Friday, 11.12
7pm, Granada Theater, 17440
Monterey Road
Parallel/Parallel (also Saturday, 1:10pm at Granada Theater)
Sean Becker started making films at San Jose State University
where he majored in the television/radio/film department.
Friday, 11.12
7pm, Granada Theater, 17440
Monterey Road
Parallel/Parallel (also Saturday, 1:10pm at Granada Theater)
Sean Becker started making films at San Jose State University where he majored in the television/radio/film department. After graduating in 2003, he continued to submit to film festivals throughout the country. This got him a directing opportunity for a variety show on UPN after a producer saw some of his recent work. Sean lives in San Jose.
Windless (also Saturday, 4:10pm at Granada Theater)
Take a journey deep into the constructs of the minds of normal people. Inside, we discover that nothing we once knew as fact can be used as evidence for the justification of mankind. It is a short, surrealistic piece split up into 11 segments in order to concentrate the viewer on the intense imagery and content. Nikita Kleverov is a Russian filmmaker, now residing in America. Stressing the importance of powerful images combined with an involving soundtrack, he has made many avant garde short films that have received acclaim at festivals nationwide. Kleverov is also the founder of Plainview Pictures, a production company specializing in experimental film and music video.
In This corner (also Sunday, 10:10am at Granada Theater)
Love has a way of knocking us around, but how many of us wear boxing gloves on a date? Watch Jenny as she experiences growing up, dating and love, all in the corner of a boxing ring. It’s the story of every girl’s struggle to find a man worth the effort as she fights her way through the mistakes of bad relationships to get into the winner’s circle with a man who knows what he’s won when he wins her heart. Dave Cintron is a writer from New York City who is making his directorial debut on the west coast with “In This Corner.” Dave’s third short film as a writer and producer and his first as director. He moved to Los Angeles to study music and film. His creative passions first took root in writing, grew into independent production, and then while at the Beverly Hills Playhouse he discovered a talent for working with actors.
Crushed (also Saturday, 10am at Granada Theater)
An e-mail from a secret admirer drives a lovelorn techno-geek to obsession, insanity and then true love. Chris Morgan’s geeky, lovesick world is turned upside-down one day when he receives an e-mail from Crush.com, telling him that someone has a crush on him. Fearing an e-mail scam, but desiring a relationship, Chris scours his college campus for the culprit. When he can’t figure it out himself, he decides to risk the consequences and submits the addresses of the three girls he thinks it might be. None of his guesses are correct … and to thicken the plot, all three girls receive crush e-mails from Crush.com that they eventually attribute to Chris. Andrew Cochrane is a recent graduate of USC’s film production program. “Crushed” was completed in his spare time when not working as a 2-D artist or studying improvisational comedy.
Chasing the Elephant (also Saturday, 10:10am at Granada Theater)
A little girl’s massive dream of one day being a star takes her on an adventure throughout Manhattan. But the longer the dream eludes her, the more fantasy becomes anxiety and soon the giant dream is chasing her. T.P. Jenkins has worked in the entertainment industry in New York and Los Angeles for the past four years. He has taught filmmaking workshops for young people at the Rockport Film & Television Workshops, The Governor’s School For The Arts in Virginia, and most recently the Idyllwild Arts Academy in California. He is currently continuing his graduate education at the Savannah College of Art & Design in Georgia, enrolled in the school of Film & Digital Media.
Saturday, Nov. 13, 9am The Morgan Hill Playhouse, Monterey Rd. & Dunne Ave.
Special Screening of Films By Morgan Hill students
Montgomery Bus Boycott
A children’s short video directed by Arceli Bell and performed by fifth graders from The Charter School of Morgan Hill.
Pretty Kitty
A children’s short video directed by Arceli Bell and the children of A Children’s Garden in Morgan Hill, and written by the children as well.
Saul: The Conversion
A project put together by then-eighth graders Ricky Abarca, Chris Fernquist, Matt Kelly, Eric Jaso and Sergis Varda for their religious studies class. It’s their telling of the New Testament conversion of Saul with a contemporary music soundtrack. The boys are now attending ninth grade at schools throughout the South Valley.
The Dysfunctional Duo and the Case of the Missing Shoe (films by Morgan Hill students will be shown all at one screening, Saturday, 9am at the Community Playhouse) Michelle Soult of Morgan Hill created this amateur detective story featuring characters Sydney Walker and John Randal.
