History

Programme for July 25, 2008

An Insider's Look at the Modern History of Iraq

Feature: No End In Sight

"No End in Sight is the most cool headed of the Iraq war documentaries, the most methodical and the least polemical. Yet it's the one that will leave audiences the most shattered, angry and astounded." Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

"This is not a documentary filled with anti-war activists or sitting ducks for Michael Moore. Most of the people in the film had top government or military jobs in the Bush administration. They had responsibility in Iraq or Washington, they implemented policy, they filed reports, they labored faithfully in service of U.S. foreign policy and then they left the government. Some jumped, some were pushed. They all feel disillusioned about the war and the way the White House refused to listen to them about it." Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times

Programme for June 20, 2008

The Crazy Stranger (Gadjo Dilo)

Programme for May 23, 2008

TOWARDS EVENING

Programme for April 23, 2008

A beautiful and profound look at what man is doing to our planet

Feature: Manufactured Landscapes

A documentary about Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky and his attempt to document modern industrialization gone amuck in China and other hypergrowth hotspots. Burtynsky is a master at finding beauty in dangerous industrial vistas.

The film makes no attempt to scare the audience with statistics and charts. Instead Director Jennifer Baichwal chose to follow Burtynsky as he travels the world looking for mindblowing industrial vistas he can capture on film. Burtynsky throws in an occasional comment about his subjects, but for the most part he lets the images and the words of the people behind the images do all the talking. It's clear that the workers depicted in the film are profoundly grateful for the jobs that have lifted them out of poverty. At the same time, they are fully cognizant and deeply concerned about the impact this rampant industrialization is impacting the world they are going to pass on to their children.

Jenny Lau, an Associate Professor in the Department of Cinema at San Francisco State and a member of the Script Committee of the Beijing Olympics will introduce the film and lead the post screening discussion.

Programme for March 28, 2008

An Evening of Films about Coastside Treasures

Short: Symphonic Meditations

The latest collaborative effort by composer George Roumanis and photographer Lou Solitske, both of Half Moon Bay. George has written three movements of hauntingly beautiful music that add resonance to Lou's shots of coastside seascapes, sunsets, big wave surfers, birds and other natural beauties he has captured while roving our majestic California Coastline.

World famous alto saxophonist, Dale Underwood is the featured artist of this innovative opus.

Short: Ragtime Dogs

Lou Solitske's pictures of a wide variety of local dogs, some funny, some cute, some beautiful, but all our best friends; keep perfect time to George Roumanis's ragtime rhythms.

Feature: A Seal's Life

For hundreds of thousands of years an extraordinary journey has taken place in the sea. Twice a year along the west coast of North America, elephant seals set out alone on a nearly impossible round trip migration across vast expanses of the North Pacific.

For months they remain at sea, swimming thousands of miles while diving relentlessly to unimaginable depths in search of food. By journey's end they'll have traveled farther in a year than any other mammal on Earth.
From the rugged, wave-swept shorelines of Northern California to the cold dark depths of the North Pacific, this is the incredible story of one of the greatest migratory marine mammals ever to inhabit the sea, a remarkable creature living a life of extremes and their species∙ never-ending struggle for survival.

Come enjoy this great film with Drew Wharton, the Santa Cruz-based film maker behind this project and ask him questions about the two years he spent filming, writing and directed and producing this wonderful documentary. Chances are you will recognize many of the places he shot at including our own Año Nuevo State Reserve, Farallon Islands, and Point Reyes National Seashore. Visit A Seal's Life Trailer

Programme for February 22, 2008

An Evening with Filmmaker Bob Elfstrom

Feature: Finding Lucy

When "I Love Lucy" debuted on national television on October 1951, the show became an instant sensation, defining the format of the situation comedy, driving thousands of first time viewers to television, and turning its unlikely star, Lucille Ball, into a legend. The documentary "Finding Lucy" tells the story of how a B Grade movie actress from Jamestown, N.Y. used her penchant for comedy to transform herself into the very first female television superstar and first female head of a major studio. Winner of the Emmy as Best Documentary, "Finding Lucy" features one of the most extensive compilations of archival television and movie footage ever gathered for a single production as well as interviews with countless industry insiders who can tell the give the back story of how and why this program has become a broadcasting icon.

Feature: Tutorial on Proper Lighting and Sound

Much of Bob Elfstrom's success can be attributed to his deep understanding of how to properly light a scene and capture sound. During the break between features, Bob has graciously agreed to teach a mini-workshop on how to use proper lighting and sound recording techniques to improve any video shoot.

Feature: Moses Pendleton presents Moses Pendleton

Moses Pendleton is one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century. He is a founder of two internationally-renowned dance companies, the hyper-athletic Pilobolus company and Momix, a company of dancer-illusionists.


This unusual film seamlessly blends dance performance shots with autobiographical essays by and about Moses Pendleton. By skillfully melding two film genres together in this way, Eldstrom created a superb hybrid that earned him the coveted Cine Golden Eagle award.

Programme for January 11, 2008

An Evening with Filmmaker Joan Saffa

Feature: An Evening with Joan Saffa

For over 25 years Joan Saffa has been producing award-winning non-fiction television programs. Her documentaries have been honored with several Northern California Emmys, Golden Cine Eagles, a national Emmy, and a George Foster Peabody Award. Come meet her and see two of her films.

San Francisco in the 20s (60 mins)
SF in the 20s captures the frolicking good times, as well as the uncertainties lurking just below the surface of a decade defined by prohibition, flamboyance and racism and ending with the great stock market crash. Narrated by Ed Asner.

Keeping Score: MTT on Music
The Music of Aaron Copland (116 mins)
In this fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony take viewers on a guided tour of the music of one of America's greatest composers. It's a great ride not only for those familiar with Copland and his "American" sound, but for those willing to listen and discover this terrific music for the first time. The selections chosen cover Copland’s iconic Americana classics (Appalachian Spring, Rodeo) but also lesser know works of a probing artist who straddled the popular-classical divide.

Programme for December 7, 2007

Two narrative films based upon historical events.

Short: MUERTO EN LA SIERRA

DEAD IN THE SIERRA
"The spectre of Joaquin Murieta still rides in the California countryside. Whoever approaches the legend of this bandit will feel the charismatic force of his gaze." - Pablo Neruda

The California Gold Rush of 1849 occurred in the aftermath of the US-Mexican War, which annexed nearly half of Mexico to the United States. Amid the greed, suspicion, and fear of that era, many who lost land, family, and their futures fought back. Told from a Mexican point of view, this is a story of two very different men, both named Joaquin, whose fed the legend of outlaw and rebel Joaquin Murieta. Beautifully shot in 16mm black and white over three decades, the film sports a superb sound design by Academy Award-winner Richard Beggs (Apocalypse Now).

A film by Coastside Film Society Board Member, Warren Haack.

Feature: 1918

Feature starts at 8:15

It's 1918, and the United States is deeply embroiled in World War I. Horace Robedaux is living a bucolic life with his wife and little girl in their little Texas town way back in piney woods. But historical forces are straining to reshape his life.

To most of his neighbors the war is a romantic adventure. Young men like Horace are encouranged to do their patriotic duty. Will he end up in the killing fields of France? Or will the impending influenza pandemic grab hold of his life before this can happen?

Written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Horton Foote (To Kill a Mockingbird, Tender Mercies).

Programme for October 26, 2007

Two Tales About Confused Identity

Feature: EL MARIACHI

"Shooting with amateur actors on real locations, plundering his surroundings for his shots and props, Rodriguez gets a gritty, sweaty, dusty feel that drips with atmosphere." Roger Ebert. Chicago Sun Times
El Mariachi was writer/director Robert Rodriguez' first commercial film. That is if you call a film made for $7,000, targeted at the direct-to-video Hispanic market, with money raised by volunteering for medical research a commercial release.
In spite of its low budget, the movie became a hugh commercial success, It won the coveted Audience Award at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival, went on to make millions at the box office, and launched the career of one of our most prolific modern directors. (Spy Kids, Sin City, Desperado, GrindHouse).
El Mariachi is an action thriller and a masterwork of low-cost filmmaking improvisation. The hero of the film is a mariachi-a singer of traditional Mexican songs. As the movie opens, the mariachi has just arrived in the small Mexican border town of Acua looking for work at local cantina. His misfortune is that a ruthless assassin has also arrived in town at the same moment. Both men wear black and carry guitar cases and the musician is mistaken for the assassin. Life suddenly becomes much more interesting for the mariachi!

Short: MUERTO EN LA SIERRA

DEAD IN THE SIERRA
"The spectre of Joaquin Murieta still rides in the California countryside. Whoever approaches the legend of this bandit will feel the charismatic force of his gaze." - Pablo Neruda

The California Gold Rush of 1849 occurred in the aftermath of the US-Mexican War, which annexed nearly half of Mexico to the United States. Amid the greed, suspicion, and fear of that era, many who lost land, family, and their futures fought back. Told from a Mexican point of view, this is a story of two very different men, both named Joaquin, whose fed the legend of outlaw and rebel Joaquin Murieta. Beautifully shot in 16mm black and white over three decades, the film sports a superb sound design by Academy Award-winner Richard Beggs (Apocalypse Now).

A film by Coastside Film Society Board Member, Warren Haack.

Programme for September 21, 2007

Nail Biting Documentary for All Ages

Feature: Spellbound

"A nail-biting competition film, an engrossing group character study and a wonderfully graceful comedy of manners."
William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Every spring since 1925, Scripps Howard newspapers have sponsored spelling bees at grade schools across the U.S. This award winning documentary presents the intense, real life experience of the National Spelling Bee through the eyes of eight, driven young spellers.

The film travels from the plains of Texas to the lawns of Connecticut, from redneck countryside to the troubled inner city of Washington D.C.. We get to share the private lives of these kids as they advance through regional competition, prepare for, and eventually do battle at the national contest.

"An unassailably great film! Anyone who has not seen it assumes it's good in the most earnest, studied kind of way--good for you. I've seen Spellbound four times, most recently with my grade 6 class, and the initial thrill hasn't waned a bit. For a film about something as staid as a spelling bee, where requests for a word origin count as major plot twists, it's as sly and disarming as can be."
Phil Dellio, RockCritics.com

Programme for August 31, 2007

A Classic African Screwball Comedy

Feature: Xala

"An Outrageously funny comedy of manners." Linda Gross, Los Angeles Times

A film by OUSMANE SEMBENE, the father of African cinema, who passed away this June.

