S1: Hey , San Diego , it's time for KPBS Midday Edition on today's arts and culture show. Style meets sustainability. For this year's SLO Fashion Day , San Diego Asian Film Festival is back and more. I'm Andrew Bracken in for Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired and make you think. SLO Fashion Day is back for its second year. We hear what's in store and ways you can grow your own personal style creatively and sustainably. Then the San Diego Asian Film Fest kicks off tonight. You get a sneak peek into some of the films screening this year. All that. Plus we'll look at what's happening in the arts around town in our weekend preview. It's ahead on KPBS Midday Edition. Last year , San Diego became the first major US city to formally recognize Slow Fashion Day. It's part of a movement looking to reduce the heavy environmental impacts from the fashion industry. It's also asking us to think more about our role in it the clothes we buy , the clothes we wear and how they're made. This Sunday , Slow Fashion Day returns with sewing workshops , community fashion show and more. And I'm joined now by three designers who are part of it. Claudia Rodriguez is the founder of Soul Loca. It's a showing sewing shop and studio in Barrio Logan. Also with us is Chris Carson. He's the founder of the Homegrown Project , a community initiative that spreads awareness about sustainability and slow fashion. And finally , Wayne Zhang. She's an artist and a slow fashion designer. I want to welcome you all to Midday Edition.
S2: Thank you , thank you.
S1: Great to have. You.
S2: You. Here.
S1: Here. So , Claudia , I want to start with you. First off , just for those that may not know , you know what is slow fashion. How do you describe it? So.
S2: So. So flash. Slow fashion is , um , garments that have a little bit more intention. And so they're not mass produced. Uh , they're usually cut and sewn by someone that's local. Um , they're smaller batches. And so there's more of an intention. There's also like the types of textiles that you're using. Um , so there's a little bit more mindfulness to creating these items.
S1: Chris , I'm wondering if you can expand on that. Like , you know , how do you how did you first kind of come to to learn about slow fashion and what what it means to you?
S3: Uh , yeah. So my I actually came from my parents bullying me one day. Um , so I had my favorite pair of pants that I always used to wear. Um , I used to tie dye a lot , and my parents would make fun of me. So I went to a random pop up event in LA , and I saw someone making , like , upcycled bags out of jeans , and I was , like , super inspired when I saw that. So instead of getting rid of my pants that my parents bullied me for. I went to goodwill , took decorative napkins and made them into camo pants , and I started getting compliments. And then I was like , oh , maybe I'm onto something. And that's where all the ideas spread. So it means a lot to me because I've been affected by Lyme disease and that's connected to our planet warming up and climate change. So I want to do my part to try to help the planet and then also raise awareness about the changes in what can happen.
S1: Well , in a way , I mean , kind of at the center of this also , like Chris was just talking about , it's just a creativity. I mean , just taking like he said , you know , going into goodwill and taking these napkins and like , I don't know , making something really cool from it. Yeah. Talk to me about slow fashion. How how you think about it. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. I like to think that all clothes are handmade , but that's not always a visible process to us as consumers of clothing , and especially right now , our fashion industry is dominated by fast fashion , exploitative labor practices , you know , environmental damage. And it's really sort of like created this like frenzy of keep buying and keep chasing new trends , instead of really looking at what is happening to our clothes , like what's happening as the background processes. And so I think slow fashion is sort of like our way of starting a different movement of , you know , recreating what how people experience clothes and how people experience fashion. And instead of making this , like , inaccessible and also like seeing as disposable , we're sort of redirecting that narrative. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. Claudia , um , I want to talk more about the environmental impacts. You know , she just touched on it there. But , you know , the fashion industry has a large environmental impact. You know , I think it's come up , you know , from both of our guests so far , how , you know , how does slow fashion , how is it a response to that.
S2: So we really want to inspire people to look at their clothes a little bit different. And so we want for them to keep them longer. We also want them to look at their clothes as like something when they are going to thrift stores and purchasing items that they're looking for better quality things. Stuff that doesn't have a lot of polyester. And so most consumers , they don't understand. That certain textiles were created for specific reasons , like linen is supposed to be worn during like the summer to keep you a little bit more cool. Wool is perfect for the winter because it retains heat , and so most people don't know those kind of things. And so it really is about wanting to inspire people to look inside of their closets and like taking those items and wanting to , like , read , jazz them up and wanting for them to keep them longer , do more mending , repair them , do clothing swaps with their friends , things like that. So then it stays within like the community , instead of ending up in a landfill.