Saturday, Nov. 13, 10am The Granada Theater. 17440 Monterey Road
Social Apathy
How can empathy and compassion change the world we live in? This film shows both sides of a given situation, and without pretending to tell you what you should do, it asks that you interpret the two scenarios in your own way. And hopefully act upon your own best instincts. Amy Cheung was born in Hong Kong, but grew up in suburban New Hampshire. Her introduction to film was through foreign films, reading subtitles off movies imported from China and Hong Kong. She attained a Certificate of Video Productions at Manchester School of Technology, a vocational school offered through the local High Schools. She studied at the Academy of Art University, graduating with a BFA in Motion Picture Editing.
Lowriding in Aztlan
This documentary by Jasso-Osorio Entertainment hits the streets of Northern California to dispel the myths surrounding lowriding. Interviews with lowriders discuss the current state of lowriding, stereotypes and what needs to be done to have lowriding recognized as a positive international underground cultural phenomenon. This documentary takes you into the dangers of lowriding while showcasing some of its hottest cars, murals and artwork. Jasso-Osorio Entertainment’s mission is to encourage others from diverse, low-income backgrounds to strive for success, inspire creativity and promote education through film entertainment, mentorship programs and community service.
Saturday, Nov. 13, 10:10am The Granada Theater
Hands and Claws – The Story of Yinda
An invited film from Ucucu Productions.
Saturday, Nov. 13, 10:45am The Granada Theater.
By Light of Lanterns
A largely unknown and untold story of the Chinese who pioneered commercial fishing, and made enormous contributions to the economy of the Monterey Bay in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. A direct descendent of the first Chinese fishermen, is one of the few left with a tie to these early immigrants. Through family and local historians’ stories about these fishermen, Geraldine Low-Sabado divulges her childhood memories. Hiromasa Konishi was born in Tokyo, Japan, attended school in Texas, worked in Los Angeles, and is now living in Monterey. His most recent short film, “The Mission,” was accepted as an official selection of the 2004 Asian Film Festival of Dallas. Currently, he teaches film and video production at California State University, Monterey Bay.
Wheels Locked
Dave Bergeson has worked as a cinematographer, composer, director and producer on films for 18 years. He directed the prize-winning documentary “Annie’s Magic Pie Garden.” His film”Wheels Locked” has won several awards, including Best of the Fest at the Rochester International Film Festival. He attributes the films of Woody Allen as his greatest influence.
Reckless Abandon
A chance encounter. A twist of fate … Love can be deadly. “Imagine … if you saw your life before it happened. Only to find out it had already passed.” With more than 100 national campaigns to his credit, Josh Carmichael runs a small production company SGP (Stupid Genius Productions) out of his home-based office and is also co-creator/CEO and co-owner of Featherstone Films, LLC. Carmichael is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild, IFP, and AAA.
Saturday, Nov. 13, 1pm The Granada Theater.
Beer Hunters
Out of a slow night of inspiration and alcohol, comes a tale of three strong-willed young men who embark on a journey to seek a means of quenching their thirst. What they find will change their lives forever. Mike Wright, Brett Rogstad and Donaldo Prescod bring forth the passion and importance of the three men’s quest. The three actors’ onscreen presence is highlighted by camera work by veteran Vincent Gargiulo, and includes three songs by musician Tom Waits.
Shudder
An exploration of loss and longing – the legacy left by a father’s suicide on his son through a vigorous debate with its haunting, implacable images. Helen Pau came to the United States to study film-production and direct her own award-winning drama, “The Stone Wife,” at the Bay Guardian’s Playwriting Contest in San Francisco. This film was a thesis film for the completion of a master’s degree in cinema from San Francisco State University in Fall 2001.
The Ring
Greg Wong is a 7th grader at Britton Middle School in Morgan Hill. He became interested in making films through a GATE class in video at El Toro Elementary School in the 4th grade. His teacher allowed him to make videos of class projects, as well as work with the GATE teacher using iMovie to produce short films to broadcast to the entire school. He is self-taught in the use of iMovie, and made “The Ring” with his brother, while he was learning some of the special effects. He hopes to continue producing movies in middle school and grade school.