Ousmane Sembene's savage and hilarious satire of modern African bourgeoisie. Forsaking the more obvious (and politically acceptable) targets of European exploitation and racism, Sembene zeroes in on a far touchier subject: the entire blackfacing of white colonial policies after independence was granted.

Set in a newly independent Senegal, the story centers on self-satisfied, westernized Senegalese businessman who decides to take advantage of the rampant corruption. Flush with government money, he decides to marry his third (polygamous) wife. On his wedding night, he is suddenly struck down with the xala, an ancient Senegalese curse rendering him impotent. With his virility in question, he tries a number of ridiculous and bizarre cures. This vain search for a cure becomes a metaphor for the impossibility of Africans achieving liberation through dependence on western technology and bureaucratic structures.

An interesting point is Sembene wrote both the novel of that name and the screenplay.

JENNY LAU, Associate Professor of Cinema at San Franciso State University will introduce the film.

Programme for August 25, 2007

Film Night in Pacifica

Feature: Returning Home: Bringing Back the Common Murre

In 1986, a breeding colony of Common Murres on Devil's Slide was devastated by an oil spill.

Using innovative restoration techniques in a challenging location, scientists worked with local schools and government agencies to restore the colony.

The film chronicles the decade of restoration efforts required to bring these birds back to their ancestral home.

For more info call: (650) 355-8000 (ask for Marty)

or go to: www.PCT26.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Produced, written, and directed by Kevin White.
Narrated by Terri Orth-Pallavicini
Camera: Scott Stender, Don Starnes, Kevin White
Editor: Theron Yeager &; Marnie Berringer
Associate Producer: Marnie Berringer

Programme for August 11, 2007

Healing with the Labyrinth

Feature: Returning Home:e

In 1986, a breeding colony of Common Murres on Devil's Slide was devastated by an oil spill.

Using innovative restoration techniques in a challenging location, scientists worked with local schools and government agencies to restore the colony. The film chronicles the decade of restoration efforts required to bring these birds back to their ancestral home.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Produced, written, and directed by Kevin White. Narrated by Terri Orth-Pallavicini Camera: Scott Stender, Don Starnes, Kevin White Editor: Theron Yeager & Marnie Berringer Associate Producer: Marnie Berringer

Programme for July 13, 2007

Dinner and a Movie

Feature: Yi Yi (A One and a Two)

One of the most critically acclaimed films of the decade.

Winner "Best Picture" -- National Society of Film Critics.
"Best Director" -- Cannes Film Festival.
"Best Foreign Film" by both the New York Film Critics Circle & the LA Film Critics Association.

The movie is a portrait of three generations of a Taiwanese family. These are characters living in a a modern world that an American audience can relate to and care about. The protagonist is an electronics executive whose comfortable world is rocked by a chance encounter with his first love; a girl he almost married 30 years ago. While he ponders his past and present we gradually get to know the people who frame his life; his wife, his mother-in-law, his teenaged daughter, and the 8-year old son who always seems to drop the water balloon on the wrong head. A.O. Scott of The New York Times said in his rave review, "I struggled to identify the overpowering feeling that was making me tear up. Was it grief? Joy? Mirth? Yes, I decided, it was all of these. But mostly, it was gratitude."

"Only rarely is a film this observant and tender about the ups and downs of daily existence." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times

Programme for June 22, 2007

Feature: COLMA: The Musical

Friday & Sat, June 22 & 23rd at the Embarcadero Center Cinema
Director Richard Wong & Actor/Writer/Composer H.P. Mendoza In Person

Fri & Sat, June 22 & 23! June 22 & 23 at 7:30 & 10:00pm!

Best pals Rodel (H.P. Mendoza), Billy (Jake Moreno) and Maribel (L.A. Renigan) find themselves in a state of limbo. Fresh out of high school, they are just beginning to explore a new world of part-time mall jobs and crashing college parties.
As newfound revelations and romances challenge their relationships with one another and their parents, the trio must assess what to hold onto, and how to best follow their dreams.
A fresh personal look into the ups and downs of early adulthood, boasting 13 original musical numbers composed by Mendoza. Debut feature for director Richard Wong.

More info at the OFFICIAL WEBSITE http://www.colmafilm.com/

You can buy tickets at:
http://movies.aol.com/theater/landmark-embarcadero-center-cinemas/1154/showtimes?date=20070622

Programme for May 25, 2007

Two Films about Forging New Beginnings

Short: The Danish Poet

2006 Oscar winning short animation written, directed and animated by Torvill Kove and narrated by Liv Ullmann.
The film deals with heady questions. Can we trace the chain of events that lead to our birth?. Is our existence just coincidence? Do little things matter?
To explore these questions, we follow Kasper, a poet whose creative well has run dry, on a holiday to Norway to meet the famous writer, Sigrid Undset. As Kasper's quest for inspiration unfolds, it appears that a spell of bad weather, an angry dog, slippery barn planks, a careless postman, hungry goats and other seemingly unrelated factors might play important roles in a big scheme of things after all."

Feature: The White Rainbow

The story of four remarkable women and their struggle to overcome the stigma and brutal reality of widowhood in modern India. The protagonist Priya, is an educated and affluent woman who is widowed young. Despondent, alone and desperate, she seeks solace in Vrindavan, the "city of widows." There she meets three women who become her best friends. Roop has spent 30 years making her own way in this temple town, and knows all the town's dirty secrets. Her own mother-in-law tragically disfigured gentle Mala. Young Deepti was forced into servitude and the underground sex trade run by the local Panda priests. These four women for a deep bond and through their friendship begin to discover a way to take charge of their own fate. Their journey is not without adversity and tragedy from a system dominated by men who prosper from the exploitation of India's most disenfranchised citizens. Film makers Linda and Dharan Mandrayar will be in attendance to present the film and do Q&A.

Programme for April 20, 2007

Two Films about Musical Inspiration

Short: Moon Bay Concerto

A short musical photographic exhibit in three movements featuring music by local composer George Roumanis and photographer Lou Solitske. Both gentlemen live in Half Moon Bay and will be at the screening to answer questions. (8 mins)

Feature: Touch the Sound

Evelyn Glennnie lives in our universe in a way that almost no one else does. She’s a top classical solo percussionist. She is also profoundly deaf using her body as a "resounding chamber" through which she experiences her work.

In this documentary, we get to follow Glennie as she plays the snare drum in New York's Grand Central Station, a guitar case in the Cologne airport, pigeon coops on row house roof tops and the china at her favorite Japanese restaurant. But the movie really breaks out when we get to follow her and avant-garde musical legend Fred Frith improvise work for a new album while roaming through a vast, decaying, industrial warehouse.

"Innovative sounds and striking visuals combine to form an exquisite cinematic work that's both a portrait of hearing-impaired percussionist Evelyn Glennie and a radical reexamination of sensory experience." Ken Fox, TV Guide

"Exquisitely beautiful for the eyes as for the ears." David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor

Programme for March 9, 2007

Of Wind and Waves

Feature: Of Wind and Waves

Of Wind and Waves: The Life of Woody Brown is an award-winning hour-long documentary on a 95-year-old legend in the worlds of surfing, sailing and soaring.

Attending the screening is David L. Brown, the Brisbane-based filmmaker behind the film. Brown states, "I see Woody as a modern Thoreau sitting on a surfboard, living in harmony with the world around him, alive to the possibilities of each new day, and following his own singular vision of how to be in the world."

The documentary captures Woody's unique blend of enthusiasm, wisdom, humor and spirituality that have made him a truly inspirational figure.

Of Wind and Waves explores Woody's life in his own words and from the perspectives of his family, friends and surfing colleagues. The film also features a remarkable archive of film and photography from every stage of Woody's long life.

Of Wind and Waves also provides a valuable cross-cultural portrait of the land, people and culture of Hawaii over the six and a half decade span of Woody's life there.

Winner of the 2006 Inspiration Award at Mountain film in Telluride, and the Award at the 2004 Maui Film Festival.

For more info see: www.hmbfilm.org

Feature:

Programme for January 13, 2007

The Visionary Edge presents...

All of us are searching for solutions and ways to take personal actions to affect change, especially for our children’s future . . . An Inconvenient Truth raises compelling questions; Nobelity offers compelling answers.
-- Christopher Gavigan, CEO of the Children's Health Coalition

Remarkable new film . . . Nobelity leaves you wanting more and thinking that if Pipkin's nine were in charge, we would leave a better world indeed.
--Esquire magazine

Feature: Nobelity

Inspired by love and concern for his two daughters, and wondering what kind of planet they will inherit, actor and award-winning director Turk Pipkin traveled the world to pose the toughest questions of our time to some of today's greatest minds. The result is Nobelity, a highly acclaimed documentary that explores the crises and possibilities facing the environment, education, economics, family, peace, social justice, and spirituality.

Pipkin's odyssey took him across the United States, and overseas to France, England, India, and Kenya. One of the distinguished Nobel laureates he spoke to was Rev. Desmond Tutu (Nobel Peace Prize, 1984) who talks about the power of love and forgiveness, and the human capacity to accomplish great things. Pipkin says "The most moving of the meetings was with Sir Joseph Rotblat, a 96 year old nuclear physicist (Nobel Peace Prize, 1995) who fifty years earlier had joined with Albert Einstein in signing an open letter to the world calling for an end to nuclear proliferation. Sir Joe confided to me that the mission for the remaining days of his life was to fulfill the task that Einstein left to him, and put America and the world back on the track to nuclear disarmament."

Programme for January 12, 2007

A remarkable musical travelogue of the gypsy life.

Feature:

LATCHO DROM

("Safe Journey")

A celebration of gypsy music from a French director with Rom (gypsy) roots. The movie traces the Rom people from their ancestral home in India through Egypt, Turkey and up into Europe.

This documentary uses no narration, preferring to let the pictures and the music speak for themselves. Via song and dance, young and old celebrate, embody, and teach the cultural values of family, journey and love--even though they were often separated and persecuted.

The movie reveals how the sad and fiery Rom music becomes laced with elements of whatever culture the musicians find themselves living in. In India the music is light and romantic. In Egypt it absorbs elements from Muslin prayer. Southern France provides us with the wild Romani jazz popularized by Django Reinhardt. In Romania and Germany the music turns darker, reflecting the harsh treatment Rom's have long encountered here.

Programme for November 18, 2006

The Visionary Edge presents...

Feature: The Peaceful Warrior

Programme for November 17, 2006

Three Locally Produced Documentaries

On Nov 24 there will be a celebration to launch Irving Norman's book DARK METROPOLIS at the San Gregorio Store (6:30 to 8:00 p.m.)

