Independent films can often be found at both ends of an actor’s career and play two key roles for many top tier talent – where you get your start in film and where you go when you have established considerable success and credibility. The San Diego International Film Festival, produced by the San Diego Film Foundation, celebrates the importance and allure of the indie film as it kicks off its 15th annual event next week, with a five-day trip through some of the best independent films this year. For many filmmakers, screening at festivals such as San Diego is the most effective way to introduce audiences to their work. “Railway Spine,” “an American coming-of-age period war drama that tells the story of a Vietnam veteran suffering from PTSD,” is one of the films in competition this year, and producer/actress Emily Trosclair, talks about the impact these festivals have on the smaller, independent film.
“They are crucial for networking and creating buzz, without having big names or connections. It lends you the perfect audience, consisting of critics, reporters, distribution representatives, celebrities, film fan movie goers, and many likeminded artists and filmmakers,” Trosclair says. “Film festivals open so many doors that would not so easily be open without them.”
The revelry, which also is a big part of the festival experience, begins on Sept. 28 and runs through Oct. 2 in both downtown San Diego and La Jolla, with screenings, panels, a culinary cinema series, and parties – of course. ArcLight Cinema/UTC in La Jolla and The Balboa, Geoffrey and Regal theaters in the historic Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego will host the screenings. There is a wide array of ticket choices for all film lovers, depending upon what you want to see. Packages can range from $595 for an annual membership, which includes VIP access to all five-day movies and events, to $120 for a bundle of 10 tickets to as little as $15 for one ticket. (For a complete list of ticket options and schedule of events, visit www.sdfilmfest.com.)
There are 112 films being screened with highly recognizable talent behind many of the submissions. U.S. and West Coast premieres include: The Weinstein Company’s “Lion,” starring Rooney Mara, Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman; “Denial,” with Rachel Weisz; “No Pay, Nudity” with Nathan Lane and Gabriel Byrne; and, director Pedro Almodovar’s “Julieta,” already an Oscar contender for best foreign film. The judged categories include narrative, documentary, spotlight and short films and while the festival has attracted many international filmmakers in the past, the film foundation recently added “international” to its festival title. “When we took it over four years ago, we immediately started to build up the foreign films within the programming. This year we felt we were in a place where we could announce, rebrand and let everyone know that even though we have been an international independent film festival for a while, we are rebranding in that way,” says Tonya Mantooth, artistic and executive director of the San Diego Film Foundation, one of the principals who has stepped in to rebuild relationships with the movie studios and to re-energize the city through the festival.
“It’s important to make the festival bigger and to let the industry know we work closely with Variety, one of our media partners, who are very supportive. It helps them, as they do the outreach for us, that we are an international film festival, not just a local, genre specific platform,” Mantooth says. The opening night and after-parties will take place in both downtown and La Jolla, including a high-profile and star-studded event being held on Thursday, Sept. 29 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla. Variety magazine will host a “Night of the Stars” tribute headlined by actress Annette Bening, who will receive the Gregory Peck Award for Excellence in Cinema, which honors some of the industry’s most accomplished actors, directors and film makers. Peck, a native San Diegan, and his family, which founded the La Jolla Playhouse, have deep roots in the area. Peck’s daughter Cecilia, a documentary filmmaker, works closely with Mantooth to choose the award recipient. Bening was a friend of the late actor and someone he greatly admired. “According to Cecilia, he was quite smitten with her,” says Mantooth. “He thought she was a brilliant actor, very smart and loved that kind of sly twinkle in her eye. He was such an advocate for women, he would be proud that a woman is receiving this. “What we both love about Annette is that she’s an A list actress who also truly believes in the independent film, and she is willing to take those roles on and take on a wide range of budgets, because for her its about the story and the story telling.”
There will be five awards given that night, with “Straight Outta Compton” actor Jason Mitchell receiving the Rising Star award, which recognizes an actor whose early work exhibits significant promise and critical acclaim while taking on challenging roles. The rebuilt San Diego Film Foundation, which changed hands in 2012, has a solid grasp on how important festivals can be for the host city and have ambitious plans for San Diego. CEO Dale Strack sees the foundation as a torchbearer between San Diego and the film industry. “San Diego is in the game and eager to become a player. Our primary goal at this time is to help grow San Diego’s economy. A film festival is a huge economic engine for the city that hosts it,” Strack says.
“It is more than possible for this festival to contribute millions of dollars back into the local economy. In general a festival can contribute 10 times back into the community for every dollar they spend.   “This trend will continue,” says Strack, “because most festivals in cities as large as San Diego report their attendance as roughly 60 percent outside their state. …Most people don’t realize that Tribeca was started just after 9/11 to help bring back economy to New York. Thus the power of film festivals.”
Samuel Gonzalez Jr., writer, director and producer of “Railway Spine,” talks about the experience filmgoers should be looking for when they attend a well- respected festival like San Diego. “Cinema is the one true window into that moment that everyone of us chooses to experience. We sit in that dark theater and trust the filmmakers with our emotions as they flash images before our eyes-we imagine the unimaginable, witness what’s hiding around the corner and cry, laugh and cheer for those we only just met within that hour of time,” says Gonzalez. “Attending a festival goes far beyond that experience. We are able to connect with all those brilliant creators all in one place and journey into all those beautifully crafted stories back to back.”