S1: It's time for KPBS Midday Edition. On today's show , the arts and culture shaping San Diego. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. We'll talk about the proposed cuts to art funding in the city budget , then hear about some of the weekend's arts events , plus a preview of the TCM Film Festival. That's ahead on Midday edition. So local arts advocates are protesting a proposed city budget that would slash hundreds of programs. It would mean losing $11.8 million. That's 85% less than they received last year. Organizers from San Diego Comic-Con to cultural centers and museums will be affected. Additional cuts would also affect libraries , parks and recreation programs. Joining me to talk about all of this is Alessandra Moctezuma. She's a professor of art gallery director at San Diego Mesa College and chair of the city's Volunteer Commission for Arts and Culture. Alessandra , welcome back to midday.
S2: Thank you so much for having me here.
S1: So glad to have you here. I know we've had you on before to do weekend preview and things of that nature , but this this is so interesting. Help me understand.
S2: Uh , the near $12 million that have been cut from the budget are the ones that support all of our organizations , big and small. So they are funds that go to museums , small arts , nonprofits , uh , festivals. And historically , you know , we've had these funds available for the last 30 years and even during the most difficult economic times after the 2008 , um , you know , economic crisis in the pandemic , those funds have always stayed stable. So it was really surprising to us , uh , that that that decision was made. Also , these funds actually come from um , Tot , which is transient occupancy tax. So they're paid for through , um , our tourist industry. And it's a very small percentage of those funds. It's we always call it we're trying to work towards the penny for the arts , which would be $0.01 of of that dollar. But in reality we get less , a lot less than that. And so that's how consistently we funded the arts programs. And so yeah , so this is a call to organizational support grants and also to community , um , community events grants. Wow.
S1: Wow. I mean , so these cuts are pretty wide ranging. Can you give me an example of some of the programs that are facing cuts right now ? Sure.
S2: So for example this cuts would affect organizations that are , you know , big and small. So. Some of the major museums , uh , San Diego Museum of Art , Museum of Contemporary Art , you know , the manga , all of them received funds , but also the smaller museums , Chicano Park Museum , the Centro Cultural de la Raza. And also non-profits that are engaged with the community. A lot of them focus , for example , on youth , like a reason to survive the Asha projects , um , and , and also some of our festivals. So funds go to to Comic Con and they go to pride. Uh , and so so it's a pretty wide ranging. And a lot of these organizations rely on these funds to operate. And , and many organizations have also been losing federal grants because of the current political climate in the federal government. So there's been cuts to NEA , any MLS. So some of these grants that that we offer that the city offers also help matching grants for other things. So this could also mean that for some of the smaller organizations , they're actually not just losing the funds from the city , but they also might be losing a matching grant. And then other organizations that were getting that already lost. You know , federal grants are now going to be losing also city grants. So so it's pretty pretty dire. And it's pretty , you know , it's something that that we were really also disappointed because we were just starting the funding for. We just had the applications out for this year and and this year we were planning to fund more organizations that we've ever had. So 229 organizations , we're going to be funded this year. And so now it's a waiting game because now what we need to do is work with the the. So the mayor has proposed this budget , right. And so now what's happening is , is they're getting community input. And the city council is also going to come in and make some decisions. And then so we we need people that value the arts to come out and speak. Send letters to their council members , you know. Talk about the importance of the arts to their community. Right.
S1: Right. Because like you said , there's this is a dire situation , especially for some of the smaller organizations and many of which who are now just facing closure as a as a result. Exactly.
S2: Exactly. And I also want to emphasize that , um , the money that goes into the arts is an investment. It doesn't just disappear. Uh , for example , if you're thinking if you think of the 300,000 that go to Comic-Con , uh , Comic-Con actually generated $160 million for the local economy last year. So you're thinking 300,000 generates the $160 million ? If you look at pride , pride got a similar amount. And pride , the parade generated $30 million and and so on. There's so many other organizations whose programming actually reaches out to the to the to our city , to tourists. And so it's part of our , the growth of our economy. And if you told somebody , make an investment that's going to grow a hundred times or 500 times , wouldn't you do that ? And then the other thing is , you think historically the government , you know , has thought of funding the arts as a way to as an economic stimulus. So during the Great Depression , you know , Roosevelt came up with a WPA , PA program and that was funding artists all over the country. And he did that to generate jobs to beautify our cities , uh , to provide hope and joy , but also definitely to stimulate the economy , because , again , that money generates. Um.