S1: And the community piece of it's pretty important. Chris , I'm wondering , you know , can we go back to to the the first ever slow fashion Day last year? What was , you know , what was the reception like? What was the response to that?
S3: Uh , it was really incredible. Um , you know , we weren't expecting too much. Um , but I can say that , you know , our expectations were blown. We had over a thousand guests appear. We had just totally organic growth when it came to promotion and media. Um , and I just all the feedback that we got was just amazing. We've we've had people , you know , tell us that they were excited for this year. And that was like , you know , the year like last year that they mentioned that and that they're already looking forward to it and to do it again. It's been really a blessing. And just , uh , you know , just a just proof of this being an amazing movement , a sustainable movement. No pun intended. But , um , something that people want and other people need because I know when we create as a community , it really bonds people together. And then also with sustainability , it's not going to take one person to do it. It's going to take a community of people. So to see the response here in San Diego has been incredible. And we want to make it a staple here for sure.
S1: Well , how would you describe San Diego in particular as a scene for slow fashion right now?
S4: Yeah , I so I moved to San Diego last year. January of 2025. And so I'm a newcomer. Um , but I it's also the time when I started to really identify myself as an artist and using clothing and fashion as a medium to express myself. You know , my sense of beauty , my perspectives for the world. And I would say San Diego has been such a magical city for my self , my artist identity , because I've been able to showcase my work here through more sustainable , sustainable sustainability forward events. And I've also been able to collaborate with other artists that are also in that visual artist and independent artists , um , environment. And so , so fashion Day is I've never heard of any other cities do things like that. You know , we're adjacent to Los Angeles. There's a lot of talents in LA , but I've not seen that in LA. So I'm pretty proud of. You know , the city that I now call home that we're putting out this event. It's such a great opportunity for people to come and learn , you know , and just see what's possible. Because we're Claudia and Chris , they're putting together a really great group of artists that are all sort of working , um , in their different artistry , expressing themselves , but sort of coming to this common goal of starting being part of this movement , building this movement. And I just think it's amazing for anybody to come and experience that and see what is possible to make our out of waste and what is also , you know , possible that all of us as individuals can do to do more recycling , to consume less new clothes , and to also like , recycle , repair and just make friends , like build community with each other. Because that's really I feel like what we need in this moment.
S1: And Claudia , you also kind of got support from the city , right , just in this movement and said , you know , starting it up last year , talk about how that's kind of played a role and help you kind of bring in this. And , you know , as what you mentioned , San Diego being the first US city to really kind of like , you know , take charge with us. Yes.
S2: Yes. So we did get a proclamation from our city Council member , Vivian Moreno. And so we were really , really grateful that she saw the initiative that we were creating with like slow fashion. And I feel like sometimes , you know , um , clothes and fashion is in like a priority and like your city council members mind and thoughts. Um , but we've been doing a lot of , like , sustainable practices in our , um , studio and like , with other local designers , and they really saw that we were pushing this really cool initiative , and we were very much inspired by Paris and their first ever slow fashion week. And so we were like , hey , let's get together , let's do this really fun event. And um , we basically , um , they saw that we were working on this really fun project and they were like , hey , we want to really declare this as As a day in San Diego. And we were really surprised. Chris and I were like , oh my God , we're gonna get a proclamation. And we both have like a really fun frame and stuff like that. And so it means a lot to us to be able to get that community support. We also got , um , a grant this year , which really helped us a lot to be able to expand this program. And so we did get a grant from the California Arts Council. And so it really just shows us that , like , people really want events like this and that they're needed and they're we're really excited that people trust our vision and really want to support it.
S1: Um , Chris , you know , I think everybody has their own way of of developing their own style , right? I think some people kind of like me , I mean , may not even , like , think that much about it. Right? But we all kind of participate , right? We all kind of like , um , but I'm just wondering , you know , how you each developed your own sense of style. I mean , you mentioned some of your journey into slow fashion , but were you always kind of super mindful of that aspect of expressing yourself through your clothes?
S3: Um , yeah. I had to be , um , growing up in , uh , I grew up in Cleveland , Ohio , and.
S1: I noticed the Cavs hat.
