By Eva Trieger
SAN DIEGO — The arrival of fall means many things to many people. College kids are returning to campus, Halloween decorations clog every aisle at CVS, invitations are going out for the Yom Kippur break-the-fast and it’s once again time for the San Diego International Film Festival! Amidst all of the tumult in our world, it couldn’t come at a more opportune moment. We are all in need of some escapism and what better way to journey from our own world than to jump into another’s?
In a telephone interview I caught up with Tonya Mantooth, CEO/Artistic Director of this nonprofit festival. This curious empath has a passion for films that encourage social consciousness and provocative issues that impact all people. To this end, the committee received 3200 film entries from 83 countries. Mark your calendars now for October 16-20th.
While the crowds attending the festival aren’t quite at pre-pandemic levels, people are returning for the fun, glitz, inspiration and opportunity to embrace new filmmakers and feel the pulse on what is happening globally. The festival team opted to shift their focus away from wars and politics and instead sought out films that address human fears, hopes and realities.
One such film that captured the attention of Mantooth was actually a local story about UCSD infectious disease epidemiologist, Steffanie Strathdee, whose husband contracted a superbug. In her race to save him she employed phage therapy, viruses that eat bacteria. This is “a minute story that is incredibly big.” The story was picked up by a producer who wanted to shine a light on this small story. The film Last Chance to Save A Life, directed by Emma Watts, was based on the couple’s memoir The Perfect Predator. Mantooth told me that it is predicted that superbugs will take more lives than cancers or motor vehicle deaths combined by 2050. Clearly, this is a film worth learning more about.
I was eager to know what themes were on the filmmakers’ minds this year, and was told that many created films around trauma. These experiences spanned the spectrum from personal trauma, childhood episodes and even spilled over into career-induced horrors. Into The Unknown revealed the unrelenting stressors and drama facing paramedics and first responders. These individuals are so dedicated to saving other’s lives that they are reluctant to acknowledge when they themselves need help. Another example of this theme was centered on young filmmakers encountering dementia or Alzheimer in loved ones. This introduction to generational trauma was a first experience for many, and an unsettling one at that.
The categories of films are widely varied, and there really is something for everyone. There are feature length films, shorts, documentaries, high school and college filmmakers’ works, animation, equestrian, LGBTQAI+, and films with a focus on women’s issues. There are events aside from the actual films including a gala night, a culinary night and assorted happy hours.
Mantooth explained that she watches a film first before finding out who directed it in order to keep herself from experiencing any bias. Though there has been a shift since 2012, the genders are becoming increasingly more balanced, and women are taking on bolder topics in their films. Additional changes since Mantooth has been Artistic Director of the SDIFF include a greater number of submissions and higher quality films.
When asked if she had a favorite film, Mantooth laughed and said, the “films become our family. I can’t have a favorite!” She did reveal that she enjoys foreign narrative films. She stated that she feels that they have a different rhythm and tone. If, as a viewer, she is able to become immersed in another culture’s story, she forgets that she is reading subtitles.
Another festival standout is Bring Them Home, a film narrated and produced by Lily Gladstone. This piece exposes the hurdles created by white men killing buffalo. The Native Americans rely on the buffalo for their very survival, and the dearth of this indomitable animal heralds the destruction of the people and their culture.
The San Diego International Film Festival will kick off with the film Conclave directed by Edward Berger, at the San Diego Museum of Photographic Arts at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park. A pre-reception begins at 5:30, and then the thriller starring many well-known and well-loved actors will be on screen at 6:45. Actors include Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rosselini and John Lithgow. Over the course of the next four days, films will be shown at the AMC Theatres in University Towne Center.
October 17th will feature a red-carpet event, The Night of the Stars tribute, where the Gregory Peck Award will be presented to a worthy recipient. This will take place at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla.
Friday’s centerpiece film is the highly acclaimed story of the Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics of 1972. Tim Fehlbaum directed September 5 to commemorate this horrific historical event. The film tracks an American sports reporting team that pivoted from Olympic coverage to monitoring the Israeli hostage situation.
The final day of the festival will be a gustatory extravaganza with the two slots for Culinary Cinema presenting chefs from Jamul Casino. This event, hosted by local television’s Shawn Styles, will pair food, wine and the film, Forked by Susan Feniger. Closing night film, EMILIA PÉREZ. by Jacques Audiard, showcases four strong women, joyously pursuing their passions in the world, to take us out on a high note.
One very exciting facet of Mantooth’s vision and now a reality, is the educational component of the SDIFF. Films are made available to San Diego high schools and colleges so that educators can share relevant, current films which expose San Diego students to a host of social issues. This focus on Impact Education Program is making strides towards helping students learn about themselves and their world through short films. Pre-recorded interviews with filmmakers accompany some of these viewings.
In addition to the older teens, the festival opened up a competition to middle schoolers inviting them to create art on social issues. The SDIFF winnowed the competitors down to the top ten, and their artwork will be printed on all merchandise. More on this program may be found by clicking here.
Passes and tickets are available for this nonprofit festival. Those wishing to become sponsors or ambassadors can get additional details here.
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Eva Trieger is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts.