Coastside Film Society in Half Moon Bay
by Luanne Paul King
Back in 2002, people in Half Moon Bay often expressed regret that our town had no cinema. Mindful of this discontent, a group of independent filmmakers organized the Coastside Film Society; they were Tom Borden, Bill Katke, Joe Devlin, Jean Cartwright Slanger, Bill Moreing, Judy Brown and Luanne Paul King. In addition to showing their own films, the group reached out to other Coastside and Bay Area filmmakers who were happy to bring their works to show and discuss.
To help spread the word, Emily Berk and daughter Miriam designed a Web site and Joe Devlin became the CFS information director. Tom Borden was the first president. Consultant Susan Danielson was very helpful in the research needed for our group to become a philanthropic organization. Attorney Gerry Laster graciously contributed time, soothing advice and tough legal counsel for CFS to become a viable non-profit 401(c) corporation.
CFS invited guest presenters. A favorite was producer and director Joan Saffa, who filmed Honor Bound, about Japanese-Americans who fought bravely on the WWII European Front even when their families were in U.S. internment camps; Further! Ken Kesey’s American Dreams; and An African Memoir about Beryl Markham, who wrote West With the Night. Filmmaker and photographer Susan Friedman delighted us with Gardens of Obsession and What’s Up in the Universe. Joe McBride, a prolific author who teaches at San Francisco State University, wrote What Ever Happened to Orson Welles? A Portrait of an Independent Career. He brought copies to sign at a CFS film night and screened rare footage from It’s All True. He knew Welles for many years.
Other scholars and filmmakers were invited to the society’s film nights. Chinese film scholar Dr. Jenny Lau showed and discussed the film Xala from Senegal. La Honda filmmaker Karen Aschenbach presented her touching short film Robber. Suzanne Girot screened her films Mr. Spazzman and Girl Beat, a film shot in Brazil. Gail Evenari screened her films on Eskimos, Hawaiian voyages and Mexican children. Warren Haack presented his film Dead in the Sierra about the two conflicting legends of Joaquin Murieta. Joe Devlin hosted animators from Pixar who revealed their tricks and artistry for enthralled kids in the Half Moon Bay library.
Another special pleasure was hosting director Christopher McLeod and writer Jessica Abbe who previewed part of a series about Native sacred lands entitled In the Light of Reverence. A Seal’s Life was shown by coastal filmmaker Drew Wharton. CFS also presented The Russian Ark. The director, Alexander Sokurov, is famous for filming 185 actors in period costume in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg in one take — the longest shot in film history. The film depicts the eve of the Russian Revolution.
In this one-page article, it’s not possible to list all the excellent films, workshops and projects CFS has offered, or to acknowledge everyone who has helped us grow. It’s been our pleasure to host, and be hosted by, fantastic people dedicated to the art of filmmaking in U.S. and abroad. Once Jean Slanger met two filmmakers in the U.K. When she praised their work, they offered to come Half Moon Bay to show their films! They really did that, and charmed everybody on Main Street before screening their films. A full house ensued.
In 2009 CFS will offer more workshops and special programs to help filmmakers develop skills of writing, storyboarding, shooting film, sound design, and editing — and help them learn about new technologies. There are ever-changing avenues of film marketing and distribution using the Internet, particularly for short films. Recently a two-day “conversation” of filmmakers, distributors, producers and writers met at the Pacific Film Archive Theater in Berkeley. One of the organizers was Scott Kirsner, who writes for the Boston Globe, Wired, the New York Times, Variety and others; he also edits the blog CinemaTech. Scott just finished a book called Inventing the Movies. It’s an important read for innovators trying to make change happen in any industry.
Please check the Coastside Film Society Web site for information about screenings and workshops. You can also read about upcoming films in CoastViews Magazine. There is no film night in December, but there will be one on Jan. 23, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at Community United Methodist Sanctuary. Hope to see you there!
On the Web:
