Short Film Festival returns for 11th year
When movie fans Bill Hargreaves and Sinohui Hinojosa launched the San Jose International Short Film Festival in 2009, they had no idea it would still be going — and growing — a decade later.
“The festival started as a grassroots way to explore the short-film genre, and we did not expect it to be going for 11 years for sure,” Hargreaves said. “We absolutely hoped it would be, but it’s just gone by so fast.”
The 11th annual festival opens Thursday night, with more than 130 short films — anything from two to 30 minutes long — being screened over the four-day event at the CineArts theater at Santana Row. The selections include movies from U.S. filmmakers, as well as from Spain, Italy, South Africa
and Ireland. More than 60 filmmakers are expected to be at the festival, participating in Q&A sessions after the screenings, which will take place in 24 separate blocks through the weekend. (Get tickets and schedule information at www.sjsff.com.)
Hargreaves said the audiences have grown every year, and the quality of films also has gone up. Over the past three years, just over 1,000 films have been submitted — and while Hargreaves and Hinojosa still make sure to see everything that audiences will, they’ve had to employ screeners to keep up with everything. The festival also has expanded to a satellite effort in Yountville in February, where the wine-country setting allows for pairing short films and syrah.
“There are a ton of film festivals that focus on features and we wanted to focus on shorts because of the independent nature of them. For many of these filmmakers, it’s a labor of love,” Hargreaves said. “But for us, the biggest thing is to watch the audience reaction seeing these films and then meeting the filmmakers. To share these movies on a big screen with an audience is what really gets us every year.”
CACTUS CLUB REUNION FOR A CAUSE >> If you were around downtown San Jose from the late 1980s through the ’90s, you probably have fond memories of the Cactus Club, an all-ages venue that showcased national headliners and local bands alike. Acts like the Gin Blossoms, Smash Mouth, Green Day, No Doubt and so many others played there until it closed in 2002.
On Thursday night, the Ritz nightclub in downtown San Jose — the spiritual successor to so many beloved venues — is hosting a Cactus Club Reunion that also will serve as a fundraiser to support Matt Kolb, a well-known figure in San Jose’s music scene who is battling cancer.
The 21-and-up show, which starts at 7 p.m., is being hosted by King Raffi and will feature a throwback lineup with Monkey, Firmé, 187 Calm, Cafe of Regret, and Lisa Dewey and the Lotus Life. General admission tickets will be $20 at the door, if the show doesn’t sell out.
CHECK IT OUT >> Eastridge Center’s Fall Fiesta on Friday night will have a little bit of everything, from Halloween and Day of the Dead to a car show. Starting at 5 p.m., families can stop by the south parking lot next to Aloha Roller Rink for arts & crafts and live music, as well as a “trunk or treat” event put together by the Silicon Valley chapter of the Viejitos Car Club. The evening finishes up at 7:30 p.m. with a screening of Disney Pixar’s Dia de los Muertosthemed hit, “Coco.”