Go to IV Film Fest
Though only a four-hour drive from Hollywood if the traffic is decent, the Imperial Valley is light years from the entertainment industry in many ways.
Yes, because of our relative proximity to La La Land and our dunes, fields and folksy downtowns, we have movies, videos and commercials frequently shot in the Valley. That activity brings much to our local economy.
Still, when it comes to expectations and dreams, most Valley residents are millions of miles from Tinsel Town.
Those of us involved with organizing the Imperial Valley Film Festival & Artist Showcase want to lessen that chasm. This weekend we’ll stage the sixth annual I.V. Film Festival & Artist Showcase.
A core of people has been involved with the festival since its earliest days. Those of us in that core have been able to make inroads into the entertainment industry, love the Imperial Valley and want to give back.
We, and those who have joined us in the organizing in recent years, basically want to do two things. The first is to make the Imperial Valley a better place through exposure to the arts. We bring people involved in the entertainment industry to the festival to speak to locals about their films and other work in the business.
We also put on workshops, free to the public, where Valley residents can get insights into various filmmaking crafts and how they might pursue such interests. This year we’ll have workshops on theatrical makeup, doing and coordinating stunts, the producing of films and, finally, screenwriting. I’ll be leading the screenwriting workshop with my friend Danny Torres, a Los Angeles-based screenwriter and movie producer.
The other great thing we do is we get young filmmakers, actors and others the chance for their work to be seen in real theaters in front of actual audiences, including, quite often, people who work in the entertainment industry. We’re proud to say for some Valley filmmakers and others interested in the business, contacts made at the festival have resulted in several showbiz jobs and countless other opportunities.
We organizers, all volunteers, do hope you join us this weekend at our sixth annual Imperial Valley Film Festival, staged at The Movies in Imperial. Festivities start Friday evening with two of our featured films and continue throughout the day and evening Saturday with the free workshops and the showing of films accepted into the festival.
We lowered the admission prices this year because we want more local folks to attend. The festival will be fun and enlightening … and you might even find your calling in life.
***
The mass shooting in Las Vegas was horrific and deserved all the media attention it received. Sadly, somewhat lost in the tumult was the sudden death of Tom Petty, a true American music icon.
Anyone who knows me well, or read a column I wrote a few years ago, knows I love the music of Tom Petty. A great storyteller, Petty’s music is gritty, touching, sometimes funny but always truly and deeply American, with roots in folk, country, blues and the jangle rock of The Byrds.
I met Petty a few times when he was at the pinnacle of his success in the 1980s. He would come into the record store where I worked in Los Angeles and listen to all kinds of music in the “listening station” in a corner of the store. He usually came in early in the morning, which actually probably was late at night for TP. Despite his often bleary appearance, he always was a gentleman with store employees and fans who recognized him.
I would have loved Tom Petty’s beautiful music anyway, but knowing what a good person he was made it even more special. Bret Kofford teaches writing at San Diego State University and is a screenwriter with two movies out and a few more on the way. He can be reached at Kofford@roadrunner.com