Two films about the redemptive power of music to heal by Suzanne Girot and Renato Frota.

MISTER SPAZZMAN (47 mins)

Two perspectives on how relationships evolve in the wake of a life-shattering event:

1.) Two men and the evolution of their music;

2.) Love between a man and woman withers as they realize the futility of a shared life.

GIRL BEAT--THE POWER OF THE DRUM (27 mins).

A documentary about the Brazilian Cultural Center for Music and Dance. Here young girls learn to appreciate their rich heritage. In doing so they transform the lives of their families. A film full of vibrant music and dance.

GIRL BEAT profiles members of Banda Dida, an all-girl drumming and vocal group based in SALVADOR, BRAZIL. The music that this group plays grows out of the Portuguese colonial history of Brazil, and the African slave market that used to be held in the Pelourinho (slave square) in Salvador.

Although slavery was abolished in Brazil in 1888, an economic separation of black and white populations is still entrenched throughout the country. The Dida Music School (A Brazilian Cultural Center) was established in Salvador to empower Brazilian blacks with their history, music, and a chance to succeed in the rich samba-reggae music scene that is currently popular in South America. Several members of the music group are interviewed, rehearsals of the group are shown, and discussions related to Brazilian black history and religion are interspersed throughout.

This film illustrates the power and importance of giving young people, especially those of ethnically and economically diverse backgrounds, the gift of learning about music. That makes their lives more meaningful and fulfilling. It provides some perspective on the current popular music scene in Brazil. In addition, the girls' families were transformed by reconnecting with their Black Heritage.

Director Suzanne Girot will be on hand to introduce her two films and take questions.

Feature:

Programme for October 27, 2006

Coastside Peace presents...

Feature: IRAQ FOR SALE: The War Profiteers

Robert Greenwald's film about who's getting killed and who's making a killing.

Programme for October 27, 2006

The College of San Mateo chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (international honor society) presents...

Free admission and dinner at a great price!! We will be donating all proceeds to the food bank.

There will be great food available (gourmet dinner for only $5!) so please come hungry!!

Feature: The Constant Gardener

Programme for October 20, 2006

SPECIAL EVENT & SCREENING: Orson Welles' (Nearly) Lost Documentary Classic -- "IT'S ALL TRUE"

Joseph McBride, author of the newly published book WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO ORSON WELLES?: A PORTRAIT OF AN INDEPENDENT CAREER will present and discuss IT'S ALL TRUE, its importance in Welles's career, and some startling revelations he makes about it in the book. He is an assistant professor of cinema at San Francisco State University.

Feature: It's All True

For many years, Orson Welles's IT'S ALL TRUE, was one of Hollywood's legendary lost films. The film was a documentary project Welles began shooting in Brazil in 1942 for the U.S. Government and RKO. It was intended as a tribute to the people of Latin America, a soft-sell propaganda film to promote hemispheric solidarity and counter the threat of fascism. But what Welles found and filmed in Brazil was not what his sponsors had in mind. He shot a radical film dealing sympathetically with the musical culture, the political aspirations, and the economic plight of poor Brazilians, many of whom were black and lived in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.

Under pressure from the Brazilian government and alarmed by the racial themes of the film, RKO terminated the production and fired Welles. Despite all of Welles' efforts to finish the film back in Hollywood over a period of several years, it was taken away from him and partially destroyed.

Programme for October 7, 2006

The Social Concerns Prayer Group presents An Inconvenient Truth

Paramount Classics has made a gift of 4,000 Inconvenient Truth DVDs to houses of worship all over the country through a faith-based ecological sustainability organization called Interfaith Power and Light (IPL). IPL is a non-partisan ministry that works with congregations to reduce pollution through energy audits, efficient lighting and appliances, supporting the development of clean energy and providing education.

The Social Concerns Prayer Group, a newly formed group at the Methodist Church, are sponsoring the film. What’s the connection between a church and global warming? Global warming is not a political issue; it is a moral issue. People of most faith traditions are called to love one another and to be responsible stewards of God’s creation. As we saw in New Orleans, the ones who suffer most during natural disasters are the poor. We must start planning now to support those who will be affected in our community when the effects of global warming strike. Although the film offers potential solutions for global warming if we act now, it portends extreme disruption of life as we know it.

"Today we are hearing and seeing dire warnings of the worst potential catastrophe in the history of human civilization: a global climate crisis that is deepening and rapidly becoming more dangerous than anything we have ever faced….At stake is the survival of our civilization and the habitability of the Earth….This is not ultimately about any scientific discussion or political dialogue. It is about who we are as human beings. It is about our capacity to transcend our own limitations….To see with our hearts, as well as our heads, the response that is now called for. This is a moral, ethical and spiritual challenge." An Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore, 2006

Students, parents and teachers are especially invited to attend. We need to give our kids the training they will need to deal with the broken earth we are leaving them. “Imagine we are 17 years into the future and share a brief conversation with our children and grandchildren as they are living their lives in the year 2023. Imagine now that they are asking us: 'What were you thinking? Didn’t you care about our future? Were you really so self-absorbed that you couldn't – or wouldn't—stop the destruction of Earth's environment?' What would our answer be? We can answer their questions now by our actions, not merely with our promises. In the process, we can choose a future for which our children will thank us." An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore, 2006.

Feature: An Inconvenient Truth

What scientists are saying about An Inconvenient Truth:

"The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action." – Science Academics’ Statement from 11 countries (the G8, China, India, and Brazil): Global Response to Climate Change, 2005

"Delaying action for decades, or even years, is not a serious option." – Sir David King, Chief Science Advisor to the British government – Science Magazine, Jan. 2004

"AP (Associated Press) contacted more than 100 top climate researchers for their opinion. Among those contacted were vocal skeptics of climate change theory. Most scientists had not seen the movie, which is in limited release, or read the book. But those who have seen it had the same general impression: Gore conveyed the science correctly; the world is getting hotter, and it is caused by the burning of fossil fuels." – Seth Borenstein, Associated Press June 30, 2006

Programme for October 6, 2006

Matinee: The Social Concerns Prayer Group presents An Inconvenient Truth

Paramount Classics has made a gift of 4,000 Inconvenient Truth DVDs to houses of worship all over the country through a faith-based ecological sustainability organization called Interfaith Power and Light (IPL). IPL is a non-partisan ministry that works with congregations to reduce pollution through energy audits, efficient lighting and appliances, supporting the development of clean energy and providing education.

The Social Concerns Prayer Group, a newly formed group at the Methodist Church, are sponsoring the film. What’s the connection between a church and global warming? Global warming is not a political issue; it is a moral issue. People of most faith traditions are called to love one another and to be responsible stewards of God’s creation. As we saw in New Orleans, the ones who suffer most during natural disasters are the poor. We must start planning now to support those who will be affected in our community when the effects of global warming strike. Although the film offers potential solutions for global warming if we act now, it portends extreme disruption of life as we know it.

"Today we are hearing and seeing dire warnings of the worst potential catastrophe in the history of human civilization: a global climate crisis that is deepening and rapidly becoming more dangerous than anything we have ever faced….At stake is the survival of our civilization and the habitability of the Earth….This is not ultimately about any scientific discussion or political dialogue. It is about who we are as human beings. It is about our capacity to transcend our own limitations….To see with our hearts, as well as our heads, the response that is now called for. This is a moral, ethical and spiritual challenge." An Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore, 2006

Students, parents and teachers are especially invited to attend. We need to give our kids the training they will need to deal with the broken earth we are leaving them. “Imagine we are 17 years into the future and share a brief conversation with our children and grandchildren as they are living their lives in the year 2023. Imagine now that they are asking us: 'What were you thinking? Didn’t you care about our future? Were you really so self-absorbed that you couldn't – or wouldn't—stop the destruction of Earth's environment?' What would our answer be? We can answer their questions now by our actions, not merely with our promises. In the process, we can choose a future for which our children will thank us." An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore, 2006.

Feature: An Inconvenient Truth

What scientists are saying about An Inconvenient Truth:

"The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action." – Science Academics’ Statement from 11 countries (the G8, China, India, and Brazil): Global Response to Climate Change, 2005

"Delaying action for decades, or even years, is not a serious option." – Sir David King, Chief Science Advisor to the British government – Science Magazine, Jan. 2004

"AP (Associated Press) contacted more than 100 top climate researchers for their opinion. Among those contacted were vocal skeptics of climate change theory. Most scientists had not seen the movie, which is in limited release, or read the book. But those who have seen it had the same general impression: Gore conveyed the science correctly; the world is getting hotter, and it is caused by the burning of fossil fuels." – Seth Borenstein, Associated Press June 30, 2006

Programme for October 6, 2006

The Social Concerns Prayer Group presents An Inconvenient Truth

Paramount Classics has made a gift of 4,000 Inconvenient Truth DVDs to houses of worship all over the country through a faith-based ecological sustainability organization called Interfaith Power and Light (IPL). IPL is a non-partisan ministry that works with congregations to reduce pollution through energy audits, efficient lighting and appliances, supporting the development of clean energy and providing education.

The Social Concerns Prayer Group, a newly formed group at the Methodist Church, are sponsoring the film. What’s the connection between a church and global warming? Global warming is not a political issue; it is a moral issue. People of most faith traditions are called to love one another and to be responsible stewards of God’s creation. As we saw in New Orleans, the ones who suffer most during natural disasters are the poor. We must start planning now to support those who will be affected in our community when the effects of global warming strike. Although the film offers potential solutions for global warming if we act now, it portends extreme disruption of life as we know it.

"Today we are hearing and seeing dire warnings of the worst potential catastrophe in the history of human civilization: a global climate crisis that is deepening and rapidly becoming more dangerous than anything we have ever faced….At stake is the survival of our civilization and the habitability of the Earth….This is not ultimately about any scientific discussion or political dialogue. It is about who we are as human beings. It is about our capacity to transcend our own limitations….To see with our hearts, as well as our heads, the response that is now called for. This is a moral, ethical and spiritual challenge." An Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore, 2006

Students, parents and teachers are especially invited to attend. We need to give our kids the training they will need to deal with the broken earth we are leaving them. “Imagine we are 17 years into the future and share a brief conversation with our children and grandchildren as they are living their lives in the year 2023. Imagine now that they are asking us: 'What were you thinking? Didn’t you care about our future? Were you really so self-absorbed that you couldn't – or wouldn't—stop the destruction of Earth's environment?' What would our answer be? We can answer their questions now by our actions, not merely with our promises. In the process, we can choose a future for which our children will thank us." An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore, 2006.