S1: Um.
S2: Generates income for our city.
S1: All of this , I mean , is , is interesting because , you know , last fall , the city council actually voted not to cut funding for arts organizations. So I'm sure this all comes as as a surprise for many , um , as city leaders say , you know , it is a tight budget year , though nonetheless , and that certain programs must be cut. It's just about which ones , you know.
S2: And one of them is , you know , the what makes economic sense , right ? If you're cutting something that is good for our economy , you know , that kind of doesn't make sense if you're cutting something that is providing , uh , essential services to our communities. You know , because art is about creating empathy , uh , and engaging in , in social discourse and dialogue. Uh , it's healing. Uh , at the , um , at the City council meeting last Monday when the budget was presented. We had 180 people that spoke about the value of the arts , of parks and libraries. And a lot of them were young people from underrepresented neighborhoods. Uh , and so I think that there's this misconception that that art is a luxury. An artist really has to be seen as something essential for our , our civic society. And so I think that a lot of people offered some suggestions. Um , the , the it is a difficult time for the budget , and there are a lot of funds that are restricted. So , um , so that's why they're trying to solve this by going into to the unrestricted funds.
S1: Um , but.
S2: But on making those cuts , but I think , I don't know , maybe one solution would be to cut a smaller amount from different fund sources so that you can keep some of these other departments more whole , because they're cutting. What are the smallest , almost the smallest departments like youth services , you know , arts , parks and libraries.
S1: Well , and I want to talk about a point that you made a few minutes ago. And , you know , it's that , you know , I hear a lot of people talk about how arts ties into public safety here. It's great for the community. And people have criticized budget increases for policing , which they say does not make certain communities safer.
S2: The fact that the the only department that has an increase is the public safety , you know , police and fire , whereas everything else is getting cut. And so a lot of the people at that council meeting spoke about that. And I would say that coming from a part of the city that's , you know , very close to Barrio Logan , where you have this vibrant , um , community of the arts , you have the murals , you have the Chicano Park Museum. People want to live in places where there are arts. Artists are the ones that make our city beautiful and interesting. And definitely that helps with public safety , because if you are in a place that's active , where people are are gathering , where people are using what we call those third spaces , those public spaces , that's going to make a community safer. So there are different approaches to how we can make a place , you know , safe. And it's not always , you know , the me as a Latina growing up in Los Angeles Policing. You know , it's. It has a lot of there's a lot of issues where where it's not always the first thing to go to for certain communities.
S1: And it's not a preventative measure at all. Um , you've been , you know , really kind of deeply immersed in San Diego arts and in the community for a long time.
S2: We bring , um , not not only student works , but also a lot of artists to show in our space. And I run the museum studies program. So I train students to enter the arts field and the museum field. Many of my students are first generation. Many of them are binational. Uh , some of them are veterans. Uh , some of them are older folks that are reshaping , you know , their their life and their career. And I trained them to enter the art world. And basically after being here for for a couple of decades , I have graduates from our work , our program , working at every one of our arts and cultural institutions in the city. And so I decided to join the Arts Commission because I wanted to create opportunities for my students and because I live art or breathe art , it's essential to who I am. And I wanted to to share that with others. And so so I want to make sure that we have a cultural ecosystem that supports , you know , creatives and , you know , they've done recent studies that , um , creatives bring $1.2 billion in economic activity to this region. They support , you know , hundreds of thousands of jobs. And so I want to make sure that my students have this opportunities and we are really building the city for the future. We are investing in the future.
S1: Right ? Well , the mayor is expected to present a revised budget to the City Council in May , and there are public hearings in early May to , um , details of that will be on our website , kpbs.org. I've been speaking with Alessandra Moctezuma. She's a professor of art and gallery director at San Diego Mesa College and chair of the city's Volunteer Commission for Arts and Culture. And in full disclosure , KPBS is one book , one San Diego program would also be impacted by the proposed cuts. The news operation maintains editorial independence , though , from other KPBS departments , executives and other donors. Thank you so much. But you're actually going to stick around with us. So I'm going to have you stick around for the next segment , because I hear you've got some recommendations for our weekend preview. Stay with us. Midday edition is back after the break. Welcome back to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman for our weekend arts preview. We'll take a quick look at this weekend's big festivals , from books to theater to Chicano Park , and also some visual art and music offerings around town. Joining me with the details is KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest podcast , Julia Dixon Evans. Hello , Julia.