S3: Yeah , yeah. All right. All the time. Um , but , yeah , growing up , me and my friends and my peers , we would bully each other off of the stuff we wore. Um , and I didn't realize that was helping me develop my style. Um , it was a rough feedback system , I'll tell you that. Hearing jokes about what you're wearing and everything. But it really helped me build confidence in myself and have confidence in my style and who I was. So , um , early on , it really played a role in my life. And then as I grew up , I got so frustrated with just what was available for men. Like you look at the women's section , there's so much stuff. There's so many different designs and silhouettes and guys , we just got t shirts and a in a long sleeve. Or you want a short sleeve , you want it long sleeve , but it's not really like crazy cool options. So I , I guess I just stumbled into this and it's been perfect for me because now I get to create what I want and add some more fun to fashion. Um , for men and women. It's been it's been great. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. That's great. Claudia , what about you? I mean , you know , do you think about your own style? Is it something that you kind of constantly evolve with? How do you how do you. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. So , um , I grew up in the punk scene in. I'm from LA , and so I'm actually from the valley , so I'm a valley girl. And so I went to a lot of punk shows as a kid and had Liberty Spikes and all that kind of stuff , and I feel like punk was definitely one of those type of movements where it's like you would sit there and saw your back patches and , um , and I've always been into sewing , and so hearing that loud music and going to shows and creating outfits for like the show , so you could look really cute for all the boys that were gonna be there was a lot of fun. And so I always think about , like , loud music. Very out there. Um , something like super fun and , like , very DIY. And so I feel like there's a lot of that inspiration in my work.
S1: What about you?
S5: Why you.
S4: This question got me sweating so much. I my daily uniform are sweats. Like , I am actually not a very stylish person. Like , if you look at me , like on a daily basis , I don't dress up. I work from home. My day job is I work in the public policy public health field , and I'm a knowledge worker and I like hide behind zoom. I don't really always show myself a lot. I think for me , slow fashion and creating , you know , ah , with clothing is so much more for myself. It's so much more about just like dressing. Well , I think for me , there's so much creativity in , you know , for example , one of the series I'm working on right now is called From Your Dad's Closet , and it's really just turning menswear and menswear adult. I know , I hear Chris , right? Like they're not stylish , the silhouettes are not interesting. The texture , Texture and the shapes are not colors , not interesting , but they are good quality. LLC when you thrift menswear is really high quality , usually made with high quality materials. And so I've been just making it a mission to upcycle men's clothes and make them into women's wear. And really because of countering also just women's clothes or polyester. It's even when you strip to vintage stuff , it's like so much , in my opinion , not great , you know , materials. And so to me it's so much about just like dressing well and expressing yourself. And I actually think that in that sense , fashion is something that everybody is , is adjacent to because it is self-expression , it's social signaling. It's how we communicate with each other non-verbally. But at the same time , I think us as artists are using it so much to sort of express ourselves politically too. Like what? What kind of stance do we want to take in this world? Interesting.
S1: Interesting. Claudia , you've led , you know , a lot of sewing , upcycling workshops through your work at Sew Loca. Um , you know , full disclosure , I'm not the most skilled kind of craftsperson , but how easy is it for someone to pick up these skills?
S2: You know what? Um , it's you just need to give yourself , um , patience. And so if you're going into anything , learning any type of skill is you just need to give yourself that grace and patience and just knowing that everything's going to be very repetitive. And so if you go in there with patience and grace and know that you're going to have to do it again and again and again , you'll have a really enjoyable time. And also just being honest with , like your skill level of like , if you're a beginner , you might not want to start with a gown. Um , and so starting off with something very simple and like having like these little like moments , right , that they're gonna make you feel good because you completed the project instead of , like , having projects that are not completed. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. Chris , I mean , what challenges did you face when you first started getting into this. And.
S3: Ah , yeah , I have to piggyback off of it. So like I said , the grace and compassion for it. Um , because I tell you , looking at my early stuff , I'm just disgusted at the stitching. But , um , it's , you know , because you kind of want things to be straight. You look at other clothes and it's so well made. But these are folks that have been doing , like , the same thing over and over for like , years and decades. So we really just giving yourself room to make mistakes and also not being so hard on yourself when you do make those mistakes. Um , and just know that when you're , when you're making stuff , it's you're going to have trial and error. But , you know , it's all part of the process and you're eventually going to get it down. And it's just like she was saying repetition , repetition , repetition. But anyone can do it honestly.
S1: Will you anything to add?
S4: I think I started off being like very like like focusing on construction , focusing on like getting the stitches straight and right and like very much like the fitting and the construction side of clothing. But my challenge has been actually just learning to be more creative and actually going crazy with my ideas. Because when you're so sort of self restrictive and like , I need to make a perfect like seam or perfect kind of hem , you ended up sort of limiting your imagination. So I would say like my , my challenge has actually been sort of maybe the opposite side of what you guys have , where it's like , okay , let's just make something that's completely unconventional that has not existed. Like , that's the angle of like , my art that I'm exploring right now.
