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Beth Accomando
Arts & Culture Reporter
Beth Accomando covers arts and culture around San Diego for KPBS News. Beth studied film at UCSD and had her student film Writer’s Notebook screened as part of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s "Forty-Two Emerging Artists" showcase in 1981. She has edited the sequels to "The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" and video documentaries on Billy Wilder and roller hockey.
Beth is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and Online Film Critics Society, and is the past President and former Education Chairperson for the San Diego Film Critics Society. She served as the festival director of Film School Confidential: A Showcase of San Diego Student Filmmaking. In the past she has served on the film selection committee for the San Diego State University Student Film Festival, San Diego International Film Festival and San Diego Latino Film Festival. Now she volunteers as part of The Film Geeks at the Digital Gym Cinema to bring independent and envelope-pushing genre filmmaking to the Media Arts Center San Diego's micro cinema.
Beth has been a film critic for more than 25 years and began at KPBS in 1987. Since 1997 she has been covering independent and international cinema as well as pop culture for National Public Radio and Public Radio International’s The World. She has received numerous Society of Professional Journalist Awards and San Diego Press Club Awards for her radio and web site work at KPBS. She has also received 11 southwestern area Emmy Awards in the categories of producing, writing, and sound design for promotional spots as well as national Pro Max and Telly Awards while working at Fox.
She has a passion for Hong Kong cinema, Japanese monster movies, horror, and film noir. She collects movie posters and toys, and loves putting on a haunted house every year.
Recent Stories by Beth Accomando
Streaming Options Go From The Ridiculous To The Sublime
- Sept. 25
- By Beth Accomando
With cinemas slowly opening but lacking much exciting fare to draw people out of quarantine, streaming services still offer some of the best — and some of the worst — movie options.
'Native Son' Newly Restored, Uncensored Now Streaming
- Sept. 25
- By Beth Accomando
Richard Wright’s book "Native Son" was published in 1940 and made into a film in 1951. Now you have the opportunity to see the fully restored and uncensored film of "Native Son" through Kino Marquee.
'Society Of Wonder' Uses Puppetry To Deliver Social Commentary
- Sept. 23
- By Beth Accomando
"The Society of Wonder" suggests that every backyard contains a secret portal to an underground kingdom of inspiration and hope. The six-part series of videos from Animal Cracker Conspiracy just premiered online as the latest entry in La Jolla Playhouse’s Without Walls, or Digital Wow Festival.
Cinema Junkie Podcast 203: SDLFF Pushing The Envelope
- Sept. 18
- By Beth Accomando
It's easy to program crowd pleasing films but the San Diego Latino Film Festival dares to ask audiences to step out of their comfort zone.
SD Rep Turns 'A Weekend With Pablo Picasso' Into A Film
- Sept. 15
- By Beth Accomando
Since the age of 7, Herbert Siguenza has been obsessed with artist Pablo Picasso. Now, because the pandemic has forced The San Diego REP to present its plays online, Siguenza has had the opportunity to turn his play "A Weekend With Pablo Picasso" into a film.
San Diego Latino Film Festival Kicks Off Virtual Edition
- Sept. 17
- By Beth Accomando
This year’s San Diego Latino Film Festival was set to launch on March 12, but the festival had to cancel on its opening day due to COVID-19 restrictions. But the festival relaunches today with 140 films online.
'All In' Documentary Examines Voter Suppression
- Sept. 15
- By Beth Accomando
“All In: The Fight For Democracy” is a new documentary that looks at the history of voter suppression in the U.S. and current activism to fight against it.
Comic-Con Museum Reveals What Its Building Will Look Like
- Sept. 10
- By Beth Accomando
Balboa Park’s South Palisades is undergoing a lot of changes and the Comic-Con Museum hopes to be a big part of that. At a press conference Thursday morning they revealed what the renovated building will look like.
Dickens' 'David Copperfield' Comes To Vivid Life In New Film
- Sept. 10
- By Beth Accomando
Charles Dickens’ “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” published in 1850, has a lively new film adaptation currently playing in theaters.
'Portaleza' Reimagines What An Online Experience Can Be
- Sept. 9
- By Beth Accomando
La Jolla Playhouse’s WOW, or Without Walls, Festival was forced online by COVID-19. But as a site-specific event, the restrictions of quarantine have simply become a creative challenge. The latest Digital WOW work to debut is "Portaleza" and displays an innovative approach to creating a virtual experience.
Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS.
Latest on kpbs.org
'Normalize Radical: A 10 Year Photo Retrospective By Johnny Nguyen'
Saturday, September 26, 2020 at
1 p.m.
Sunday, September 27, 2020 at
1 p.m.
COOK'S COUNTRY: A Trip To The Big Easy
Stream now or tune in Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. on KPBS TV
