For the 13th year in a row, the San Diego Film Festival will return to the streets of Downtown San Diego for its showcase of U.S. and international independent films.<\/p>\n
The five-day festival, which runs from Sept. 24 \u2013 28, is produced by the San Diego Film Foundation and will screen films at both the Reading Gaslamp 15 Cinemas located at 701 Fifth Ave., as well as the\u00a0ArcLight\u00a0Cinemas at 4425 La Jolla Village Dr. in University Town Center.<\/p>\n \u201cThe San Diego Film Festival will celebrate the year\u2019s best independent cinema from emerging and established filmmakers showcasing their latest works to some of Hollywood\u2019s most buzz-worthy award season releases,\u201d said Tonya\u00a0Mantooth, vice president and director of programming, in a press release. \u201cWe\u2019ve\u00a0curated\u00a0a wide selection of films that we hope movie lovers of all genres will enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s attendance topped 15,000, and with 89 total films this year, organizers expect to exceed that number in 2014. Three types of films are curated: 25 narrative (traditional feature length films of all genres), 14 documentaries and 50 shorts. Within those three categories there are \u201ctracks\u201d \u2014 such as Native American, animation, foreign film, LGBT, etc. \u2014 and the short films there are divided further into nine specific track themes.<\/p>\n As is the case every year, the festival will open with what\u00a0Mantooth\u00a0calls \u201cGala Studio Films,\u201d new releases from the big studios that are on their tour of the film festival circuit.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s opening film is \u201cWild,\u201d starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura\u00a0Dern, directed by Jean-Marc\u00a0Vallee. It will screen at the Reading 15 in Gaslamp at 7 p.m. on Sept. 24.<\/p>\n The \u201cclosing\u201d gala film, which will screen at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at Reading Cinemas, will be \u201cYou\u2019re Not You,\u201d with Hillary Swank and Josh\u00a0Duhamel, directed by George C. Wolfe. Though not the last night of the festival, it is considered the final of the larger studio films. Rumor has it that Duhamel will attend the screening.<\/p>\n Last year the festival organizers chose Steve McQueen\u2019s \u201c12 Years a Slave\u201d to open the festival, a film that was later nominated for nine Academy Awards and went on to win three, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay.<\/p>\n The festival received over 1,500 submissions this year. The process to pare that number down to the final 89 is an arduous but important one, Mantooth said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe system that we\u2019ve refined over the last two years, we bring in screeners that we hand pick,\u201d she said. \u201cAll the films are seen two to three times and they are all rated. As they are rated they either move up to the next level or they fall away. They continue to pyramid up.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got an amazing group of screeners,\u201d she continued. \u201cWe read their reviews, we see how they\u2019ve rated them and that will tell us whether it needs to move up, maybe it needs to go to two other screeners, maybe its too conflicting. It\u2019s a process just to move [the films] through, but we just feel like every filmmaker really deserves to have multiple pairs of eyes to see it. Not every film is for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n There will be plenty of Q & A\u2019s with the filmmakers and actors, and attendees will have the option to take in a series of industry panels \u2014 one for studio executives, a critic\u2019s panel and an actor\u2019s panel \u2014 that Mantooth said will allow for lots of interaction.<\/p>\n Mantooth mentioned several films that rose to the top of her favorites during the selection process, and she hopes they people will see them.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Accidents,\u201d directed by Sara Colangelo and starring Elizabeth Banks and Josh Lucas is one of those films.<\/p>\n \u201cIt takes place in a small town, and there\u2019s a coal mining accident and the disappearance of a teenage boy, and the whole story unravels,\u201d she said. \u201cThe teen is a brilliant actor.\u201d<\/p>\n Mantooth described the Romanian film \u201cA Love Story, Lindefield,\u201d as \u201cgraceful and so elegant; it touched me, and I want everyone to see it.\u201d<\/p>\n Jason Priestly, best known from his days as part of the \u201c90210\u201d cast, will have his directing debut at the festival in \u201cCas & Dylan,\u201d which stars Richard Dreyfuss.<\/p>\n San Diegans will want to see \u201cOUT in the Lineup,\u201d an Australian-made documentary about the taboo of homosexuality in the surfing world. Much of the film was shot in San Diego and there are a number of locals with large roles.<\/p>\n A timely documentary is \u201cThe Hornet\u2019s Nest,\u201d filmed by David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud. Mantooth said it is about a career war journalist who is imbedded in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n \u201cYou get to see what they go through, the rollercoaster of emotions,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s commendable that he is risking his life every day as a journalist.\u201d<\/p>\n In between all the films there will be plenty of time for socializing and elbow rubbing. The Thursday evening Filmmaker\u2019s Tribute will again be held at La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Arts \u2013 but the honoree is yet to be announced. Former tributes went to Judd Apatow and Gus Van Sant.<\/p>\n The opening party for the festival will be held at\u00a0Andaz\u00a0Rooftop.<\/p>\n The juried Filmmaker Awards will be held Saturday night at the US Grant Hotel.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully every year we\u2019re trying to improve the system, we\u2019re trying to raise the level of independent films, bring more filmmakers here for the Q&A,\u201d Mantooth said. \u201cIt\u2019s really about trying to give the highest quality and the broadest reach of independent film line up that we can.\u201d<\/p>\n For the entire lineup and schedule of the San Diego Film Festival, visit sdff.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"(l](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Bob-Taylor-Tonya-Mantooth-Jamie-Rodriguez-Kevin-Leap-Dale-Strackweb.jpg\")
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