S1: Well , I mean , just to give you the closest I've come , you guys are like , way above me , but I have a favorite sweatshirt that got ripped. And I did sort of like a Frankenstein like stitch just to make that work. So that's my my foray so far. Claudia. You know , in recent years , state lawmakers in California have taken up , you know , just the issue of fashion and its environmental impacts. Can you tell us more about where those efforts stand now? Yeah.
S2: Yeah. So we're really excited because , um , California passed a bill. It's called SB 707. Um , and I was actually part of a panel and we really talked about it. What how you could recycle textiles. Right. And so we're all in the business of recycling textiles. And so for me , it's really awesome because we're in a different , like , I guess , category of like just shred the thing and get rid of it. We're creative reuse. And so we are creating like a , like this really cool thing where people that do have an abundance of like , we have all these t shirts with us as designers here on this table , we can take them and convert them into something else , and that company could reuse them for something completely different. And so really looking at things like that , that really help within the efforts that we've been trying to do is , is a really like good sign of hope for us.
S1: And I know the fashion industry , I think , I mean , it's , it's the amount of , of emissions , it's pretty high. It's like 8% of total emissions or something. Um , well , Claudia , you know , if someone is new to the world of upcycling , what's I don't know. Can you just any words of inspiration , of just how to get started.
S2: You know what? Be patient with yourself for sure. Um , start with , like , fabrics that are very simple to work with. Don't use anything stretchy in the beginning. Um , you're probably gonna drive yourself a little crazy. Um , and just have fun and , like , think outside the box. Um , don't expect perfection. Um , do hand sewing. Hand sewing is always a lot of fun and just enjoy the process. I feel like having a good mindset for the process is really important.
S1: We have just about a minute left , but , um , Chris , I'm wondering what keeps you hopeful about this future of slow fashion? You've seen it kind of build over the past years , as you said , you know , from last year , but talk about the future of it.
S3: Yeah , I'm super excited because a lot of it is built around community. And I think with any massive change that you want to make , you're going to need the people behind you. And what inspires me most is just seeing people start and then , you know , months later or years later , they're just they're obsessed with it and can't stop doing it. And I think it's going to be revolutionary. Just creating an environment where people can be seen , be heard , be able to express themselves and not have to conform to what someone at a desk tells you what to wear and how you should look. Um , yeah.
S1: That's great. I think that's a good , uh , message to end on. I've been speaking with Claudia Rodriguez Basinski , the founder of Soul Loca , Chris Carson , founder of the Homegrown Project and artist and slow fashion designer. Way you long , slow fashion day is this Sunday , November 8th. It'll kick off from noon to 8 p.m. at The Lane in downtown San Diego. That event is free and open to the public. We'll link to more details on our website , pbs.org. Thanks so much for being here today.
S5: Thank you. Thank you for having us.
S1: Coming up , we get a preview of some of the films being screened at this year's San Diego Asian Film Festival. Stay tuned. Welcome back to KPBS midday Edition. I'm Andrew Bracken in for Jade Heineman. Tonight , Pacific Arts Movement kicks off the 27th annual San Diego Asian Film Festival at the San Diego Natural History Museum. The festival will screen nearly 200 films from 35 countries over the next ten days. KPBS Cinema Junkie Beth Accomando previews the festival with its artistic director , Brian Hu.
S6: Brian , we are on the eve of yet another San Diego Asian Film Festival , and you are going to be opening tonight , Thursday. How are you feeling this year about the films.
S7: As I always do , which is obviously I love all these movies. I was part of the team that picked them , but what I'm most excited about is we've been holding on to these titles for months. We've been talking about it internally. We've been wondering how people how audiences are going to react to them. And now is the moment. And we can't wait to see the faces of people walking out the auditorium , the tracks of their tears on their on their cheeks , maybe their disappointment. Who knows? Maybe , like they get angry. Whatever it is. Like , we we we're letting these films loose. And that's part of the fun of the festival.
S6: And you are letting these films loose. The same week that Godzilla is stomping into theaters. His birthday was Tuesday. He turned 72. How does it feel to be running the festival the same week as this iconic Japanese monster is hitting theaters and proving that foreign films with subtitles are becoming more popular and more accepted by the mainstream American audiences.
S7: Well , we thought. About.
S6: About.
