The weekend started on Tuesday
… When the invitation to attend a cocktail party and concert on
Nob Hill in San Francisco came in, the pearls were pulled from the
jewelry box, new nylons were purchased and friends were rounded up
for the jaunt to
”
the City.
”
The weekend started on Tuesday … When the invitation to attend a cocktail party and concert on Nob Hill in San Francisco came in, the pearls were pulled from the jewelry box, new nylons were purchased and friends were rounded up for the jaunt to “the City.”
Leave it to socialite Dorothy Toressi to create such an evening of scrumptious food (skirt steak wrapped around gorgonzola cheese, eggplant parmesan, bay shrimp on lettuce Dixie cups – they were petite – and other delicious nosh), wine to sip and excited conversation among new and old friends.
The pre-concert party was held in the newly remodeled Nob Hill apartment of Dorothy’s friend who was out of town for the weekend but wished us a good time via a handwritten note on the counter.
The party lit up when the curtains were opened to reveal a stunning San Francisco skyline and a framed view of the Golden Gate.
South County musicians Pat Meyer, principal cellist of the South Valley Symphony, and frequent piano soloist with the symphony Maria Amirkhanian mingled with guests at the party who drove to the city from all parts of the peninsula.
The conversations centered on anticipation of the concert to be played in the building behind the apartment (Grace Cathedral). Four Italian instruments and musicians from Italy would play Puccini, Verdi and Schubert in a benefit concert for Friends of FAI – an organization that supports the preservation of “Italian artistic, historic and environmental heritage.”
The instruments alone created a stir of absolute idolatry by the musicians in the audience and curiosity from the non-musicians. Reported to “play by itself” (per Francesco Manara – 1st violinist of the quartet) was a 1715 Stradivari violin (many are fakes; this one was real), a 1734 Guarneri violin (the deeper sounding of the two violins), a 1615 Amati viola and a new 1988 Cello by the Cremonese maker Pierangelo Balzarini. I was careful not to drool on Dorothy’s stylish gold lamé evening slacks. If I could just exchange my modest East German fiddle for the Strad (I’ve seen the Red Violin a few times) I’d be doing the solos in the symphony instead of Beverly Olivier-Blount! (OK, with a little more practice). Una bella serata!
Then the weekend finally arrived … on Friday the opening of the Poppy Jasper Film Festival made it’s debut at the Granada Theater in downtown Morgan Hill. With affordable popcorn in our laps (Dale Shippley likes his with a coronary amount of salt) and film fanatics all around, we were welcomed by the ever gracious chairperson of the event, Kim Bush. Ms. Bush complimented the filmmakers and found “depth, breadth and width in the talent of the South County.”
Bill Leeman, visionary for the festival, kept his welcome “short and sweet” in order to get on with the show. The careful planning of the event was evident throughout with an excellent technical crew (projections were perfectly executed!) and happy volunteers (I don’t think I met one that is not coming back next year).
After the showing and a question-and-answer time with the filmmakers, attendees moved down the street to the Community Center for an inaugural opening night party. Classy is as classy does … the reception reflected the great taste of the organizers featuring a jazz ensemble (with local Steve Chambers on his Benny Goodman instrument), wine, food and people who love movies, I mean films.
A face I didn’t recognize was Brian Dunigan, whose wife was in Morgan Hill on business from Rehoboth, Del. Dunigan noticed the marquee on the Granada announcing the festival and decided to join in the festivities and film buff camaraderie. New faces Rainer Ackermann and Greta Hilde sought to make acquaintances in their new town.
Just four months ago, Ackermann and Hilde moved to South County and find it “charming.” New Eagle Scout and filmmaker Billy Wong moved through the crowd hoping to rub elbows with anyone that had advice on film schools and how to obtain project funding. Wong’s film My Rice debuted at the weekend festival. Hollywood figures John Bruno, Todd Nealey and Kelsey Howard mingled with the crowd letting us in on some of their current projects. Other film buffs and volunteers included Brent Bear (former photographer of a popular men’s magazine beloved for the articles), Bruce Grandin, Kristin Carlson, Neil Thomas, Kelly Palmer, Ann Shippley, Jay Jaso, Toby Weiss and many, many more enjoying the budding culture of South County.
My favorite of the short films had to be Ron Ward’s Harvest. Harvest was originally shot in 8mm in the ’80’s then transferred to video.
Everything came together in the short; color, sound, music and most of all, story. The film was a loving tribute to Ward’s grandfather who worked his entire life in Morgan Hill growing walnuts in his orchard off Oak Glen road. Ward recently moved back to northern California from the southland.
Ron works fulltime as an editor of educational films but I believe has a marvelous eye for the art of film. Filmmakers take note; listen to your editors (if they’re good). They can make or break a film. Thank you Poppy Jasper Film Festival for the venue to showcase such talent! Who knows, maybe in a few thousand years we will have our own society for the preservation of the ancient art of filmmaking such as Italy’s FAI? Keep creating South County.