S3: Hey , Jade. Thanks for having me.
S1: Glad to have you in here. Also still with us , Alessandra Moctezuma , chair of the Arts and Culture Commission and director of the Mesa College Museum Studies program. Alessandra , let's start with an event at the gallery at Mesa College. Cartographers of loss. Tell us about that.
S2: So this is an exhibition that features two photographers , Monica Arreola , who's from Tijuana , and Jackie Castillo , who's from Los Angeles. And they both start with their work that is photo based. But then they've actually developed these pieces into sculptural pieces. And it's interesting because they use the actual construction materials for framing their photographs. And they're both thinking of the urban landscape lost in the urban landscape. Monica Arreola began her career as an architect in Tijuana , and she worked in housing development projects. And then she saw after the the economic crisis of 2008 , some of these projects being abandoned. So this whole exhibit is centered around that loss of that potential , you know , solution to the housing crisis. And and she spins off of that by doing , um , this beautiful floral arrangements that are actually made out of , um , plastic , you know , fruit and construction materials. And then she has a video that imagines this dystopian future of the city that she actually , uh , generated through AI. And then Jackie Castillo grew up in Los Angeles. And so she's looking at the change in neighborhoods , um , gentrification , how some places are being demolished and new things are being constructed. And her , her father , her family immigrated from Mexico. So her father went from being an engineer in Mexico to working in construction in , um , in Los Angeles. And so she is paying homage to all of the people who build their homes. And and one of the pieces that she did , for example , she printed this image of a building that was demolished and she actually applied the photo emulsion to concrete bricks. And then she spent a whole day creating this foundation with these bricks and and her the action of doing this is also part of her recognizing the labor that goes into this , this work. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. This work.
S4: What a great way to express that through.
S1: The artwork there. There is also some major festivals and events all hitting San Diego this weekend. Julia , let's start with the San Diego Book crawl.
S3: It's in correlation with Independent Bookstore Day. It's bigger than ever. And what's cool about San Diego is we seem to say that every year we're always getting new indie bookstores. And this year there's 15 participating bookstores. Lula Books in Barrio Logan , the book catapult. South Park , verbatim books in North Park. UC San Diego's bookstore on campus. There's so many , and the way it works is you get a stamp in your little commemorative book crawl passport. If you spend $10 at any store , if you get three stamps , you get a really cute sticker. And if you get six stamps , you get a patch with like the spaceship and the words take me to your reader on it. Um , nine stamps , you get a cute pin. This is by artist Susie Garman. And 12 stamps. This will make you the envy of your book club. It's a custom messenger bag , and you have plenty of time because it starts on Saturday. That's the official indie bookstore day , and the crawl runs through Monday , which is great. So if you have a busy weekend , there's so much going on , you can just do all your shopping on Monday. All right. And there's a map and hours for each store. It's linked on our website. Okay.
S1: Okay. The envy of your book club , as you say. I love that. One other big local event is the La Jolla Playhouse's Without Walls or Wow Festival.
S2: That takes place on the campus of UCSD , and you can kind of choose what you want to go check out. In the past , you've had , like puppets , you've had participatory theater. Uh , you have artists. Um , there's a lot of projects where the audience is kind of engaged in these activities. Um , and so Animal Crackers Conspiracy has done some , some puppet performances there , and I'm kind of looking forward to that because they're like some of my favorites. I love puppetry. You know , it's kind of a way to , uh , you know , celebrate and bring attention to to issues. And then , um , yeah. And I think it's just always a surprise. It's there's so much to. To pick from. It's kind of you have to sit there for a little while to , to plant this schedule because there's. There's a variety of musical visual performance pieces that you can.
S3: Change and plenty that you can just , like , stumble upon on campus. Really.
S1: I love that , I love that , um , okay. So quickly , tell us about the City Nature Challenge this weekend and how we can get involved with that. What is that ? Sure.