S7: Playing the Godzilla movie. I mean , it would come out the day after opening night , and for some reason it just wouldn't seem as special that way. But what I think is really special about Godzilla being in theaters now is you just have a bunch of Asian films in theaters now that don't need film festivals. They have a built in audience. Audiences know that audience , and I'm just talking about it , not just Asian audiences. All audiences realize that you can create get great cinematic entertainment. Watching a film from another country with subtitles in a movie theater that's going to be just as inspiring , violent , loud , and moving as anything that you might expect. Anything else that would be in the multiplex? So I'm excited it exists. I hope it does really well. At the same time , I think there's an audience that knows , but the San Diego Asian Film Festival is for them too.
S6: Well , you always bring some great programming here. You were mentioning that , you know , people may come out crying , disappointed , whatever. And what I love about your programming is , is you're never afraid to program films that might divide an audience , upset an audience. But how do you tackle programming when you're looking at films coming in? Do you kind of have themes in mind? Do you feel like each year kind of dictates what the theme is going to be , or how do you tackle it?
S7: Well , I definitely don't have themes in mind when I start the process. I think about each year as a blank slate , and I can't wait to see which films are being submitted , because then I start getting a picture of , oh , where is Asian and Asian-American cinema this year? And it's not that I start forming themes based on what comes in , but maybe I'll have to see , like , how do I supplement films like , are there just a lot of weird movies this year? Maybe I need some comforting ones as well. But I think back to this idea of I don't. I never want to disappoint an audience , but I want audiences to feel like they took a chance on something and whether they liked it or loved it , or like they liked it or they didn't like , they feel like that was worth the the chance they took. And that's usually what we hear from audiences , on top of the fact that , I mean , they're taking a chance on maybe loving a film , and usually they do , and I'm grateful for that.
S6: Well , I think film festivals are the place where audiences need to go in. Willing to take a risk or a gamble like it's the best place to do that.
S7: Yeah , and you're part of a community of folks that are taking the same risk with you.
S6: And you are opening at the Nat in Balboa Park , a lovely , huge venue , and you are going to be having a film called In Waves , which is an animated film. Tell us about it.
S7: I believe this is our first animated film that's opening our festival. It's not a kids animation , although this. When I first read the description of this movie , I thought , this sounds like the most San Diego movie ever. It's about skateboarding. It's mostly about surfing.
S8: Jimmy , do the middle feet together. You need to get the wave before it breaks. Kristen. Hold on. Are you ready? You got this. No no no no no.
S7: It's about the Filipinos. It's a love story. It's a coming of age story. And it happens to be. It was actually the opening night film of the Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival. So it's coming with a pedigree of quality. And when I watched it , it was , I was floored. Our audiences are going to love this and there are still tickets , so I hope audiences can come out and watch the film and then have a conversation with the graphic novelist who wrote the book that this is based on and and who's on whose life this story was based.
S6: There aren't specific themes , but you do have kind of showcases that are set up. One of my favorites is Always Masters , because these are people we can count on for bringing us great film. And once again , you are bringing us Lav Diaz and explain to people who may not be familiar with him , why is he such a unique filmmaker?
S7: Well , Lav Diaz at this point is legendary at the San Diego Asian Film Festival. And if you if you've never experienced a Lav Diaz film , we usually play a lot of Diaz , and it's amazing how prolific he is given that he makes some of the world's longest movies. I mean , the film we're showing this year is a short film. By his standards , I think it's only 2.5 hours , but we've shown films of his that are over five hours. He's made ten plus hour movies before , and I think what he wants to do is make us immerse us in the the history of the Philippines. He is not afraid to look under the hood and find out and really question , what does nationalism mean? What does it mean to be a former colony? His films are very , very dark , and they have these stark images that stay with you , that get imprinted in , in your brain. And then one of the stars of this film is coming. Her name is Isabel Sandoval , and she's coming for the Slav Diaz movie , but she's also the director of her own film , Moonglow. And we also included her in the master section , too , because she's really emerging as one of the most important filmmakers in the world.
S6: Another part of the festival , which is probably hands down my favorite. It's not a showcase of multiple films , but a single one. This is Mystery Kung Fu Theater , and this year you have something extra special or extra mysterious.
S7: I mean , every every edition has is full of mystery , but let's just say it worked out this year that we can have a special guest. Usually it's just me up there introducing the movie , but we kind of chanced into somebody who maybe related to the film somehow to help me introduce the movie. I'll just put it at that.
S6: In another film that's a lot of fun. And I believe the writer of this has contributed to films that you've run before. But This is you are the film , and all of the films in this kind of group are playing with time and space and creating these kind of nonlinear , just wild and wacky environments that are so much fun and so clever.
