The Santa Cruz Film Festival, an annual celebration of independent cinema and culture in California’s Greater Monterey Bay area, announces its film and event lineup featuring over 100 independent films and videos screening May 6 through 15 across downtown Santa Cruz. Film and event information, as well as tickets and Festival Passes, are available online now at www.santacruzfilmfestival.org.
“After 9 months of planning, we are thrilled to be revealing our entire film lineup,” said Julian Soler, Director of Programming. “This year’s program is arguably the most diverse we’ve offered. From our World Cinema section to the documentaries and EarthVision, there is a little something for everyone.” he continued.
The Festival will be presenting 133 films from 13 countries including 40 that were locally-produced. The EarthVision environmental section has expanded, and will feature 9 feature-length and 18 short films that showcase the work of devoted people taking action to improve our environment.
The entire film schedule and film descriptions are available at www.santacrufilmfestval.org
Festival highlights include:
Soundtrack for a Revolution
Opening Night, Thursday, May 6
The story of the American civil rights movement told through its powerful music: the freedom songs protesters sang on picket lines, in mass meetings, in paddy wagons, and in jail cells as they fought for justice and equality. Featuring new performances of these songs by top contemporary artists.
Etienne!
Closing Night, Saturday, May 15
Shot all over Santa Cruz County and along the coast up to San Francisco and Marin County, Etienne! is a sweet, funny, touching, and timeless tale of two kindred spirits on a journey of friendship and togetherness. What makes this story special is that one of the friends is a hamster. After Richard finds out that his best and only friend, a dwarf hamster named Etienne, has terminal cancer, he decides to take his pocket pet on a bicycle road trip to show him the world before he dies.
Tapped
Saturday, May 8
Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity to be bought and sold under the rules of basic capitalism? Tapped explores how one of Earth’s most important resources has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry – an industry almost entirely self-regulated, which we support with every deceptively “pure” and refreshing bottle we drink in our blissfully ignorant efforts to stay hydrated and healthy.
La Vie en Verte: The WAMM Movie
Wednesday, May 12
The true story of Santa Cruz’s Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM), a “collective of patients and caregivers [who have been] providing hope, building community and offering medical marijuana on a donation basis” for over a decade. In the film, we meet Valerie and Mike Corral, and follow their journey as they dedicate their lives to offering compassionate care despite the antagonism of a brutal and insensitive federal government.
Tickets are now available and can be purchased at the Festival’s website. Information on the film programs is also available at the Festival website: santacruzfilmfestival.org. The complete Festival schedule featuring films, parties, panels, and workshops will be available at the site on April 16.
Festival Calendar:
· Now: Festival Passes and Tickets available at www.santacruzfilmfestival.org
· May 6: Opening Night Film and Gala at the Del Mar Theatre and Museum of Art and History
· May 15: Closing Night Film and Gala at the Del Mar Theatre
About the Santa Cruz Film Festival
Since 2002, the Santa Cruz Film Festival has celebrated innovative and original filmmaking in and for the Greater Monterey Bay community. Over the past eight years, SCFF has screened over 1,000 independent films and videos including scores of quality, locally-produced works to tens of thousands of enthusiastic and dedicated film lovers, generating nearly $1 million in revenue for Santa Cruz. Whether fact or fiction, commercial or avant garde, live action or animation, the Santa Cruz Film Festival celebrates the diverse art of talented filmmakers. SCFF presents artists who create films and videos in all genres from around the world in one of the most thought-provoking, entertaining, fun-filled, educational regional film festivals in the country. The Festival has been proud to not only showcase new creative talents, but to also provide an interactive experience where filmmakers, musicians, performers, artists and the community can come together to share their art and ideas and to have an enlightening and fun time.
The Santa Cruz Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The tax identification number is 30-0053845. Donations are tax-deductible. Visit our website for more information at www.santacruzfilmfestival.org
The Santa Cruz Film Festival 2010 is sponsored in part by The Good Times, Santa Cruz Hotel Group including The Seaway Inn and The Continental, The University Inn & Conference Center, The Hilton Santa Cruz Scotts Valley, Pacific Blue Inn and Mill Gallery, Karen Shoemaker and The Evan Kuhn Memorial Fund, Digital Media Factory and The Digital Media Learning Foundation, Regal Entertainment Group including The Regal Riverfront Stadium Twin, The Del Mar Theatre, The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County, Intel, Inner Light Ministries, The City of Santa Cruz, Hallcrest Winery, Community Television of Santa Cruz County, Chris Layhe Associates, Inc, The Museum of Art & History, Awake Media, Walker & Reed, LLP, Daringrod Productions, John Warner Photography, and hundreds of other sponsors, donors and volunteers.
