San Diego filmgoers have the chance to check out short films from local student as well as Italian filmmakers tonight at three different venues. Poisoned with selection!
Tonight beginning at 7:00pm at MoPA the San Diego Italian Film Festival will present part one of its CineCucina and will showcase four short films that touch upon our different relationships with food. The press release explains: "The thread that winds through all these films is of course the individuals who make the miracle of food what it is as social interaction, as an expression of place and cultural relations."
The films include: "Finding Strange" (produced by SDIFF executive producer Ron Miriello) about kids looking for something unusual; "I Giorni della Merla" ("The Days of the Blackbird") about gardens in city spaces contrasted with life in the small town of Pruno; and "Picu picu picuraro – Megliu Porcu e No Vuiaro" ("Shepherd – Better a Pig than a Cow Herder") about a man who returns to his hometown to become a shepherd. The final film will actually a sequence called "Daria Pounds Pesto," from Jessica Theroux’s upcoming documentary on "Nonna Daria."
There will be an additional event in this CineCucina program on May 21 at the Birch North Park Theater. SDIFF will be hosting chef and filmmaker Jessica Theroux who will present her documentary film and her cookbook about cooking with Italian grandmothers (nonne), followed by the 2009 film "Rupi del Vino," Ermanno Olmi’s celebration of viniculture in the mountainous region Valtellina where they still practice the ancient tradition of terracing to create vineyards.
Tonight beginning at 8:00pm, UCSD holds its fourth annual Up&Coming Student Film Festival at The Loft. Curator Rebecca Webb describes it as "A glimpse into the future of filmmaking, starring the innovation and talent of our very own UC San Diego students. This highly-competitive festival, selected by a panel of film industry professionals, always surprises with a broad spectrum of themes and styles. From darkly humorous to poignant, insightful, and simply beautiful, the Up&Coming Student Film Festival is a grab-bag of delights. What remains consistent from year to year is the stunning originality, both conceptually and technically, of these home-grown cinematic accomplishments."
I was lucky to be a judge this year and to see such fine films as the documentary "Mandeville;" the well-cut thriller "Pi;" the clever narrative "Love in Six Parts;" and the beautifully shot "Stereo Blind." Stop by for a delectable sampling of films.
Unfortunately, SDSU also holds its annual showcase of student work on May 19 beginning at 7:00pm as well. Student shorts will play tonight beginning at 7pm at the Don Powell Theater on the SDSU campus. I was unable to see any of these films in advance but there is always something wonderful. But fortunately this year, the SDSU Student Filmmakers Showcase winners and Wally Award-winners will also be shown off campus at the UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas at Hazard Center on Tuesday May 24, at 7:00 p.m. SO don't miss your chance to see what the next generation of filmmakers is doing.