S3: So the City Nature challenge , um , this is something that involves the app I. Naturalist. It's this app where people can photograph , um , nature , identify things. And it's also extremely useful for scientists. They have like , they can tap into this almost limitless troupe of community scientists who are making observations and the for City Nature Challenge , which runs Friday through Sunday. Um , it basically puts all the cities in the country in this like little nature competition to get the most observations and identifications on iNaturalist , you can participate on your own. You just join the project on the iNaturalist app , or you can go to a bunch of events that are hosted by the Nat or the UC San Diego Natural Reserve System , including a couple of places you can't normally access , like there's a hike at the Elliott Chaparral Reserve near Mission Trails , or there's this really fun sounding bilingual nighttime BioBlitz with a bug allergist. That's a Rice Canyon demonstration garden in Chula Vista.
S1: All right. Very neat. Uh , and we were just talking about this in the break , but the 56th annual Chicano Park Day is happening Saturday.
S2: I teach a Chicano art class , and I always teach my students and use the the park itself and the murals themselves as a textbook , because you go and you learn about the history of the culture , about , you know , the from the Mexican Revolution to the Aztecs. And , and it's there's always wonderful performances. You'll have the , the Aztec dancers and musicians. And then the other thing that's really cool is that we have a Chicano park museum and cultural center , and there's also a wonderful exhibition there of political posters , which is also very much part of the the tradition and the history of Chicano art. I would say it's murals and posters that kind of began that whole movement , and it worked kind of hand in hand with the with the civil rights movement and , and , and the search for like affirmation of identity and , and and it gave people , you know , agency. And so , so you get to go to the , to the , to the Chicano Park day. And then you can go to the museum. Check out the exhibition there. And I always have fun. I always used to take my kids. There's great things to eat. There's vendors. There's the lowriders , which are also a lot of fun. And so I think it's it's something that you can do with the with the whole family and really enjoy it. And I would suggest take public transportation because it gets so , so crowded. And so , so there's a trolley station not too far , but it really is , is a really wonderful , beautiful celebration. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Sounds like something you definitely don't want to miss. Um , finally. Julia , what's going on in live music this weekend ? I know that's your wheelhouse. Your thing.
S3: So one show on my radar is a local band is having their debut album release show. This is Friday night at the Casbah. The band is called Poor Thing , and I had not heard of them until I saw this listing. They're a brother sister duo. They're like this indie kind of grunge folk pop band. The self-titled debut album just came out this month and it's incredible , like contender for top album for me for the year already , I think. And right now we're listening to the track garden from the album Poor Thing by Poor Thing.
S5: Feels like it happens all at once. Not at all. Not at all.
S3: And the entire album is just like Rich. It's diverse. It really does hit on a range of styles , but still feels coherent and unified. It's propulsive , it's tender. All at the same time. It's just a really great listen. Um , the show is Friday night and a couple of other great local bands will support theirs. Please ask for Paul and the dimes also play. This is at the Casbah.
S1: All right. Lots to do and you can find details on these and more arts events on our website at pbs.org. I've been speaking with KPBS arts reporter and host of The Finest , Julia Dixon Evans , and guest Alessandro Moctezuma of San Diego Mesa College's Museum Studies program. Alessandra , Julia , thank you so much.
S3: Thank you.
S2: Thank you.
S1: Coming up on KPBS Midday Edition A preview of the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival here from UC San Diego alum Charles Tabish. When we return. Welcome back to KPBS midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. Turner Classic Movies and its TCM Classic Film Festival have staunch supporters in the likes of Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. They've helped keep both alive during recent budget cuts from parent company Warner Brothers. KPBS Cinema Junkie Beth Accomando is also a fan of the channel and its film festival coming up later this month in Hollywood. This year's theme is The World Comes to Hollywood to preview the festival. Beth spoke with Charles Tabish. He's TCM senior vice president of programming and content strategy and a UC San Diego alum.
S6: So , Charlie , this year's theme is the world comes to Hollywood. And this seems to be a little twofold. I mean , you have some foreign films , but you also seem to be celebrating the immigrants who helped create Hollywood.
S7: It's definitely the latter. It's definitely meant to celebrate the immigrants who who helped create Hollywood. We always have , you know , a couple of foreign language films in the festival. But that's not that's actually not what the theme is. The theme is celebrating and exploring the ways in which people came from all over the world to create this industry that we all love. It's really astounding , actually , when you start to look at all of the the original moguls , all of the filmmakers , all of the composers , all of the iconic actors and actresses that have come from everywhere in the world. And that's led to where we are now with film. And I think it's pretty incredible. And so we're super excited about it.
S6: And a lot of these founders of the original studios , they they seem to be both very savvy businessmen , but they also really seem to love movies like just as pop entertainment and as something to go see. Absolutely.
S7: Absolutely. As classic movie fans , we we sort of understand and appreciate the way that they merged art and commerce and created a real business that made a lot of money , but also that created a lot of art. We're all for the business side. We just don't want to lose the art side. And so we're certainly happy to celebrate that too. The way those two have come together for the film industry since its origins.
S6: Now we're at a moment in time where the film industry , film exhibition , the arts in general are struggling and facing a lot of challenges.
S7: You know , we pay close attention to it , but we're pretty lucky , too. Like TCM , we have , I think , our own place within our culture and within the industry , and that I think we feel like we're both protected and strong because people care and we care just like they do. And so for that reason , we've had a lot of support and we've been able to keep doing what we want to do. And that applies to the film festival. So even though there's a lot of sort of things going on around us. We're super enthusiastic and really feel like , you know , this is a fantastic festival , just like it's always been , and we're super proud of it. So I think we feel lucky of our place. Understanding that around us is a lot of chaos.
S6: Well , your festival seems unique because you're not a nonprofit , correct ? Correct.
S7:
S6: But you behave sort of like a nonprofit because you pursue these ideals of education and film preservation. And it seems like it's an interesting place to be , an interesting juggling act , if it is.
S7: It is. It is absolutely interesting. If you're going to be in the corporate world , I think it's it's you be in the be in the one section that's a really small little piece of the overall business , so that they kind of know that you're doing good stuff , but for the most part want to leave you alone and do your good stuff. And so yes , we are definitely not a nonprofit At the same time , we have , I think , a mandate and a mission that goes beyond just dollars and cents. And so we're able to pursue that. And I think that's really great.
S6: So I have to say , the film I am most excited about this year is Letty Lynton. This is a film that has amazingly not been screened or seen since 1936.
S7: I mean , there were just underlying rights issues that are a little bit complicated for that reason. It was in limbo. And it's the Joan Crawford that nobody had seen since it came out , hasn't been on home video , hasn't been on television , hasn't been in theaters , are legal people for years has had you know you know , there's not sorry. We can't we cannot get the underlying rights to this film on the Warner Brothers side , George Feldstein , who I think maybe a lot of your listeners know about , but he's he's he's the person behind the scenes who puts out the Warner Archive , um , collection and does so much work behind the scenes on preserving these films and making sure that they're they're available to people. He's been working on this for years. And finally this year , and I honestly don't know the details of how he was able to do it. But working with the legal team at Warner Bros. He was able to do it. And then , ah , on the technical side , the mastering team led by Daphne Dennis. They restored it or creating a new DCP. And so it's going to look gorgeous. And so we're we're also really excited about it because since I've been here for 28 years , of the films that have not been seen publicly , this might be the one that people have been the most interested in. I think it's famous because the dress that Joan Crawford wears , and that became a phenomenon , you know , in the country , it's just one of those studio classics that hasn't been out there. So we're we're really , really excited to show it.
S6: I may have to line up at like 8 a.m. for this one. So the next thing I am looking forward to and I look forward to this every single year is Craig Barron and Ben Burtt putting on a presentation. They are the most nerdy , knowledgeable , passionate , delightful people , and I have waited since 8 a.m. to get in line for one of their shows.
S7: I'm with you. We got lucky. They they we were introduced to them through the Academy who had done some conversations with them. And now they come every single year. They have a fan base that loves it. And yes , they do just these great presentations about the technical side of the , you know , special effects and the sound effects and but they make it really fun and funny. We love them. Absolutely.
S6: And because these guys are Oscar winning effects people , they get access like to studio archives. That really allows them to put together an amazing presentation.
S7: They do and they do a lot of research and they do a lot. They so they dig in and they get they have support from the different studios. So , you know , if they need something from Paramount or Warner Brothers or Fox , they'll get what they need. And and they put a lot of time into it. So when you see those presentations , it's way , way more than them just showing up and talking about it , as you know. I mean , they've really dug into the archives and done their work and it shows and it makes it really a lot of fun.
S6: Now , most festivals are about films you haven't seen. Unknown quantities. Your festival really allows us to revisit the films we love. And one of the things that's great is you also allow celebrities and artists to present stuff that they're passionate about. So talk about getting someone like Edgar Wright to do your midnight movie because he's great presenting films.
S7: He's great. He comes to the festival all the time. He's a fan of and a friend of TCM. And so we're. Yeah , to get him to come for Vanishing Point for a midnight film is really special , and we have some relationships with different filmmakers that I think really enjoy it and want to show off , whether it's their film or classic. Carol Burnett is going to be there to introduce , not just do a conversation at TCM , but also to introduce strangers on a train. And Sharon Stone is coming to talk about The misfits , and it's Marilyn Monroe's hundredth birthday this year. So definitely we we love contemporary fans of classic films. And then also as you , you know , sort of said , I guess the filmmakers that just like Alexander Payne is premiering the new restoration of Citizen Ruth. And so , you know , things like that are really kind of we try to bring old and new together and just celebrate film overall. Yeah , absolutely.
S6: Well , as your name implies , you do show a lot of classics that people are very familiar with , but I love that you also bring stuff that is sort of underappreciated. You're going to have Charles Burnett , the director , to show my brother's wedding , which I've never seen. And it's great that you're taking these films that may not have really been in the mainstream and showcasing them.
S7: Yeah , that's definitely part of the goal because and , you know , you said earlier you want to come and see classics. And a lot of times that's just to be able to see a movie that you might maybe have seen at home a bunch of times , but you've never seen it in a theater , you've never seen it with an audience , you know , and it's a different experience. And so if you want to come and you want to see an all time classic like , like Swing Time or rope or notorious , you can do that. But also we want you the opportunity to maybe see films that you have never seen before. And so at any given time , part of the goal is , you know , you've got five venues going at once throughout the weekend is to give people a range of things to choose from. Maybe they want to see this movie that they know and love. Maybe they want to discover something new. We really strive to give that that choice to people.
S6: All right. You brought up the idea of choice. You have five venues. I feel you're a little sadistic because you really have to go into this. Like there's some festivals you can go to and you can just kind of casually attend whatever you want. But TCM , if you really want to see certain films , you got to plan this like a military strategy to make sure you can get from one venue to the other and squeeze in as many as you can. But yeah , it's a programming. I'm sure it's a huge programming challenge because you have so many films , but man , from the attendee end , there's some hard choices this year.
S7: Yeah , well , I think when we started , it wasn't it wasn't the intent wasn't to be cruel. But but now I think we kind of enjoy it. There's a part of it that is enjoyable. Um , and , uh , I want to give a lot of credit to Stephanie Dames , who puts this whole puzzle together. And it's got McGee and I work. We work together on the programming , and it is a challenge because you want people to be able to go from movie to movie , so you want to schedule them that way. And they're format issues so that you can only only certain films that are only in film can play in certain theaters , certain films that are , you know , are on nitrate , can only play the Egyptian 70 millimeter only at the Egyptian. So there are a lot of considerations , the lengths of the films , when talent can be there , all sorts of things that dictate when and where a film can play. And then we're just at within all of that , still trying to give that variety of option , just eras , genres , popularity , that sort of thing. So it is very complicated. And yeah , at the end of the day , you know , um , Bill pence who who founded the the Telluride Film Festival once , you know , said , he said , you know , leave them wanting more at the end of the day , just it's better that they want more than they feel like they got to. So I think that's part of it too. Yeah , there are going to be hard choices , but hopefully no matter what your choice is , you're going to have a great time and you're going to be really feel good about the choice you made , because we really try to make each individual screening its own special , special experience.
S6: The only time it hurts is when you're the person and the person in front of you gets in.
S7: Oh man , I know , I know , and House floor is always a big help. Gosh , I and I , I hate it. I'm like I walk up and down , I see people in line. I'm like , oh , I feel so bad these people are going to get in. We know it's frustrating. Luckily , the people that have come year after year have sort of figured a lot of that out and kind of know the a little bit of the game and when they have to get in line and understand that that's what happens. It's going to happen this year. I know , I know , we definitely don't like people being frustrated. That's not good.