Feature: An Inconvenient Truth

What scientists are saying about An Inconvenient Truth:

"The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action." – Science Academics’ Statement from 11 countries (the G8, China, India, and Brazil): Global Response to Climate Change, 2005

"Delaying action for decades, or even years, is not a serious option." – Sir David King, Chief Science Advisor to the British government – Science Magazine, Jan. 2004

"AP (Associated Press) contacted more than 100 top climate researchers for their opinion. Among those contacted were vocal skeptics of climate change theory. Most scientists had not seen the movie, which is in limited release, or read the book. But those who have seen it had the same general impression: Gore conveyed the science correctly; the world is getting hotter, and it is caused by the burning of fossil fuels." – Seth Borenstein, Associated Press June 30, 2006

Programme for October 4, 2006

Matinee: The Social Concerns Prayer Group presents An Inconvenient Truth

Paramount Classics has made a gift of 4,000 Inconvenient Truth DVDs to houses of worship all over the country through a faith-based ecological sustainability organization called Interfaith Power and Light (IPL). IPL is a non-partisan ministry that works with congregations to reduce pollution through energy audits, efficient lighting and appliances, supporting the development of clean energy and providing education.

The Social Concerns Prayer Group, a newly formed group at the Methodist Church, are sponsoring the film. What’s the connection between a church and global warming? Global warming is not a political issue; it is a moral issue. People of most faith traditions are called to love one another and to be responsible stewards of God’s creation. As we saw in New Orleans, the ones who suffer most during natural disasters are the poor. We must start planning now to support those who will be affected in our community when the effects of global warming strike. Although the film offers potential solutions for global warming if we act now, it portends extreme disruption of life as we know it.

"Today we are hearing and seeing dire warnings of the worst potential catastrophe in the history of human civilization: a global climate crisis that is deepening and rapidly becoming more dangerous than anything we have ever faced….At stake is the survival of our civilization and the habitability of the Earth….This is not ultimately about any scientific discussion or political dialogue. It is about who we are as human beings. It is about our capacity to transcend our own limitations….To see with our hearts, as well as our heads, the response that is now called for. This is a moral, ethical and spiritual challenge." An Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore, 2006

Students, parents and teachers are especially invited to attend. We need to give our kids the training they will need to deal with the broken earth we are leaving them. “Imagine we are 17 years into the future and share a brief conversation with our children and grandchildren as they are living their lives in the year 2023. Imagine now that they are asking us: 'What were you thinking? Didn’t you care about our future? Were you really so self-absorbed that you couldn't – or wouldn't—stop the destruction of Earth's environment?' What would our answer be? We can answer their questions now by our actions, not merely with our promises. In the process, we can choose a future for which our children will thank us." An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore, 2006.

Feature: An Inconvenient Truth

What scientists are saying about An Inconvenient Truth:

"The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action." – Science Academics’ Statement from 11 countries (the G8, China, India, and Brazil): Global Response to Climate Change, 2005

"Delaying action for decades, or even years, is not a serious option." – Sir David King, Chief Science Advisor to the British government – Science Magazine, Jan. 2004

"AP (Associated Press) contacted more than 100 top climate researchers for their opinion. Among those contacted were vocal skeptics of climate change theory. Most scientists had not seen the movie, which is in limited release, or read the book. But those who have seen it had the same general impression: Gore conveyed the science correctly; the world is getting hotter, and it is caused by the burning of fossil fuels." – Seth Borenstein, Associated Press June 30, 2006

Programme for September 15, 2006

A great classic, comic work.

Feature: The General

A classic comedy made in 1927 and considered one of the all-time funniest films ever made.

The hero Johnnie loves his train ("The General") and Annabelle Lee. When the Civil War begins, he is turned down for service because he's more valuable as an engineer. Annabelle thinks it's because he's a coward. Union spies capture The General with Annabelle on board. Johnny must rescue both his loves.

THE GENERAL has started, the girl is kidnapped by some Union raiders on Keaton's train, and so begins the greatest (and funniest) chase ever filmed. For the next 75 minutes, the viewer is in Keaton's world. His gags, routines, and amazing slapstick serve to make this the greatest screen comedy ever filmed.

Programme for August 18, 2006

Under the Rainbow

Feature: Under the Rainbow

An American's observations on the dreams amid the humdrum realities in current-day Japan.

Programme for July 21, 2006

The Traveling Life

On July 21 Bill will stop his traveling long enough to make a stop in Half Moon Bay to screen his new film about hobo culture and art.

Feature: Who is Bozo Texino?

Who Is Bozo Texino? is a documentary film about the 100-year-old tradition of hobo and railworker graffiti.

The project is the result of a 20-year study of "monikers" by filmmaker/artist Bill Daniel and is created from hours of 16mm and super 8 film, most of it shot on freight trips across the western US.

The film includes interviews with some of the railroad's greatest graffiti legends: Colossus of Roads, The Rambler, Herby (RIP) and the granddaddy of them all, Bozo Texino.

Programme for June 16, 2006

Movies That Matter: Whale Rider

Programme for June 2, 2006

Season of the Horse

Programme for May 12, 2006

Documenting Ruins...

Short: COASTAL RUINS

A film by KATHRYN MURDOCK and SUZANNE GIROT. Forgotten historic sites in our community.

Feature: Burden Of Dreams

A classic documentary film by LES BLANK on the making of FITZCARRALDO by director WERNER HERZOG.

Programme for April 21, 2006

Family night at the Coastside Film Society

Short: AMORE FAMILY STYLE

A tribute to ITALO AND ANGIE LUCCHESI.

Feature: Saint Ralph

A heart-warming film about chasing miracles.Written and directed by MICHAEL MCGOWEN. ADAM BUTCHER plays fourteen-year-old Ralph Walker who is told that his comatose mother won't recover without a miracle. He decides to create one: winning the Boston Marathon! Little does he know he's in the run of his life.

Programme for April 14, 2006

The Celestine Prophecy

Feature: The Celestine Prophecy

The movie based on James Redfield's bestselling book, The Celestine Prophecy, is finally here. I suspect that many of you read the book years ago, and were moved by the teachings of the nine insights. The movie is powerful in its teachings and is well acted and filmed. You will not be disappointed. If you liked the book, you'll love the movie!
Be sure to mark your calendars for Friday April 14th, and call 650-560-0200 or email (reba@deepspirit.com) to reserve your tickets.

Programme for March 10, 2006

Five Films from Local Film Makers

Short: Lighten Up

From John Tedesco & Half Moon Bay's own Michael Lederman. The story of a young boy trying to secure his Dad's attention during a breakfast at Half Moon Bay's Original Johnny's diner.

Short: Spirit of the Land

A Documentary that follows the Yup'ik Eskimos of Western Alaska through the cycle of the seasons. It is a poignant film showing Eskimos struggling to keep in touch with ancient traditions in the modern world. By Gail Evenari of Half Moon Bay.

Short: Just Like Me but Different

Pilot for a children's series about global diversity. Shot recently in Oaxaca, Mexico by Gail Evenari. A young boy watches over a turtle as she lays her eggs, then joins other children helping the hatchlings return to the sea.

Short: Last Journey for the Leatherback?

Documentary that takes a hard-hitting look at the plight of the leatherback sea turtle and its fellow ocean dwellers. Uses graphics, video footage, & interviews to tell the story.

Short: Twilight

A film in Russian about a mother's search for her missing daughter. By student filmmaker Victoria Gamburg of SF State. Winner of the Golden Gate Award for Best Narrative Short at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

Programme for February 10, 2006

Tibetan Mountain Patrol

Feature: KekexiliI: Mountain Patrol

A dramatic narrative set in the last virgin wilderness of China, Kekexili is a plain in Tibet nearly 4 miles high, and the only remaining habitat of the Tibetan antelope.

In 1985, poachers began hunting antelope for their fine wool which was prized in foreign markets. Within a few years, the number of antelope plunged from over one million to less than ten thousand!

To fight the poachers, a volunteer civilian patrol was formed in 1983. It was led by Ritai, a retired Tibetan army officer. The patrol fought firece battles with the poachers and aroused the attention of the outside world. This is the true story of Gayu, a journalist that was sent from Beijing to cover the story at great peril.

Programme for January 20, 2006

Africa: The Musical Continent

Feature: Africa: The Musical Continent

Come immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the many cultures of Africa. "Africa: The Musical Continent" helps us understand Africa's diversity by studying its indigenous music and the people and political forces that shaped the music.

Programme for November 18, 2005

Come share an insane obsession with the Coastside Film Society

Feature: Fitzcarraldo

Werner Herzog is one of our most obsessive directors. When he heard the tale of an opera lover who built a concert hall in middle of the Amazon jungle he knew it to be a story he had to tell. To realize his vision, the opera buff had to haul a riverboat across a mountain. Herzog decided he had to duplicate this insane endeavor. So the film was shot in and around a real 300 ton steamship as it was dragged up a real mountain by the sweat labor of local Indians. The conditions under which the film was shot proved to be too harrowing for the first crew. So filming started all over again with Klaus Kinski, an actor who matched Hertzog obsession for obsession. The end result is a visually arresting trip through the jungle that feels insanely real because it is insanely real.

"Fitzcarraldo is a movie in the tradition of grandiose cinematic visions. Like Coppola's Apocalypse Now or Kubrick's 2000, it documents a quest and a dream. As a record of man's audacity and foolish, visionary heroism, there has never been another movie like it.

I would not have missed it for the world." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Programme for October 21, 2005

Two classic films and some conversation

Short: Calder's Circus

While Calder was inventing the mobile, he fiddled with wire to create little circus creatures. In this charming little film we get to see Calder coax his tiny wire performers into walking tightropes, dancing, lifting weights, and other feats of daring do.

Feature: Vertigo

Perhaps the most famous movie starring San Francisco ever made. Certainly Hitchcock's best known psychological thriller.

Jimmy Stewart is a gumshoe with a fear of heights, tortured by the memory of a lost love. Kim Novak is the suicidal blonde he is hired to keep an eye on. He saves her when she flings herself from the Golden Gate Bridge and realizes he has fallen in love.

If you haven't seen this recently restored version, it's time to watch Vertigo again. The colors jump out at you and Bernard Herrmann's score jangles the nerves.

Programme for September 9, 2005

Life is short. The works of Shakespeare are long...

A native of Bedford, England, Tom has directed and performed with many theaters in the Bay Area. In the more than forty local productions of which he has been a part, some of his favorite roles include Alan Turing in Breaking the Code, James Leeds in Children of a Lesser God, Frank in Educating Rita, Robert Scott in Terra Nova and Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. For Half Moon Bay’s Coastal Repertory Theatre Tom has directed Bedroom Farce, The Importance of Being Ear- nest, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean and Twelfth Night.