S7: Yes , they've kind of created a brand onto themselves. This team of filmmakers that make little there , like movie puzzles , and sometimes they feel like video games because they like the way that non-linearity happens. But anyways , how do I how do I even explain I.
S9: Don't know , yes.
S7: Without drawing a diagram. I mean , so imagine the movie begins with a character going to watch a movie and then see somebody on the screen. That person , as we discover also just once a movie theater to watch a movie and is watching the other person on the screen. So basically two people are watching each other in respective auditoriums. Anyways , that doesn't sound that exciting , but what we find out is they know a little bit more about the story of each other's lives because they they're holding a brochure with the basically with the narrative of the other person , and they're saying , hmm. Do you want to know what happens to you? And they start communicating to each other through the screen and then going back to their respective lives to sort of maybe , maybe rewrite their own scripts. It's complicated , but it's so much fun. Once you get into it , there's nothing like this.
S6: Our films like that hard to find.
S7: I mean , that was the film. They reached out to us. They said , would you like to play this movie? I mean , they also know that we've played many films by this team before , but , I mean , they're not big blockbusters , like , they're not massive hits in Japan , for instance. In Japan , these are considered independent productions , but they do travel the film festival circuit , like all over the world. And it's one of those things like if if you're on the film festival circuit , you know , these people like there's like celebrities in your own mind , like these filmmakers , they're auteurs of this kind of goofy puzzle. That. Yeah , that , that that's just a delight to to to follow. Yeah. And we want to keep supporting voices like this so that so that we continue to build this idea that foreign films aren't just an unrealistic tales of poor kids in the streets or something like , or like , like like the vegetables that you eat. But actually these are the like the sometimes the most interesting movies that are being made in the world.
S6: I love the fact that foreign films that are genre films are getting much more widespread play in festivals and as we've seen in cinemas , in mainstream theaters.
S7: And I would say Asian cinema might be on the forefront of that , as it's long been since the days of Bruce Lee and Kurosawa. These are genre films. These are the these can be number one at the box office. If enough theaters played them and it trickles down to everything from like Squid Game to Parasite winning an Oscar to Hope , the Korean film that was just in theaters. These are films that are big , sometimes bigger than Hollywood , that are bloodier than Hollywood , that take more chances than Hollywood at doing what Hollywood supposedly does best.
S6: And you also have a Filipino superhero film?
S7: Yes , not only is a superhero , it's an animated , trans comedy , zany , campy superhero movie called Zaza Satana.
S10: So what do you think about her?
S11: I think it's cool having a superhero around here. She looks great too. Coming to the rescue all the time. You like her?
S10: I don't know much about her.
S12: She has a daughter. Just as a daughter just now.
S7: This film has been years in production. I mean , you watch it and has the production value of any kind of animated film , but it was really just made by one person with the vision and who's been kind of pulling together a team for many , many years to try to pull this off. And it's again , it's just it's so much fun. And the director is in the Philippines , but his cousin lives in San Diego and his cousin owns a donut shop. So there will be donuts at the screening too. But that's the kind of that's the kind of environment that we love. It feels like a family experience. It feels like it's more than just a movie. And then , of course , the movies themselves are a blast as well.
S6: And one of the films that's kind of more audacious or different is one called Just Like You and Me. And I know you can't talk about it in too much detail without giving things away , but I really love films that play with sound design , and this one really does an amazing job.
S7: The backstory of this movie is interesting as well , so this is made by professor at Cal State Fullerton. It's actually his first feature. He's been trying to make this feature for a long time , so he actually got some funding to have this to get to a lot of students and , and other faculty members to help him make this. And I think in the cocoon of , of of a film school , I guess you can really pull off some interesting experiments. He's not so concerned about , you know , what the audience is going to think , but he is interested in how he can play the audience. And you mentioned sound design is a big part of that. Um , I mean , I've spoken to the director in the past. He's he's long been interested in characters with hearing disabilities. I think to him , this is like , this is a cinematic opportunity to conceal sound , to reveal sounds , to play with sound from different perspectives of like people who hear differently after. Orchestra.
S8: Orchestra.
S7: And how does that make for different , different sounding movies? So yeah , this film has a kind of precision of of sound that you could tell when a lot of care went to it. And of course , the the image too. And yeah , you're right , I want to give away too much about this movie , but it's it gets pretty Lynchian. Um , yeah. The way it works a mystery.
S6: Well , to wrap this up , tell us what your closing night film is.