A Rough Cut Life
This documentary looks into the challenging lives of a group of people who ran steam logging railroads. Humorous anecdotes are inter-cut with archival film dating back to 1935, providing a view of a long-vanished era. Warren Haack received his BA and MA in film with honors from San Francisco State University. He spent eight years working as an editor and sound designer for Harcourt Brace Films. He is currently on the staff of the Cinema Department at San Francisco State. With his own company, Tuolumne Films, where he specializes in sound design and post production services, he has completed many soundtracks and videos in the past 20 years. He is also a musician, playing dobro and guitar.
Saturday, Nov. 13, 1:10pm The Granada Theater.
Blue
Tactile and loud Amanda lives life on the wild side, constantly searching for new experiences. Her brother Michael is organized and careful, and plans his each and every move. Amanda wants to celebrate Michael’s birthday by putting him completely outside his comfort zone, while at the same time giving her the most thrilling ride of her life. They will confront a moment that will change their lives forever. Michael Afendakis came to film through his love of acting. The idea for “Blue” came to him while on a long flight home from New York where it occurred to him that he was lucky to be alive after the wild things he did as a kid, and how easily things could have gone badly. He has written a number of other short films, and is the founding member of Tin Can Films.
Boxed In
An examination of the relationship between two men who view the world very differently, despite having grown up under very similar circumstances. One approaches the other about taking on a pro bono case, to help a young straight-A student from their old barrio, who is being held as a “person of interest” under the Patriot Act. A native New Yorker raised in Astoria, Queens, by a Puerto Rican mother, and German-American father, Jean Buschmann embodies multiculturalism, and its ensuing identity issues, which are often examined in her work. Growing up in Queens in the late 70’s when society and culture were more restrictive provided the inspiration for “Boxed In.”
Changing of the Guard
This tale is told by multiple narrators about Earl, a seasoned security guard, training Jimbo, an aimless young punk, on his first night. As Jimbo makes his rounds he hears a mysterious moaning. Earl pleads with Jimbo not to investigate, but is unconvincing. Desperate, Earl reveals the terrible truth – but is it too late? Jennifer Harrington is a recent graduate of both UCLA and USC film schools, receiving her BA from the former and her MFA from the latter. She has produced many graduate thesis films at USC over the last few years.
My Rice
Saturday, Nov. 13, 4pm The Granada Theater
The Visage
Wild Wave Surfing
An abstract, color art video based around live surfing and choreographing it to music. It was shot in Santa Cruz. The visual surfing was changed to a magical outburst of color to let the viewer’s imagination emerge in this extremely unique sport. William Leaman was born in San Jose and has lived in Morgan Hill since 1988. He is the CEO of Leaman Video Productions and Digital Dream Studios. He has produced many video and film projects working as a producer and also as director, with his field of expertise in the technical aspects of production.
Save Jesus
In this comedy, a modern-day Jesus encounters a wide variety of circumstances and deals with them with the kind of everyday human response that you’d expect from … well, a human.
Saturday, Nov. 13, 4:10pm Granada Theater
Interview with Mary
The Disappeared Ones
This devastating documentary follows a cluster of women gathered in the main square in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Clutching photos of their missing children, they demand to know their fate. In the 60s and 70s, a coup in that country turned it into a hellzone. Military thugs kidnapped people from their beds. These people became “Los Desaparecidos” (The Disappeared Ones). More than 30,000 people were murdered by the military. The perseverance of the indomitable Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo sets an example for us all. Bob Freimark’s films have been screened in international festivals in San Francisco, New York, Saratoga Springs, London, Budapest, Santo Domingo, Havana, Los Angeles, Miami, Vancouver, BC. and elsewhere. He has won International Awards in Atlanta, San Francisco, Cincinnati and San Diego, and won the Freedom Award at the Dahlonega Film Festival.
Jazz Made in Romania
The film endeavors to capture the artistic and human authenticity of two dedicated artists as it unfolded during a brief visit to San Francisco in December 2001. The musical tracks, released in their entirety on CD, reveal the professionalism and wholehearted performance of these two Romanian artists. Johnny Raducanu comes from a renowned gypsy family with a long musical tradition. He is president of the Romanian Jazz Federation, and founder of the Romanian Jazz School. Winner of the 1993 Sibiu International Jazz Festival, Teodora Enache switched from mathematics to jazz. She has performed in numerous jazz concerts and festivals and played with numerous international stars.
