Interviews with SDJFF Filmmakers

February 13, 2012 4:25 a.m.

KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando interviews filmmakers at the 22nd Annual San Diego Jewish Film Festival.

Related Story: Interview: SDJFF Filmmakers Talk About The Festival Experience

Transcript:

This is a rush transcript created by a contractor for KPBS to improve accessibility for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Please refer to the media file as the formal record of this interview. Opinions expressed by guests during interviews reflect the guest’s individual views and do not necessarily represent those of KPBS staff, members or its sponsors.

ANCHOR INTRO: The 22nd Annual San Diego Jewish Film Festival kicked off last week. On Sunday, KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando attended a brunch and spoke with filmmakers about the experience of showing films at a festival.

SDJFF 1 (ba)

The San Diego Jewish Film Festival encourages discussions between filmmakers and audiences. On Saturday night, director Vikram Jayanti had an impromptu 30 minute pre-film discussion with people waiting in line for his documentary "The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector." Then he hosted an hour-long post film Q&A. He found both invigorating and typical of the festival experience.

SDJFF 1A (:16)
VIKRAM JAYANTI: Sometimes you find out things about your film that you hadn't noticed. There was one question last night that asked me about the specific composition of one of the shots and I thought wow that's really cool, somebody actually noticed something I actually did deliberately in the editing room three years ago and I thought that was brilliant.

Filmmaker and animator Hanan Harchol felt a need to attend this year's festival after his father -- a chief inspiration for his films -- died. He says it provides a way to celebrate his father's life by sharing the films with an audience.

SDJFF 1B (:17)
HANAN HARCHOL: I love experiencing seeing the film viewed amongst an audience, there's some kind of synergy that happens when people are feeding off of one and others experience, and it's a very gratifying for me as a filmmaker to be a witness to that experience.

Harchol's "Jewish Food for Thought" screens tonight at the Reading Clairemont Theaters. The festival continues through Sunday.

Beth Accomando, KPBS News.

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