S7: Yeah , we're closing with the film called Bo's Book. It's a film by a Vietnamese Canadian filmmaker named Ashley Young. And throughout the years of working at the San Diego Asian Film Festival , we've seen a lot of documentaries about people in the Vietnamese diaspora who have don't know too much about what happened to their parents when they left Vietnam around the time of the war. But Ashley's dad recently wrote a memoir , and she decided , well , what if I went to Vietnam and just recreated some of the scenes from your book? And this dad , who's never wanted to return to Vietnam , says , if you're making if you're re-enacting some of these scenes , then I will go with you. So it's daughter , father coming together through the movies , through the act of making movies. And this act of making movies is also kind of an excavation of family histories , of national histories. And it's a really special movie. And we're this might be the US premiere of the film. This Just World premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. So we're very lucky to have it and for Ashley to be here.
S1: That was KPBS cinema Junkie Beth Accomando , speaking with Brian Hu , artistic director of the San Diego Asian Film Festival. The festival kicks off tonight at the Nat , then continues through November 14th at the Ultra Star Mission Valley Theaters at Hazard Center. When we come back. It's time for your weekend arts preview. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Welcome back to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Andrew Bracken in for Jade Heineman for our weekend preview. We have a new Broadway musical dance dedicated to Sinéad O'Connor and some paintings of roses. Joining me with all the details is KPBS arts reporter and host of the Finest podcast. Julia Dixon Evans. Hey , Julia.
S13: Hey , Andrea. Thanks for having me.
S1: Great to see you. So the touring Broadway production of The Outsiders musical is in town this week , and the show actually had its world premiere right here in San Diego. Tell us about this one. Yeah.
S13: Yeah. So the musical of The Outsiders is an adaptation of both the 1967 novel and is also informed by , like the 1983 movie. It's set in Tulsa , Oklahoma , in the late 60s , and it focuses on two rival gangs of teenagers , the greasers and the socios like socialites. And it follows Ponyboy Curtis , who's like a greaser kid who's taken care of by his older brothers after their parents died. And he loves the movies.
S14: When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house , I had only two things on my mind Paul Newman and a ride home.
S15: About a path that leads you out beyond big city walls have got great expectations.
S13: And so that's we're also hearing the song Great Expectations kind of a motif through the show. I love it. It's stuck in my head constantly after seeing the show and um , yeah , in 2023 , I talked to the director , Danya Taymor , who is also directing it now , and she told me that it's basically about kids who are trying to get by. It's a story about class warfare.
S16: It's a story about chosen family and belonging , and it's also a story about masculinity in all its forms. And it's tenderness and it's aggression and rage and it's love.
S13: And it's this really powerful story and also a powerful production. Like , the choreography is so physical , like the fights are choreographed , they're magnificent. And just like , involving the set and the props and the lights. There's even rain , and the music is just a really great mix of , like , Americana styles. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And as you mentioned , I'm just like this , the 60s aspect of it. I remember the 80s movie just just a lot of different eras there too. So tell us more about the , you know , the San Diego origins here. Yeah.
S13: Yeah. So it premiered at Loyola Playhouse. This was 2023. It was a huge success. It went off to Broadway , won four Tony Awards. It got like including best musical and best direction for Donna Taymor. And yeah , this sort of like , cradle to Broadway thing is something La Jolla Playhouse is known for. There's Jersey boys , this one come from away. Couple more to and I recently talked to Deb Hatch , who was the prop supervisor at the Playhouse at the time , and she just retired. And she said that this particular show needed some really creative thinking for props , like with all its fighting and the rain , and in particular the dancing on the cars.
S17: I don't know if you've ever jumped on the hood of a car , but it doesn't go well. Um , so all of that is reinforced with , you know , tubing and steel and and everything. I found the Ford Falcon , uh , on Facebook Marketplace. It was this guy out in la mesa somewhere. He goes , you know , it doesn't have a motor. And I'm like , perfect because we have to take them out anyway.
S13: So if you see it , like , watch for the cars , they're great. Uh , it's here through Sunday. And Sunday will also mark the 50th anniversary of Broadway San Diego. And this is all at the Civic Theater downtown.
S1: It's great. So let's stick with theater for one more. The Old Globe's Globe for all is a free touring program. It brings theater , you know , into communities. Tell us about this year's project. Yeah.
S13: Yeah. So , um , this year they're doing Shakespeare's Macbeth. It's , you know , famous Scottish play , Witchy prophecies. There's murder , there's guilt. And of course , the great Lady Macbeth. Uh , it it kicked off this project in late October , and the performances are running through November 21st , all across the county , even into Tijuana. This weekend shows there's tonight at six , in Tijuana at 6:00 , and then Friday at 6:00 at San Diego State University , and then two performances on Saturday at the Oceanside Public Library at 1:00 and 5 p.m.. They've put together an hour and 20 minute version , no intermission. So it's a great way to take in some free Shakespeare by some amazing professional actors. And especially if you're in Oceanside.
S1: A House in motion is a special arts event in Oceanside celebrating the San Diego Artist Incubator project.
S13: Tell us about that. So this is the City of San Diego initiative. Um , the San Diego Artists incubator. It's a cohort of artists , and they're supported in developing and showing work together and not just visual art. Um , there's Mickey Vale is involved , one of the artists , hip hop musician , poet , spoken word artist , also theatre performance , and Mikki has a new memoir. Out there is Miguel Galvan , who is a movement artist , a sound and installation artist. Joe Cantrell , painter Cathy Carey , installation artist Alexander Carter. I'm just like a really interesting mix of local artists doing great work , and the group show is at Dear tomorrow , which is kind of like a newest newish , um , art space. It's like a studio and event space in this house in Oceanside. The event is free and it is Friday at 5 p.m..
S1: Very cool. Yeah , a lot happening in Oceanside.
S13: Seems I know. Oceanside.
S1: Oceanside. Um , there's also some contemporary dance inspired by Sinéad O'Connor , who's like , I don't know how to describe , you know , she was just a really unique artist , I'd argue , even misunderstood in a lot of ways. Tell us about this project. Yeah.
S13: Yeah. So this is called The Surge , an ode to Sinéad O'Connor. It's new work by choreographer Sonia Tanya , and this program was kind of born from her own personal grief when Sinead O'Connor died in 2023. And like , kind of inspired by the way she lived her life and created art and and fought for beliefs like in the music , activism and faith. And also pulling from Sinead O'Connor memoir , Remembering Things. We're listening to the song Troy. This is from the 1987 album The Lion and the Cobra.
S15: The train.
S13: Like her , her music is just so captivating. And and this choreography also kind of chronicles this like nod to beauty and aging. So Tanya intentionally chose ten women dancers with this , like , combined 500 years of experience. It's it's wild to me. And so , yeah , these dancers range in age. And it just really like , celebrates the ability and the beauty and skill that comes with that much experience , especially in a profession that doesn't usually make a lot of space for aging. So yeah , the reviews I've seen for this production say that it takes something that could be kind of a gimmick and make it really thoughtful and immersive. This is Saturday night at Balboa Theater Downtown. It's presented by Art power at UCSD. Sounds.
S1: Sounds. Yeah , pretty. Pretty beautiful. Let's talk about some visual art. Now , what's on your radar this weekend in that space? Yeah.
S13: Yeah. So artist Lin Shu has a new exhibit called One Dozen Roses. Literally a dozen paintings of roses. Like , kind of at first. Sounds pretty simple , like. Okay , painting a rose. Probably like painting a sunset. Everybody does it right. A passage , and we all enjoy looking at it , right? But sure , it paints these roses after their most photogenic , beautiful moments. Like they're starting to die or wilt. And to me , these are just really beautiful paintings. She started this project in 2014 , inspired by the anti-war movement and student strikes from the 60s. And then it evolved after the 2015 attack in Paris on the journalists at Charlie Hebdo. This exhibit is on view by appointment at SIP Art Space in San Marcos through December 4th , but there is a public reception this Saturday from 4 to 7. And also , one thing that's cool about this show is if somebody buys one of the paintings from the series , she will paint a different one and replace it. So there will always be a dozen roses.
S1: Oh , that's a nice touch. You can find details on these and more arts events on our website , KPBS. Org. I've been speaking with KPBS arts reporter and host of the Finest podcast. Julia Dixon Evans. Julia. Thanks.
S13: Thank you. Andrea. This is fun.
S1: That'll do it for Midday Edition today. Thanks so much for joining us. If you missed anything , you can always download KPBS Midday Edition wherever you listen. Also , if you feedback or ideas , you can always email us at midday at KPBS. You can also leave us a message at (619) 452-0228. Don't forget to listen to All Things Considered on your drive home to get news and breaking updates around San Diego. Before we go , I want to thank the Midday Edition team producers Ashley Rush and Juliana Domingo , senior producer Brooke Ruth , arts contributors Beth Accomando and Julia Dixon Evans. Our technical producers this week were Brenda Rufa , Adrian Villalobos and Rebecca Chacon. The Midday Edition theme music is by the Surefire Soul Ensemble. I'm Andrew Bracken. Join me tomorrow at noon for the roundtable. Till then , have a great day.