Sunday, Nov. 14, 10am The Granada Theater
Isn’t it Obvious
At a party in Newark, Calif., a 17-year-old youth named Gwen Araujo was confronted by four angry men. They demanded to know if she was a man or a woman. How could she explain herself in terms they would understand? She replied, “Isn’t it obvious?” The film shows her family’s pain at her loss and the community’s anger and grief. A brief glimpse is given of Gwen’s life as she grows into self-acceptance. Shelly Prevost has a degree in computer science and works in the high-tech industry, but went back to school at De Anza College in June 2001, taking film and animation classes and began learning the technology and art of filmmaking.
Life and Times
of Diana Murphy
This is Chelsey Hice’s first short film. It was produced at the age of nine for her third grade history project. Chelsey is active in drama and has performed in theater productions. She loves playing soccer and basketball, and hanging out with her friends.
The USS Arizona
Revisited
This film covers the history of the USS Arizona with a main focus on the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Survivors of the attack share their experiences of what happened onboard during and after the attack. Scott Freund started dabbling with making homemade documentaries after the family bought a video camera in the mid-1980s. Scott teamed up with Tim Csabanyi in 1998. Tim’s interest in video production started when he began selling video equipment in the late 1980s.
Harvest
This is a portrait of Harold Ward, who raised walnuts in Paradise Valley from the 1920’s through the 1980s. Shot in 1985, this enhanced home movie offers a view of what life in Morgan Hill was like when farming was still predominant in the community. Ron Ward is a writer and video editor. He studied psychology and music as an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz and earned an MFA in cinema-television at the USC, specializing in documentary production. He lives in San Jose, where he works as senior video editor for Laureate Education (formerly Sylvan Learning Systems). “Harvest” was made while attending graduate studies at the USC film school.
Sunday, Nov. 14, 10:10am Granada Theater.
Roses Are Red
In this black-and-white film, handsome undergrad Shawn is being tracked by a secret female admirer perched in a nearby tree. When Shawn encounters danger, her voyeurism turns to heroism … or does it? Kristina Drzaic and Kateri McCarthy are senior film majors at the University of Notre Dame. This is their first production shot on film and edited on a Steenbeck. Kristina, a Morgan Hill resident, hopes to work in cinematography and art direction. Kateri, a Boston native, aspires to make political documentaries one day.
Blackneck
A six-pack of beer, a mouthful of tobacco, and a Klu Klux Klan meeting … just another day in the life of Cletus Earl, an all-American Redneck. By the way, he’s black. The classic nature-versus-nurture argument takes on a new twist. Cletus Earl was raised by a family of rednecks in the small town of Hangemhigh, Ala. Being a redneck is all he knows until Monica Forrest, an African-American reporter from Atlanta comes to town and investigates his way of life. Christopher Seals’ work has ranged from home movies to award-winning shorts that have earned him a guest appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “Blackneck” is based on a character from “The Christopher Seals Show,” a cable-access program Seals produced as an undergraduate at the University of Alabama,Birmingham.
The Evolution of the Toilet Seat: The Lost History
Ever wonder how the toilet seat came to be? You’re about to find out in this film. Jessica Miller was born in San Jose, grew up in the Bay Area, and now lives in Hollister. She is currently attending Gavilan College in Gilroy and considering transferring to an art school to pursue a career in the visual arts or some facet of the film industry. She hopes to continue producing films with her sister Juliana, and friends Heidi and Robyn.
My Choice
This is a half-hour documentary of the March for Women’s Lives that took place on April 25, 2004, in Washington, D.C. when more than a million people gathered to protect a woman’s right to choose. Patty Mooney is a partner at Crystal Pyramid Productions and New & Unique Videos. Patty has produced, shot and edited several documentaries of a social-political nature. She has received several awards and honors for her work.
Sunday, Nov. 14, 1:30pm Granada Theater.
Riding to Red Bluff: A Bull Rider’s Story
We follow a professional bull rider from Northern California as he competes in his hometown’s New Year’s Eve Rodeo. Filmmaker Sarah Garvey is a lawyer turned photojournalist and filmmaker. “Riding to Red Bluff” won the Silver Remi Award for Short Subject Documentary at the 2004 Worldfest-Houston Film Festival. Her photos have been exhibited in New York and Nevada (at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko) and her articles have been published in the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, Pacific Magazine and The Los Angeles Daily Journal. She lives in Los Angeles.
More Than a Thousand Kisses/Coffee Cantata
This invited film by producer Robert Chesterman is a stirring dramatization of J.S. Bach’s ‘Coffee Contata.’
The Granada Theater is located at 17440 Monterey Road.