Feature: THE REDUCED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY’s Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged)

Life is short. The complete works of Shakespeare are long. On Friday, September 9, THE REDUCED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY comes to the rescue with the film of a hilarious theatrical performance by three incredible actors: Adam Long, Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor.

Programme for August 19, 2005

America through the eyes of two orphaned teenagers

Feature: Lost Boys of Sudan

In 2001, 3,800 Sudanese youngsters were relocated to the United States. For nearly two decades, children have been the pawns in a brutal civil war raging throughout the Darfur region of Sudan. This is one of those wars that turns innocent children into soldiers forcing them to murder relatives, friends and neighbors. The only rational response to this sort of violence is to run as far away as possible. And that is exactly what Santino Chuor and his friend Peter Dut have done. When they are offered the chance to relocate from a refugee camp in Kenya to the US they jump at the chance to get as far away as they can.

"Lost Boys of Sudan" documents Peter and Santiano's first year fending for themselves in their new home of Houston Texas. The film touches only superficially upon their struggles in Africa. Instead we get to see America through the eyes of these two orphaned teenagers whose previous life in a war torn land of shepherds and rural cattle farms does little to prepare them for their new life as minimum wage refugees.

Programme for August 12, 2005

ART, LIFE and the FAITH that binds them

• "THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS glories in ART, LIFE and the FAITH that binds them." Entertainment Weekly.
• "Keep SURVIVOR and FEAR FACTOR, and give me this SPELLBINDING MIND TEASER, the ultimate game for movie buffs." Rolling Stone
• "...DELIGHTFUL...terrifically entertaining..." -Premiere Magazine
• "BRILLIANT...ENGROSSING..." -The New York Times
• "...Exceptional..." -Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Feature: The Five Obstructions

In 1967, Danish filmmaker Jorgen Leth made a 12-minute film called The Per- fect Human. It is a short look at the superficial properties Madison Avenue uses to sell products. Now, 35 years later, director Lars von Trier challenges Leth to remake his film five times, each time with a new obstruction to force Leth to rethink the story and characters of the original film.

Programme for July 9, 2005

A special SATURDAY night Film Night.

On SATURDAY July 9th, we present The Fire Next Time, which challenges communities to re-dedicate themselves to respectful dialogue and broad civic participation.

Feature: The Fire Next Time

As in many other towns in America, in Kalispell, Montana disagreements about growth led to fervent conflict.

The resulting high-stakes battle over developmental and environmental issues may sound familiar to many of us here on the San Mateo coast.

Patrice O'Neill, the film's director and co-producer, from The Working Group (based in Oakland) will lead our discussion.

THE FIRE NEXT TIME will air nationally on the PBS series POV on July 12 at 10 pm (check local listings).THE FIRE NEXT TIME is a presentation of the Independent Television Service.

Programme for June 11, 2005

A special SATURDAY night Film Night.

Short: Mountain State

A brief history of the westward expansion of the United States as told by 25 roadside historical markers in the state of West Virginia.

Short: Land Marked

Comerford's Land Marked is a series of four landscape films, each examining a specific place in Chicago. These places are connected in their relationship to 17th-century exploration of the Chicago area by Europeans, in particular, the highly-celebrated French Jesuit missionary, Jacques Marquette. Rather than attempt to tell Marquette's story or offer history, the films examine the monuments to Marquette--the "stories" they tell--and the relationship of the monuments to their surroundings.

Short: Chicago Detroit Split

In Chicago Detroit Split, Bill Brown and Thomas Comerford find the common ground of shared street names in their respective cities, yet they employ the unslit 8mm format to juxtapose these like-named tracts of land--the juxtapositions allowing for chance encounters across time and space between these two midwestern cities.

Programme for June 10, 2005

The BARN

Short: The Verge

Two friends wait by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. They hitchhike. No one comes.

Short: A CAR STOPPED

Neal and Jack, young American friends, are traveling through England dreaming of Kerouac and Bob Dylan. Dreams and fantasies fade into the ether as each has to come to terms with the reality of the other's true personality.

Feature: The Barn

When a crooked deal goes bad for 2 Americans they find themselves locked in a dilapidated barn in the middle of the English countryside.

Programme for May 21, 2005

The Visionary Edge presents...

Feature: Himalaya

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, Himalaya, from French director Eric Valli, will have its first local screening, in Half Moon Bay.

Doors open at 7:00, film at 7:30

Advance tickets $15, door $20. Call 650-560-0200

Programme for May 13, 2005

HMB Short Film Festival

Short: West Bank Story

by Ari Sandel -- Musical comedy about the Israeli Palestinian conflict. David is an Israeli soldier. Fatima is a Palestinian fast food cashier. They are an unlikely couple who fall in love in the middle of a war between dueling falafel stands run by their respective families.

Short: Devil's Teeth

by Roger Teich -- A short documentary about the only remaining sea urchin diver making a living working the shark-infested waters of the Farallon Islands near Half Moon Bay.

Short: Stealing Altitude

by John Starr and Roger Teich -- An exercise in cinema-verite that gives us an intimate look into one of the word's most covert sports. Stealing Altitude follows one brave jumper as he climbs some of the largest structures in Los Angeles and, when luck is with him, safely parachutes back to earth.

Short: The Statue

by Suzanne Girot -- A study of the statue in SF's Mechanic's Monument Plaza in San Francisco created by deaf mute sculptor Douglas Tilden and architect Willis Polk. Suzanne reveals how the statue has touched the lives of her grandmother, a young skateboarder and a homeless man who lives in the plaza's shadow.

Short: Fish Tale

by David and Hinjian Hodge -- Sushi is edible art. Fish Tale is a documentary focusing on one sushi artist and the people who appreciate his work. The film is the work of a film-making team from Half Moon Bay.

Short: Snake Bite

by Morgan and Max Hampton -- Another spooky mystery by our own famous father and son filmmaking team from El Granada. Shot in downtown Half Moon Bay with all local actors. Great campy fun with the Hampton's usual surprise ending.

Short: Calder's Circus

by A. Calder & Carlos Vilardebo -- Long before Alexander Calder became famous for inventing the mobile, he was fiddling with wire to create his little circus creatures. In this charming film we see Calder coax his tiny wire performers into acts of daring do.

Programme for April 8, 2005

War from a Child's Point of View

Feature: Paloma de Papel (Paper Dove)

Set in the Peruvian Andes during the chaotic 1980s, this tense drama follows a group of paramilitary guerillas trying to survive in the midst of a bloody civil war. It's an incredible coming-of-age story of a young boy who is forcibly recruited into the Shining Path movement.

Programme for March 11, 2005

Four Films about our Oceans

Feature: 4 Films on our Ocean's Ecology

Join the Environmental Clubs of HMB in their screening of four riveting documentary films that highlight our oceans.

Film 1

Film 2

Film 3

Film 4

Also sponsored by Friends of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and Save Our Shores.

Programme for March 4, 2005

Get wet with the Coastside Film Society

Feature: RIDING GIANTS

"A bedazzling trip through the history of big wave surfing."
-- Owen Geibermann, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

"Astounding", Sharon Waxman, The New York Times

RIDING GIANTS is the story of big wave surfing.

We meet Greg Noll, the pioneer, whose push into Hawaii's big surf in the late 1950's earning him the nickname The Bull. There's Jeff Clark, Half Moon Bay legend, who discovered the massive Mavericks waves and rode them alone for over a decade. And finally, Hawaii's Laird Hamiliton, considered the best big wave rider ever.

Including archival footage and contemporary interviews with some of the world's greatest surfers, experts and storytellers, RIDING GIANTS creates a visual history of one of the most spectacular sports of our time.

Programme for February 11, 2005

The Future of Food is here now

Short: Flowers in the Snow

Flowers in the Snow - The Health Crisis of Children in Tibet

Teresa Harris and filmmaker Perry Pickert from the Terma Foundation will take audience questions.

Feature: The Future of Food

There is a revolution happening in the farm fields and on the dinner tables of America -- a revolution that is transforming the very nature of the food we eat.

THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade.

Shot on location in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, THE FUTURE OF FOOD examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world's food system. The film also explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture, placing organic and sustainable agriculture as real solutions to the farm crisis today.

Programme for January 30, 2005

Indigo

Feature: Indigo

A New-Genre Movie

Indigo is a film about redemption, grace, and the healing powers of a new generation of psychic and gifted Indigo children. It is about taking responsibility for the choices we make. And it's about the thin line that separates success from failure, and love from regret.

The film follows the relationship that develops between Ray, played by Neale Donald Walsch, a man whose life and family have dissolved due to a fateful mistake, and his ten-year-old granddaughter Grace, played by Meghan McCandless, with whom Ray goes on the run to protect her from a would-be kidnapper. Along the way, he discovers the power of his granddaughter's gifts, which forever alter the lives of everyone she encounters.

Indigo is Stephen Simon's directorial debut after 25 years of producing such films as Somewhere in Time and What Dreams May Come. The film is co-written by James Twyman, who also served as the film's executive producer, and Neale Donald Walsch, who stars in the film. Both Twyman and Walsch are well-known as spiritual teachers and best-selling authors around the world. Twyman has traveled the globe for more than a decade performing concerts and holding meditations for world peace. He is the author of several best selling books including Emissaries of Light. Walsch is the best selling author of the Conversations With God series of books.

Programme for January 14, 2005

A Finnish masterpiece

Feature: MAN WITHOUT A PAST

Aki Kaurismaki is Finland's pre-eminent filmmaker, but is not yet well-known in the United States. He should be!

This film won the GRAND PRIX at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. The Movie Nation review of this film starts: "Stop wasting time reading this review and go see this movie now."

Programme for January 7, 2005

The Cunha Environment Club presents ...

Feature: OILonICE

Oil on Ice is a vivid, compelling and comprehensive documentary connecting the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to decisions America makes about energy policy, transportation choices, and other seemingly unrelated matters. Caught in the balance are the culture and livelihood of the Gwichn people and the migratory wildlife in this fragile ecosystem.

Programme for November 12, 2004

A classic restored

Feature: Le Million

In the early 1930s Hollywood was having a difficult time coming to terms with a revolution in filmmaking the arrival of the talkie. It took a French director named René Clair to show them the way. René showed them how you could use voice as a integral part of the artistic whole, not just another special effect slapped on top of an overly theatrical silent film. Amazon.com calls it the quintessence of the effervescent comedy-musical-romance and "One of the true treasures of international cinema".

