Hooray for Tamalewood
“I like to take risks,” said Aaron Leventman, the programmer for the Santa Fe Film Festival, which celebrates its 20th year when it kicks off on Wednesday, Feb. 13. “I don’t want to show just what I think is safe.” Among the many festival offerings through Sunday, Feb. 17, are a Native shorts program, a story of Civil War deception, a ceremony honoring beloved actor Ed Asner, and a feature film from “True Blood” alums Stephen Moyer, Denis O’Hare, and Anna Paquin. On the cover is a still from They Called Me King Tiger, a new documentary about controversial activist Reies López Tijerina, “the Chicano Malcolm X” who set off the largest manhunt in New Mexico history. The 1969 photo by Mark Bralley shows Tijerina at a rest area off U.S. 84.
IFBurden, Andrew Heckler’s drama about two men who overcome their prejudices through the power of love, is any indication, the screenings at the 2019 Santa Fe Film Festival present films that give a voice to those outside of the mainstream. An eclectic mix of offerings at the fest, which runs from Thursday, Feb. 13, through Sunday, Feb. 17, celebrates the LGBTQ+, African American, Latin American, and Native American communities. And an expanded list of shorts programs — including New Mexico documentaries, French shorts, animated shorts, and sci-fi and horror shorts — provides opportunities to see a number of movies you’re not likely to encounter anywhere else — unless, of course, you’re a festival circuit junkie.
“There are so many great films that are submitted to festivals — that maybe get shown on Netflix but maybe not, that don’t get distribution, or that the filmmakers are content to just show at festivals — that people just don’t have the opportunity to see,” said Aaron Leventman, the festival’s programmer for the past five years. “I like to take risks. There are a couple of films I’m showing this year that are less typical of what audiences would see here. I don’t want to show just what I think is safe. I want to show films that are a little different in terms of the form and structure that audiences are used to.”
The festival gained nonprofit status in 1999, making this year its 20th anniversary. Although the first screenings weren’t held until the following year, it is the longest-running film festival in Santa Fe. Leventman came to the festival in 2014 with a slew of previous experience that includes working for the Bioneers Moving Image Festival, working as a volunteer coordinator for the Sundance Film Festival, an serving as an awards juror for the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Nevada City, California. He also teaches film and acting at Santa Fe Community College and at Renesan Institute for Lifelong Learning. The festival received approximately 500 submissions, which Leventman said was about the average. “We received a lot of films about mental illness, PTSD, war veterans, and the theme of rehabilitation,” he said. One such entry, Battlefield: Home - Breaking the Silence, a documentary about the veteran community in the United States that looks at the medical and psychological effects of war, screens at the Jean Cocteau Cinema at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16. “I select most of the programs,” he said. “I’m looking at films that have a really strong narrative, strong stories, strong visual style, and all of the elements you would look for in a big movie: direction, acting, writing. But also, I do the kinds of films that
people are interested in in this community, and it’s a tough audience.”
In 2018, SFFF moved from its familiar December run to February, when it could dovetail with New Mexico Film Week, a series of film-related events. Both those events took place during last year’s legislative session, when a bill was introduced to remove the film tax credit annual cap in order to attract more productions to New Mexico. Film Week is designed to highlight the work of New Mexico’s industry professionals, and the festival plays into that by featuring several New Mexico-made productions. “One of the aspects of our mission is to showcase local filmmaking, local talent,” Leventman said. “We’re showing three different shorts programs by local filmmakers this year, and at least one feature film, Philophobia, made by a local filmmaker, as well.” Philophobia: or the Fear of Falling in Love, which is directed by Tyler Cole, screens at the Center for Contemporary Arts at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15.
Returning after a hiatus of several years, the “Sci-Fi/ Horror Shorts” program presents seven short films with a combined runtime of 105 minutes (screening at the Jean Cocteau at 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 17). “If you look at a lot of what’s being shown on Netflix now, there’s a big interest in dystopian societies and sci-fi. We received a lot of great submissions around that genre this year, so I really wanted to include them. They’re not conventional sci-fi and horror, either. Combining the two genres is something we haven’t done before. If you don’t like a particular film in a shorts program, you just wait 15 minutes and, hopefully, you’ll see something you like.” New this year is a shorts program called “Oddballs and Outcasts” (3:45 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Jean Cocteau), a selection of films that don’t fit into other program categories or that feature unusual characters. Leventman mentioned a dominatrix and a circus clown as the protagonists of two of the films. Other festival highlights include the world premiere of William, director Tim Disney’s feature about a Neanderthal created in a laboratory from DNA. He must contend with his existence as the ultimate outsider in a modern world, truly the only one of his kind (7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, with Disney and star Tim Brittain in attendance at the CCA). Also making its world premiere is Barney’s Wall: Portrait of a Game Changer (6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, at CCA), a documentary about 1960s counterculture icon Barney Rosset, founder of Grove Press, who led a successful legal battle to the Supreme Court to get previously censored books published.
Another highlight of the 2019 festival is the annual award ceremony. This year, Ed Asner — actor, activist, and former president of the Screen Actors Guild — is honored with this year’s lifetime achievement award. It takes place at 7 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Center on Saturday, Feb. 16. Local actress Robyn Reede leads Asner, who is best known as cranky editor Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in a one-on-one conversation at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15. The documentary, Ed Asner: On Stage and Off, which focuses on Asner’s professional life and his activism, is also screened at the festival. Asner was a prominent figure in the 1980s SAG strike, and his left-wing politics have made him a controversial figure. The screening of the documentary is its world premiere, and Asner is in attendance for an audience Q&A at the Jean Cocteau at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16.
These are just a few of the events happening at the festival, which, in addition to an eclectic list of cinema offerings in all genres, includes a host of panels and talks. Celebrate the festival opening at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at Cowgirl BBQ. Allaccess early bird passes are available until 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12, for $100 ($200 after the early bird special). Tickets for individual screenings are $10 per person, available at participating venues on the day of the screening or on the festival’s website. For a complete list of events and to purchase tickets and festival passes, visit santafefilmfestival.com or call 505-216-6063.
“I select most of the programs. I’m looking at films that have a really strong narrative, strong stories, strong visuals style, and all of the elements you would look for in a big movie.” — programmer Aaron Leventman