To borrow an overused phrase during the COVID crisis…“I’ve seen every movie on Netflix, now what do I watch?” Right now the answer would be to check out the Mendocino Film Festival’s webpage and log in to their Virtual Film Series, streaming two new, engaging, independent films a week—from June 6 to July 31— that can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home.
Alayna Cruz, executive director of the Mendocino Film Festival, was instilled with the love of cinema by her father, one of those people, she says, who could watch a bad movie all the way through to the end.
“I’m like that as well,” she admits. “Going to the movies was something I did with my dad; he fostered a broad love of film in me.”
The idea for a film festival came to light some 15 years ago when a group of local enthusiasts – Keith and Judith Brandman, Mike and Mary Schuh, Paul and Nancy Kemp and George Russell – had been viewing movies at home and developed the idea of having a film festival with audience/film maker Q&As in the town of Mendocino.
With the help of renowned director Sydney Pollack as an advisory board member, the festival was off and running in 2006. Originally guided by volunteers, it now employs two staff members – full time executive director Cruz and part-time festival administrator Kara de Vries – and seasonal contractors.
“Film festivals are all about a shared community experience of independent, diverse voices on the big screen with great sound –that’s why this pandemic has been such a hard shift for film festivals in general. Locally, we are very much invested in this effort and a big part of it is bringing dollars into the Mendocino community.
“Having people come here at the beginning of the tourist season for a long weekend, filling the hotels and restaurants, participating in the Q&A’s, and attending the late-night events is all part of it. It’s been a really hard pivot to offer something online because we love being together so much,” she says.
A normal festival would look like this: Fifty films, produced within the last year, including a short films program, shown in three Mendocino venues – the big tent seen from Highway 1, Matheson Performing Arts Center and Crown Hall – and Coast Cinemas in Fort Bragg.
“They have the comfiest seats,” she says.
Most years, two-thirds of the films are accompanied by the filmmakers who are seen about town, talking with each other and are available for audiences eager to engage with them.
The three-day festival kicks off on a Thursday evening with a film screening for members and sponsors. Films begin running on Friday morning with a festival gala on Friday night, a filmmakers’ party on Saturday and a wrap party on Sunday.
In a normal season, about 7,000 tickets are sold to the 4,000 to 5,000 attendees.
“The town is always chock full of people,” she says.
In recent years, the distribution process has changed and more films now have a studio attached.
“After Sundance, a film production and distribution company like Neon will come in and buy up a lot of the movies,” she says. “We try to find films before they are widely available, that are going to resonate with our audience and that are more likely to have an attending filmmaker. By August of that year, you might see these movies enter into bigger distribution online and as DVDs.”
The movie selection committee is headed by Claudia Puig, who works closely with Ann Walker in screening some 100 films for the final selection of 50.
Puig, the president of the L.A. Film Critics Association, with connections to actors and filmmakers, knows jurors and program directors at festivals throughout the country and has regular access to current material. Volunteer pre-screeners help cull the wheat from the chaff.
Since Puig came on board in 2017, there has been a focus on presenting films made by women and people of color.
“We want to bring our community a diverse set of voices and stories,” says Cruz.
During the COVID pandemic, a lot of distributors decided to make their new release films available online for film festivals and art house theaters to be used as fundraisers.
“The distributor has a list of films; we get to look at the list and pick the ones we think will do well in our community. The film festival makes 50 percent of the ticket sales,” she says.
Part of the difficulty with going virtual in a rural community is the lack of Internet connectivity. Being aware of this, she apologizes to those who cannot make the connection and says that if a film does well, they hope to bring it back as an in-person screening once it is safe to do so.
Their first slate of movies is coming from Neon, and tickets can be purchased at their website for as little as $3.99 per movie (distributors set the prices, not the festival) available for viewing for 72 hours during a period of a month.
New titles, two per week, will be released regularly. “The Painter and the Thief,” a winner at The Sundance Film Festival in Utah – the largest independent film festival in the United States – received rave reviews and will kick off the series.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the documentary – receiving a 96 percent on its tomatometer – tells the story of “an unlikely bond between a criminal and his victim as the canvas for a compelling portrait of compassion and forgiveness.”
The June 12 selection includes “Spaceship Earth,” a Sundance official selection, and “Shirley,” a Sundance winner.
After the season ends, there will be an assessment. If all goes well, a fall series may follow.
“The entire festival team is looking forward to being able to safely congregate again; we want to continue to support our local businesses. For now, pick a favorite local restaurant that’s open for curbside pick-up or delivery, and make it a special night with dinner and a movie,” she says.
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June 12, 2020 at 04:20AM
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