The story: A poor artist discovers he has purchased a winning lottery ticket at the moment his creditors come to collect. Unfortunately the ticket is in the pocket of his coat ... which is at his girlfriend's apartment ... who gave the coat to a man hiding from the police ... who sells the coat to an opera singer who uses it during a performance ...

Charming and inventive, this lyrical masterpiece provided the template that was soon brazenly copied by American artists like Charlie Chaplin and the Marks Brothers.

Almost lost to film history by decomposition of the original film stock, Le Million has recently been digitally remastered. Our resident film historian, Prof. Warren Haack, will lead us in the post screening discussion about what makes this film great.

"René Clair at his exquisite best; no one else has ever been able to make a comedy move with such delicate inevitability." -- NEW YORKER

Programme for October 8, 2004

Flower Power, Black Power, and Paranoia

Short: LSD A GO GO

CIA + LSD = things are out of hand -- A work of comedic muckraking of the highest order assembled from public domain educational film footage, photos from the National Archives, and recently declassified CIA security memos.

November 19, 1953, a man plunges to his death from 10 floors above the streets of Manhattan. Things like this happen in a city as large as New York. This case, however, was different. For the man who jumped was a just another CIA operative doing his job -- experimenting with a new drug called LSD.

Shot in the style of a 50s documentary meant to scare kids straight the movie provides a history of the CIA s investigations of LSD as a tool for national defense.

Short: The listener

Norah is "Listener #684448", a civil servant in a futuristic, oppressive regime where thought and emotion are regulated by "protocol". Material necessities are rationed, independent thought is a crime and anything outside the city is forbidden. She dutifully records the secrets and suppressed longings of the collective psyche of the city, until a "Talker" reveals a plot and Norah is forced to make a decision.

Mahri Holt is a locally-based (Oakland) film maker who recently graduated from SF State Grad school. She will be at the screening to discuss her film.

Feature: MOVE

This documentary covers the controversial history of the radical movement, MOVE. Created by John Africa in the 1970's, Move was a radical group that would not eat processed or cooked food, would not let children go to school and lived in a compound in downtown Philadelphia.

When confronted by social service agencies, Move's members barricaded themselves inside their building. They used bullhorns to broadcast radical philosophy into the night time air of their blue collar neighborhood. The police moved in and the situation escalated until entire neighborhood was burned to the ground. Five children and six adults never made it out of the burning Move compound.

The story is told through interviews with surviving Move members, supporters, neighbors, and journalists who covered the story live.

Howard Zinn, author of "The People's History of the United States" narrates this interesting and informative documentary.

Directors Benjamin Garry & Ryan McKenna are traveling from Philadelphia to be on hand to answer questions during the screening.

Programme for September 24, 2004

Peace Flix: A Night of Progressive Film and Open Dialog

Feature: Hijacking Catastrophe, 9/11, Fear & the Selling of American Empire

Examines how a radical fringe of the Republican Party has used the trauma of the 9/11 attacks to advance a pre-existing agenda to radically transform American foreign policy while rolling back civil liberties and social programs at home.

Feature: Orwell Rolls in His Grave

Director Robert Kane Pappas draws disturbing parallels between George Orwell's classic novel of Big Brother totalitarianism, 1984, and the current relationship between big media and government in the United States.

Feature: There's Something about W

A wry look at the policies of the Bush administration, offering a lively mix of analysis and levity. Director Robin Chin juxtaposes the president speaking in his own words with insightful responses from people like Molly Ivins, Paul Krugman, Al Franken, Arianna Huffington and many others.

Programme for September 17, 2004

In the Light of Reverence

Feature: IN THE LIGHT OF REVERENCE

A documentary can touch hearts, open minds and inspire people to take action.
While chronicling the ravages of coal and uranium mining in Hopi and Navajo country, native elders taught me that the environmental crisis is a spiritual crisis because the absence of a conscious connection to land and water inevitably leads to violence and threatens all life.
Each of my films explores this environmental-spiritual crisis and reveals the clash of worldviews between adherents of private property and those of sacred land. My films aim to spark dialogue about our culture's relationship to nature, encourage a reassessment of history, and achieve reconciliation with native people and the earth
--Christopher McLeod, Project Director.
(His wife, Jessica Abbe, wrote the film.)

Programme for September 10, 2004

Musical musing on small town life: the encore presentation

Feature: greendale

a film by Neil Young
a town coming to you soon.

Greendale is the story of some inhabitants of a small coastal town that, with its rugged green hills and location just south of San Francisco, may seem familiar. Not surprisingly, because most of the footage was taken in and around Half Moon Bay and other parts just south of San Francisco.

There is a lot going on in the songs. Grandpa Green whiles away his time with his paper while his wife putters around him. Cousin Jed gets into a violent altercation with the local police. Granddaughter Sun quits cheerleading squad to become an eco-activist. Collectively they paint a complete picture of the extended Green family and the people they encounter living day to day.

Programme for August 13, 2004

Two locally grown films

• One focused on a local landmark
• the other on a natural history issue of global concern.

Short: Little Brown Church

A look at one of the few remaining historical buildings in Pacifica, and what is being done to preserve it for a useful community life. The Pacifica-based filmakers, Sharron Walker and Steve Brown responsible for the film will be on hand to discuss their film.

Feature: Farming the Seas

Demand for seafood now far exceeds the ocean's ability to keep pace and the crisis is deepening. Ninety percent of the big fish in the world's oceans have disappeared, and most experts argue that if we are to save our oceans and feed the world we need to raise domesticated fish species.
Farming the Seas, sequel to the landmark documentary Empty Oceans Empty Nets, explores the growing pains of a global aquaculture industry that already produces a third of the world's seafood.
But the seemingly plentiful harvest has many marine scientists concerned that some types of fish farming contribute to the further loss of ocean fish and pose a serious risk to our health. In what may be one of the most critical environmental and food safety stories of our time, Farming the Seas journeys around the world to explore the promise and perils of the new industry. Stunning photography and an engaging cast of experts offer an unblinking look at how America's seafood is really produced and what's being done to solve the crisis; efforts that seafood lovers can participate in.
Local filmmaker, Steve Cowan and his crew have captured footage of farming operations in every part of the globe. Steve will be on hand to discuss his experiences.

Programme for July 9, 2004

Musical musing on small town life

Speakers will include:

• Dale Djerassi, the producer of Oil on Ice
• L.A. Johnson (Larry) who produced Greendale and also acts in the film
• Paul Supplee (from Total Media Group) who is responsible for post-production (he plays a role, too).

Feature: OILonICE

One of the main plotlines in Greendale is the story of Sun Green, a young cheeleader turned eco-activist. This role was influenced by OILonICE, a documentary about the cost of drilling for oil in Alaska. We get to to see the short version of Oil-on-Ice tonight -- and later on will get to scenes that were pulled out of Oil-on-Ice and incorporated into our feature. OILonICE is the production of Dale Djerassi of Half Moon Bay in association with Lobitos Creek Ranch (also of Half Moon Bay). OILonICE highlights the controversies surrounding the pursuit of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, illustrating the inextricably linked issues at stake in the conflict between conservation and energy extraction interests.

Feature: greendale

a film by Neil Young
a town coming to you soon.

Greendale is the story of some inhabitants of a small coastal town that, with its rugged green hills and location just south of San Francisco, may seem familiar. Not surprisingly, because most of the footage was taken in and around Half Moon Bay and other parts just south of San Francisco.

There is a lot going on in the songs. Grandpa Green whiles away his time with his paper while his wife putters around him. Cousin Jed gets into a violent altercation with the local police. Granddaughter Sun quits cheerleading squad to become an eco-activist. Collectively they paint a complete picture of the extended Green family and the people they encounter living day to day.

Programme for June 11, 2004

A cinematic tour de force through Russian history and culture

Feature: Russian Ark

"One of the most ASTONISHING FILMS ever made." (Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES) -- THE RUSSIAN ARK, a film by Alexander Sokurov. Russian with English subtitles.

Invisible to everyone around him, a contemporary filmmaker magically finds himself in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg- back in the early 1700's! He meets a cynical French diplomat from the 19th Century and the men become accomplices in an extraordinary time-traveling journey through Russia's turbulent past. Exploring the splendid corridors and salons of the Palace, the Marquis and the filmmaker witness astonishing scenes from the Tsarist Empire: Peter the Great thrashes his general with a whip; during rehearsals of her own play, Catherine the Great rushes around looking for a place to relieve herself; the family of the last Tsar dine together, oblivious to the impending revolution; and hundreds of dancers waltz at the last Great Royal Ball of 1913 with Valery Gergiev conducting.

As their time-voyage unfolds in a single, uncut steadicam shot, the two men engage in a passionate and ironic dispute. The Marquis clearly has a Western love-hate relationship with Russia, whereas the modern filmmaker questions his country's uneasy connection to its past and to Europe today. The two tease each other, and share their amazement at the scenes they encounter.

About the locale of the Russian Ark

About the film-maker techniques used in the Russian Ark

About the programme

Programme for May 14, 2004

Night of historical films

Short: GOLD, GREED, and GENOCIDE

GOLD, GREED, and GENOCIDE deconstructs the myth of the California Gold Rush and unearths the genocide of California indigenous peoples. It also shows the ecological destruction gold mining has done to the California environment. The soundtrack of the film features an intriguing mix of traditional California native songs and native hip hop. This music enhances the compelling interviews with descendents of Native Americans who suffered under the 49ers. Clearly, those interviewed are not giving up. This film is a production of the International Indian Treaty Council and Project Underground.

Short: SONG OF SURVIVAL

SONG OF SURVIVAL is about women who survived four years in a Japanese prison camp in Sumatra during World War II. These courageous women recreated from memory the great music of Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin and other composers. Having no instruments but the human voice, they sang the complex symphonic music they had loved. Even as disease and malnutrition thinned their ranks, these Australian, Dutch and British women used their unique choir to sustain a spirit that refused to accept defeat. The Peninsula Women's Chorus of Palo Alto sings the rapturous music that made life endurable in a remote prison camp in Sumatra.

Programme for April 30, 2004

A belated Earth Day presentation

Admission is by donation. Proceeds above costs will benefit the Environment Club.

Short: Our Synthetic Sea

This fascinating and startling documentary highlights recent research by Algalita Marine Research Foundation, regarding the explosive increase of plastic debris in the world's oceans, especially the north Pacific. "Synthetic Sea" depicts how this plastic menace is negatively impacting sea life in increasingly alarming ways.

