

A Four Letter Word opens this year's FilmOut.

FilmOut San Diego celebrates its tenth anniversary this month, expanding for the first time to a full week of films. The festival was created as a showcase for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender works. The event kicks off April 11 at Landmark's Ken Cinema with the San Diego premiere of A Four Letter Word.

May the Farce Be With You Always

This isn't new but it's new to me and it's never to late to celebrate something funny. After suffering through the kiddie recap of Star Wars that Angela so kindly highlighted on Culture Lust, a friend sent me this Star War spoof called Store Wars. This harkens back to the old Hardware Wars and Thumb Wars, made-in-your-garage kind of filmmaking. Star Wars fans have a long history of spoofing the film they love so dearly. Check out Store Wars, I especially love the revisionist take on Stormtroppers. Plus there's a good message at the end.

May the farce be with you always.

San Diego Jewish Film Festival

The coming of age tale Sixty-Six is the opening night film of the SDJFF (Universal)

The San Diego Jewish Film Festival kicks off its 18th season on February 7 with a British charmer called Sixty Six. The eleven-day festival will play at five local venues and showcase more than three dozen films and assorted panel discussions. Listen to my radio preview of the festival or read on for more in-depth details.

The title of the opening night film, Sixty-Six, refers to the year 1966 when Bernie Reubens (Greg Sulkin) is in the midst of elaborate plans for his bar mitzvah. Proclaiming itself a "tru-ish story," the film offers a delightful portrait of a young boy trying to make an impression on his own family. But it's difficult to get attention when you’re competing with the World Cup, especially when England happens to be hosting the World Cup. To make matters worse, Bernie has to contend with the final match between Blighty and West Germany landing on the exact same day as his much-anticipated rite of passage.