Short films pair well with ‘cool bars’
Oakland’s Drunken festival gets name from similar England event
Oakland cinephile Arlin Golden got a spirited idea last year when he was visiting Bradford, England, to attend a film festival that he had helped from afar by selecting its documentaries. The event had a catchy title — the Drunken Film Festival — so named because it used the British city’s pubs and breweries as screening venues.
“I was instantly hooked,” Golden said of his festival visit. “It made me think, ‘Well, why don’t I just do this in Oakland?’ We have cool bars, we have cool people, so why not? What else am I doing? I mean, a bunch of stuff, but I can do this, too.”
Not long after he got back to the Bay Area, Golden began biking around to nearby bars that might be appropriate for the Oakland version of the festival. Then he got the requisite film gear — including a projector and screen — that he could carry on his bike to each venue. The result of this quick turnaround is Oakland’s first Drunken Film Festival, a showcase of short films that will run Sunday, Oct. 7, to Oct. 12, and rotate each night to a new Oakland bar. All screenings are free, open to the public and don’t require any tickets.
“So if anyone shows up at one of our bars on a screening night not knowing the festival is taking place, they’ll instantly become a part of it,” Golden said. “Each bar is different, but my hope is that everyone there wants to take in some exciting new independent films.”
The bars participating in the festival are the Layover (Sunday); Stay Gold Deli (Monday); Lost & Found (Tuesday); Telegraph Beer Garden (Wednesday); Eli’s Mile High Club (Thursday, Oct. 11); and Classic Cars West (Oct. 12).
Classic Cars West, a vintage-car dealership, art gallery and restaurant all rolled into one, will allow the festival to drape a tarp over its iconic wall mural — creating the biggest screen of the festival.
All the venues have offered not only their space but also their speakers, “which really helped me logistically,” Golden said. “The layouts of the bars vary — some have indoor and outdoor spaces — but the center of attention will
definitely be on the films.”
Though the Drunken Film Festival certainly has a whimsical ring to it, Golden takes the programming seriously. Yes, there will be some wacky and weird entries, but it’s a diverse lineup with some serious themes, too. One thing that almost all the films have in common: They’re on the short side — only a few exceed 20 minutes.
“There is such a wealth of creativity and innovation in short-form filmmaking that most rarely have the opportunity to see,” Golden said. “I want to re-create the feeling people had when they were kids and popped in a VHS of some cult classic for the first time and it opened their mind to a world of possibilities.”
Though non-alcoholic beverages will be available, Golden expects Oakland’s Drunken Film Festival to have some drinking, of course, but nothing out of the ordinary. “I don’t know that there was
a lot of drinking (at the England festival), but I mean they’re bars! We want people to support our partner venues,” he said. “I think the nature of bars, too, is one of community and intermingling, and I’m hoping that whoever attends any of our screenings feels that they’re welcome and part of a communal experience.”