Feature: Butterfly

BUTTERFLY is an independent documentary by Doug Wolens of SF. On its face this film is about Julia Butterfly Hill, whose 2-year vigil atop a 180 foot ancient redwood tree in Humboldt County prevented the tree from being clear-cut. At its heart, BUTTERFLY is about a community's journey when one woman allowed her ideals to guide her life.

Programme for April 16, 2004

An evening with Warren Haack

Short: Animation with Kids

Last summer, 20 local kids, ranging in age from 5 to 14, met with Joe Devlin of the CFS to spend a week learning about animation & video. Come see 10 minutes of their best work & talk to the kids.

Short: Return To The Circle

Fundraiser for the American Indian Family Healing Center, a substance abuse rehab program in Oakland which includes attention to the spirit, mind and body.

Short: Ama's Traditions

Everybody called Dorothy Stanley "Ama" (my grandmother). She was a respected leader of the Northern Sierra MeWuk and a reknowned tradional basket weaver.

Short: Rina Pacini: The Garlic Granny

Rina reflects on her life growing up on her family farm in Half Moon Bay. She was interviewed by Eric Shapira at her home in El Granada, where she shows us her huge garden.

Short: Reno

A Country Western Music Video with a twist.

Short: Rough Cut Life: Logging Railroad Stories

Four retired steam locomotive logging engineers tell humorous anecdotes which are intercut with 16mm archival film dating back to 1930's.

Short: El Dia Tarasco (Excerpt)

Documentary, filmed in Mexico, focuses on the making of art objects for celebrating the Day of the Dead. Art historian Robert Freimark provides the commentary.

Short: The Legend of Two Joaquins (Work In Progress)

The issues of cultural stereotyping and greed are interwoven in the story of Joaquin Murieta - folkhero of the California Gold Rush of 1849.

Programme for March 12, 2004

A Full Night of Film

Short: The Bottle

Look out Spielberg; the Hamptons are gunning for you. Morgan and Max Hampton are a father/son team of El Granada-based filmmakers. When not filmmaking, Max is a local middle school student. The Bottle is a no-budget special effects tour de force. It involves a bottle (natch), familiar coastside beaches, and, of course, a few space aliens. Max and Morgan will be on hand to describe this and their many other filmmaking projects.

Feature: Doing Time, Doing Vipassana

Winner of the Golden Spire Award at the 1998 San Francisco International Film Festival, this extraordinary documentary takes viewers into India's largest prison - known as one of the toughest in the world - and shows the dramatic change brought about by the introduction of meditation. This is the story of an ancient meditation technique named Vipassana, which shows people how to take control of their lives and channel them toward their own good. It is the story of a strong woman named Kiran Bedi, the former Inspector General of Prisons in New Delhi, who strove to transform the notorious Tihar Prison and turn it into an oasis of peace. But most of all it is the story of prison inmates who underwent profound change, and who realized that incarceration is not the end but possibly a fresh start toward an improved and more positive life. Attending the film will be two volunteers from the Bay Area Vipassana organization, Philip Pfeifer a Vipassana instructor and David Donnenfield a San Francisco-based filmmaker and Vipassana devotee. Between them they should be able to handle any questions about the Vipassana organization, the use of meditation in prisons and filmmaking behind bars.

Short: Get Me Out of Here

From "A Knights of the Roses" performance at the Twinberry Cafe of El Granda. Cinematographer (our own Bill Katke), musicians, and special effects crew will all be on hand to discuss the video.

Short: La Milpa/The Cornfield

A group of desperate campesinos whose corn crop is threatened by drought. A young woman torn between the love of her father and her young man. A Grandmother's remembrance of her big love during the Mexican Revolution. The three stories blend together to reach a dramatic conclusion.

Writer/director PATRICIA RIGGEN is a graduate student at Columbia University's Film Division. At last count, the film has won 19 awards, including a student Academy Award gold medal and a Mexican Academy Award.

Programme for February 6, 2004

Truck Stop Still Lifes: A Night of Experimental Short Films

Short: Mountain State

A brief history of the westward expansion of the United States as told by 25 roadside historical markers in the state of West Virginia.

Short: Buffalo Common

2003 Sundance Film Festival official selection.
A portrait of the prairies of North Dakota as the state loses its Cold War arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles,as well as its aging population of Scandinavian farmers.

Short: Confederation Park

A diary of a trip across Canada. Francophones, Anglophones, and Allophones duke it out over what it means to be a Canadian, and whether, in the end, it even matters.

Programme for January 16, 2004

Nixon and Elvis meet Romeo and Juliet

Short: The King & Dick

Official Selection - Sundance Film Festival 2003
Filmmaker Scott Calonico bases his hilarious, insightful and unique documentary on actual transcripts from the historic 1974 meeting between President Nixon and Elvis Presley.

Feature: Eldra

Winner - 'Spirit of Moondance' award at the prestigious 2003 Moondance International Film Festival in Colorado.
Eldra was also chosen as the UK entry in the 2003 Academy Awards, Best Foreign Language Film category.
Set in the 1930s, this is a beautiful Romeo and Juliet tale about two very different families in a small country village in Wales. The girl is a traditional Romany (gypsy) and the boy is a Welsh coal-miner's son and they take you into their innocent young hearts and dreams.
Eldra is an entrancing cinematic venture into unknown realms of fantasy paired with the realities of daily life in an ancient and distant land.

Programme for November 14, 2003

The evening news will never be the same...

Feature: Who's Counting: Sex, Lies & Global Economics

Divided into 15 short chapters, Who's Counting: Sex, Lies & Global Economics is an entertaining primer for anyone who suffers from what Waring refers to as "economics anxiety". See it and the evening news will never be the same.

Programme for October 10, 2003

An evening with Susan Friedman

Feature: Gardens of Obsession

Magical, witty, bizarre and wildly wonderful, Gardens of Obsession takes viewers into the private realms of a group of eccentric Bay Area gardeners and their choreographed horticultural fantasies. The present footage showcases four extraordinary gardeners who work and create outside the mainstream.

Feature: The Planet Hunters

In June 2002, astronomers at U.C. Berkeley announced one of the most exciting discoveries in recent science. In the race to detect extra-solar planets -planets orbiting around other stars in our galaxy- they had hit the jackpot: a planet that looked like it could belong to our own solar system..

In this new 90-minute documentary, we follow the Planet Hunters as they experience the pure, unadulterated joy of discovery. Come see an up-to-the-minute digitally-realized tour of our solar system and beyond. Share with the excitement of the scientists who discover extrasolar planets. The movie also dips into the past explaining how indigenous peoples such as the first Hawaiians used the stars to navigate their way to a new world.

Programme for September 12, 2003

Meet local filmmakers

Feature: The Rising Place

Two women -- one black, one white -- fight to maintain a close friendship through a time of war and prejudice. This fine drama is set in the Mississippi Delta in the 1940s.

Programme for August 15, 2003

Fish and Illuminating Photography

Feature:

Feature: Illuminations

In more than half a century in photography, Ruth Bernhard has created an imposing body of work. Distinguished by their exquisite use of light, her images have been internationally rec-ognized and acclaimed by her peers. Ansel Adams called her the greatest photographer of the nude. Radiant still lifes and nude forms reflect her passionate search for the universal connection of all things. "I always say yes to life.. Light is the drawing pencil of the photographer." Ruth Bernhard reveals. She is interviewed in her home, observed with her students, and during the creative process: printing in her darkroom and photographing still life and the nude in her studio. A retrospective of over 250 of her photographs in presented.

Robert Burrill, the Milpitas-based filmmaker behind this fine documentary, will be on hand to discuss the film and his experiences in teaching filmmaking.

Programme for July 11, 2003

An Evening of Short Films

Short: A collection of shorts, free, for kids of all ages.

• How Dinosaurs Learned To Fly, a cartoon account of the how poor dental hygiene, junk food and staying up late contributed to the demise of the dinosaur ( 6 minutes)
• Operation Cuckoo, an animated short about a mechanical cuckoo and his adopted bird family (13:21 minutes)
• The Hungry Squid -- is only the last of a series of animals that have eaten Dorothy's homework, but when he starts to rampage through the town, her school counsellor realizes this is much more than a lame excuse. ( 14:31 minutes).
• Putting up the Pickles, a look behind the scenes at the Pickle Family Circus. ( 29 minutes).

Short: Act I:An hour or so of Microcinema for grown-ups

1. Walk by Jeff Drew Digital (animation 6:00)
   Join Edgar, the man, and Gigi, the dog, on a casual stroll through a wacky cut and paste neighborhood filled with drunk clowns, smoking grandmas, and sidewalk preachers. Who knows what may go down.
2. Armor of God by Jim Haverkamp and Brett Ingram (documentary 12:45)
   Can ear-splitting improvisational noise be considered "Christian music"? North Carolina musician Scotty Irving certainly thinks so. He builds instruments out of hockey masks and crutches.
3. Call of the Wild by Julia Sarcone-Roach (animation 8:00)
   In this endearing animated film, animals in spinning houses engage in small domestic adventures, their lives connected by a phone line.
4. Without Leave by Gary Evans and Karl Fodor (drama 3:28)
   Three soldiers leave their post.
5. Dragonfly by Kristiina Szabo (narrative 9:40)
   A fusion of visceral image and sound that interweaves an ancient fairy tale with the story of one woman's emotional journey through the loss of a loved one.
6. Bird in the Wire by Phillip Donnellon (narrative 2:00)
   A short and sweet tale about the opportunities we have to break the mould.
7. The Simpson Verdict Kota Ezawa (animation 3:00)
   An animated film depicting the final minutes of the OJ Simpson criminal trial.
8. Counterfeit Film by Brett Simon (animation 2:00)
   A look at money, movies, and reproduction.
9. Le Grande Tango by Pieter Jan Smit (experimental 12:00)
   An experimental film in one shot about the way music takes hold of the musician. The film shows an extreme close up of the musician's face while he is playing Le Grand Tango, a piece written by Astor Piazzolla for Mstislav Rostropovitch.

Feature: Terminal Bar

** Winner - Best Short Film at 2003 Sundance Film Festival**

During the 10 years (1972-1982) that he served as bartender & manager of New York's Terminal Bar, Sheldon Nadelman took over 2500 photographs of the clientele and the activities inside and outside the bar.

Year's later Sheldon's son, Director Stefan Nadelman, takes these photos and uses them to create a kinetic, photo-driven documentary that tracks the transformation of yesterday's gritty American-Irish bar to today's African-American gay bar.