S6: Now , one of the classics that you're screening that really feels like it needs a rewatch at this moment in time is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
S7: Oh , yeah.
S6: What went into.
S7: That deliberate about about some of the films and this time and place and where we are. And that's one of them. And that's part of a series of outsiders looking in filmmakers specifically that were born outside of America , that came here and then their view of America. Another example of that is Elia Kazan in the Face in the crowd films that have a very specific view of what it means to be in America or in American , and what their vision of what America is. And Mr. Smith goes to Washington is a perfect example of that. And you're right. It's it is time for a rewatch.
S8: All you people don't know about lost causes , Mr. Paine does. He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for , and he fought for them once for the only reason any man ever fights for them. Because of just one plain , simple rule. Love thy neighbor. And in this world a day full of hatred. A man who knows that one rule has a great trust. You know that rule , Mister Payne. And I loved you for just as my father did. And you know that you fight for the lost cause is harder than for any others. Yes , you even die for them.
S6: The filmmaker , Frank Capra , was an immigrant. So he's part of that group of , you know , people who came here and his films are. My dad introduced me to those films , and they're just , like , so inspiring and hopeful.
S7: That's exactly right. And that's that's what he thought America should be. Right. And I think that's what we want to look at. You know , best years of our lives. And William Wyler is is another example of kind of looking at a different time and place. But I think again , through. Through a lot of these films , there is an attempt to have certain amount , a certain amount of thought behind the films and how they're received.
S6: Now , Mr. Smith is a well respected classic. I love the fact that you also make space for something like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
S9: The nation's top comics. Abbott and Costello petrified , but hilariously.
S7: Another well-respected classic just in a different way. But it's it's definitely a classic. And it's really I think it's one of the best. Abbott and Costello and we'd like to say , you know , we try to show all eras and types and genres of film and film history , so it certainly fits. Absolutely , yeah , I love I love it.
S6: All right. And don't take offence at this question , but the only film that I question being included is Ishtar.
S10: It's just some of our best work.
S7: We're doing a tribute this year to singer songwriter actor Paul Williams , who from my era , you know , he he was kind of an icon of the 70s and 80s and , and he's been around and he's doing , been doing a lot of great things. And we're super excited to honor him. And one of the films he said he was interested in introducing was Ishtar. There were other choices , too , but collectively we , including me , all think it's the movie has a bad rap. I mean , it's actually pretty funny movie. It should be rediscovered. It's one of those that we're kind of making a bit of an editorial choice there , too. We're like , hey , I think if you go and you see it , you're going to enjoy it. And it did. It got a huge negative reaction when it came out , like this big budget bomb and all of that sort of stuff. But as we know , sometimes those initial reactions aren't really deserved. And I think that's that's how we feel about Ishtar , whether you do or not. I don't you know , I can't it's that's okay. That's films. People disagree all the time , but we at least think it's worth a watch.
S6: I have not revisited it since it came out , so I'll be interested to see how it plays now. And one last thing. You know , I noticed that at your book signing , you have Danny Reid , who's going to be signing about a pre-Code book that he wrote. And what I think is interesting is , you know , I met him , I think , more than ten years ago at your festival. We were both kind of just fans , but he was running a blog on pre-Code Hollywood , and it's so cool to see people who have this passion for film at any level and then sort of , you know , turning that into something like a deep dive book on pre-Code Hollywood.
S7: Yes , I agree , and it's also great. One of the really best things about the festival is people come that are fans , and then they they develop their friendships and then we develop relationships with them. And so it's very fulfilling. It feels it's great. Like it just it feels like we can connect with classic movie fans. They can see how passionate we are. And we can we can we become friends with them. They become part of our bigger family. And I think that's certainly the situation there. And we're we're happy , happy about that.
S6: I want to thank you very much for your time. And once again , I look forward to this festival. It's always a blast.
S7: Thanks , Beth.
S1: That was KPBS. Beth Accomando speaking with Charles Tabish , senior vice president of programming and content strategy for TCM. The 17th annual TCM Classic Film Festival runs April 30th through May 3rd in Hollywood. Details on our website kpbs.org. That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