Programme for June 13, 2003

The Fight in the Fields

Feature: The Fight in the Fields

It's ironic that those who till the soil, cultivate and harvest the fruits, vegetables, and other foods that fill your tables with abundance have nothing left for themselves.
-- César Chávez

This award-winning documentary tells the story of César Chávez, the charismatic founder of the United Farmworkers Union and the movement he inspired and led. Incorporating archival footage, newsreels and current interviews, the documentary traces Chavez's early days from his work as a community organizer through his successful efforts to unionize farmworkers. In the process he touched the consciences of millions and changed American politics forever.

Vicente Franco of Pacifica was the film's cinemetographer. The film was produced, written and directed by Rick Tejada-Flores and Ray Telles. Tejada-Flores and Telles will be with us to discuss the film.

Programme for May 9, 2003

Our Magnificent Waters

Short: Great Barrier Reef, The

Meet some of the creatures that thrive in the pristine seacapes of pastel coral, sea fans and sponges of the Coral Sea. Local filmmaker, Judy Brown will be on hand to answer questions.

Short: A Voice for the Fishermen

The voice in question here is that of Pietro Parravano, president of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations. His ruminations are intercut with stunning coastside video taken by Arlene Billy, the local director and producer responsible for this film. Arlene and Pietro will both be on hand to discuss how they worked together to make an intimate conversation come alive.

Feature: Empty Oceans Empty Nets

As the human population has increased, the fishing industry has developed new harvesting techniques to meet the growing demand for fish. But in many cases, those methods are taking fish out of the ocean faster than the fish can reproduce. Local filmmaker, Steve Cowan and his crew have captured footage of fisheries in New England, Alaska, Japan, Europe, Latin America and the Canary Islands to create this stark and beautiful film. Steve will be on hand to discuss his experiences after the film.

Programme for April 4, 2003

An unprecedented event

Feature: Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election

An unprecedented event

The riveting story about the battle for the Presidency in Florida.

Filmmakers Richard Ray Pérez and Joan Sekler examine modern America's most controversial political contest: the Election of George W. Bush.

What emerges is a picture of an election marred by irregularities, electoral injustices, and voter purges in a state governed by the winning candidate's brother.

Programme for March 7, 2003

Daughter From Danang

Feature: Daughter from Danang

A Film by Gail Dolgin of Berkeley and Vicente Franco.

Heidi, a proverbial all-American girl from Pulaski, Tenn., was born Mai Thi Hiep in Danang, Vietnam in 1968. She came to this county as part of "Operation Babylift", the Ford administration's effort to relocate mixed-race children to the U.S. rather than abandon them to a frightening, uncertain future.

After twenty-two years, Heidi and her mother reunite in Vietnam. For all that time, they dreamed of a joyful reunion, but cultural differences and years of separation have taken their toll. DAUGHTER FROM DANANG is about dealing with the legacy of war and making peace with the present. "Quite simply one of the best and most profound documentaries I have seen in years." -- John Petrakis, Chicago Tribune

Programme for February 7, 2003

Meet a member of Dorothy Faddiman's production team.

Short: Moment by Moment

Preview : Dorothy Fadiman, the Menlo Park based, Academy-award winning, documentary filmmaker will show excerpts of her new film about a woman's struggle to recover from spinal injury. A member of Fadiman's production team will be on hand to discuss the film.

Short: Takeiteazz...

A slice of Italian-American life as seen by creator Patrick Scalise. Scalise not only wrote and directed the film but also plays most of the major roles. The backdrop is a real life Italian men's social club, The Columbo Club, located in Oakland CA.

Feature: Face to Face

Comedy directed by Ellie Kanner and starring Scott Baio (of TV fame). It' about three Italian-American businessmen and how their sons -- eager to know their fathers better -- dupe them into spending more quality time with them.

Programme for January 10, 2003

An Evening of Surreal Film

Short: They're Off!, Part 1

This film explores the commonality between jellyfish and guys who dress up like Elvis and try to fly. Filmed at the Monterey Bay Aquarium , and the San Francisco Flugtag (a competition in which handmade aircraft are judged more on creative appeal rather than flightworthiness). Film is by a Joe Devlin, a local filmmaker.

Short: Peeping Tom

Comedy short about a little boy whose wish to see a beautiful neighbor lady naked is miraculously granted. He ends up seeing more than he bargained for. Written and directed by Jason Todd Ipson

Feature: Easter

Award-winning independent feature about a young couple on the run and the series of mysterious church burnings left in their wake. Their comically surreal and ultimately redemptive journey across the Nebraska plains forces the pair to face truths hidden from each other and themselves.. Directed by Richard Caliban and written and produced by Will Sheffer.

Programme for December 6, 2002

Meet local filmmakers

Short: Scenes from the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival

A collaborative work by the members of the Coastside Film Society documenting the previous month's gala celebration.

Short: Kona Cave Critters

Glimpse the "dark side" of Kona and the animals that live submerged in lava tubes.

Feature: Coming of Age

Apprehended for gay bashing, Stevie is sentenced to community service in an AIDS hospice. Phil Gorn, the San Francisco-based director of this fine film, will take questions.

Programme for November 15, 2002

An Evening with Joan Saffa

Feature: Further! Ken Kesey's American Dreams

Intimate portrait of the author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Sometimes a Great Notion. Writer, wrestler and winner of a Stanford writing scholarship, Kesey was transformed into a psychedelic visionary after participating as a paid volunteer in C.I.A and U.S. Army experiments with L.S.D. In 1964, Kesey took his famous Day-Glo 1939 bus named "Further!" that was wired for sound and light on a transcontinental trip. He was accompanied by the "Merry Pranksters" including Neal Cassidy.

Kesey set out to show people that "it is possible to be different without being a threat." Did he succeed? Come to the Coastside Film Night and test your opinion.

Joan Saffa's film documents prolific Kesey's early life as a bridge from the beat generation to the hippy culture of the 1960s. The film has some great 60's music from the likes of the "The Grateful Dead", The Merry Prankster's house band. Saffa also explores Kesey's later life when he settled in Pleasant Valley, Oregon with his wife and children. He continued to write new works, farm, coached local wrestling teams and taught a graduate writing course at the University of Oregon. Did he still continue to dream "Further! American Dreams"? Come and find out.

Feature: Honor Bound

A heartfelt documentary about Japanese-Americans who fought bravely on the European front. These sons of Japanese immigrants proved their courage and loyalty to the U.S. on the fiercest battlefields, as they fought to overcome the stigma of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. The 100/442nd Regiment suffered the highest rate casualty and became the most decorated unit in American history. Meanwhile back at home, their families were in desolate internment camps, forced to leave their homes, farms and businesses. The film tells their story through rare archived footage and the remembrances of one of the members of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team as recounted by his daughter.

Programme for October 4, 2002

Meet local filmmakers

Short: HOLY MAN MEETS BULL

Climb on a bull and ride it out of the shoot. Is man or beast the master?

First-time director Juli C. Lasselle explores the subject in this heart-pounding mini-drama cut to a disco beat. Laselle will field questions after the screening.

Feature: HOLY GHOST FESTIVAL--THE PORTUGUESE TRADITION IN HALF MOON BAY

Produced and directed by Connie Malach for MCTV, our local cable access channel. Edited by Suzanne Girot, another local filmmaker.

This 30 minute film explores how the festival came to the San Mateo coast and the people who keep the tradition alive. Filmmakers will be on hand to take questions.

Feature: SEE HOW THEY RUN

First time filmmaker and long-time political insider, Emily Morse lets us view the campaign and candidates for the 1999 San Francisco mayor's race through her eyes.
Who says real life isn't stranger than fiction? Morse will be in attendance to answer questions after the screening.

Programme for September 6, 2002

13 films that respond to 9/11

Feature: Underground Zero

A particularly appropriate film night program for the one year anniversary of the disaster: "Underground Zero", a fantastic 90-minute set of experimental short films in response to 9/11.

Programme for August 11, 2002

Way of Story Screenwriting Workshop

Click here for more information.

Programme for August 2, 2002

Meet local filmmakers

Short: Ultimate Dive, The

Local filmmaker Suzanne Girot's, tongue-in-cheek video about the art and science of dumpster diving. The cameras follow Seattle's master diver, John Hoffman, as he shows a new disciple the ropes. Suzanne will respond to questions after the showing.

Feature: The Journeyman

Classic western, independent feature shot around the Rio Grande on the Texas-Mexico border. The Journeyman is the entertaining and hypnotic odyssey of two brothers whose paths separate and then reconnect. The great soundtrack captures the epic grandeur of Ennio Morricone's greatest work. The burnt-out vistas of West Texas are bleak and gorgeous.

Programme for July 12, 2002

Meet local filmmakers

Short: Sex and the City of Metropolis

Offbeat look at dating, mating, and relating in the City of Tomorrow. This bare-bones budget short spoofs the HBO hit series of a similar name...with comic book superheroes swapped into the main roles. (Adult content)

Short: Taking Satan to the Mat

Trailer for a feature-length documentary.
The film follows members of the Christian Wrestling Federation, a small professional wrestling troupe/fundamentalist Christian ministry, as they journey across the United States to save lost souls.
By Paul Aldridge and our own Tom Borden, President of the Coastside Film Society. Both will take questions after the showing.

Short: Two Days Till Tomorrow

This film has been called the CITIZEN KANE of high-school movies. Director Robert Temple plays Eddie, and Producer Joe Kicak is the main character Steve. The duo are also credited as: writer, editor, costume designer, art direction, first assistant director, A&B camera operators, set designer, head carpenter, set construction, chief lighting technician, sound editor, foley artist, storyboard artist, blue screen coordinator, props, make-up and design, computer graphics, credit sequences, and casting. Now that's an Indie credit roll! Technically excellent throughout, the film bursts with visual and sonic energy.

Programme for June 7, 2002

Meet local filmmakers

Feature: Stalled

A feature-length independent narrative about a rock band that finds itself stranded in a small town. Filmmaker Mindy Weinberg of San Francisco will be in attendance to answer questions from the audience.

Short: Robber

A short film about a lonely girl who steals photographs to create an identity for herself. Written and directed by La Honda local Karen Aschenbach.

Programme for May 5, 2002

Frogs, Music & SK Thoth

Short: Frogs

Documentary short film by local Tom Borden on the leading pesticide in the U.S. that happens to cause frogs to become hermaphrodites

Short: Bach Society

Film by local Bill Katke of recent musical performances at the Bach Society.

Feature: Thoth

2002 Academy Award winner, Thoth, a 42-minute documentary about San Francisco street performer, SK Thoth.