Film Crawl on Cortland | Bernal Heights

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Start the Bernal Heights Film Crawl from one end of Cortland Avenue to the other for a roving cinema experience. Evening begins at Inclusions Gallery for Meet-the-Filmmakers reception and music at 6:30p. Films will be shown at multiple venues: Succulence/Four Star Video, the Bernal Branch Library, Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center, Inclusions Gallery, and Bernal Yoga. Plan to enjoy a movable feast of film going, meeting filmmakers and film-lovers, alike.

MUSIC:
Maya Dorn, guitar — 6:30–7:15pm — Inclusions Gallery, 627 Cortland Ave.
Called a “troubadour” by some — her influences include her father, poet Edward Dorn, and artists Allen Ginsburg, Amiri Baraka and Marianne Faithfull.

SCREENINGS

Film Crawl on Cortland, Fri. Sept. 3
INCLUSIONS GALLERY — 627 Cortland Ave.
7:30pm & 8:30pm

META MORPH Claire Bain TRT 3:15
Young at Heart sung by Frank Sinatra
I made “Meta Morph” when I was teaching video to a high school class. I used only iMovie (2004 version), a VCR, a one-chip video camera and a TV monitor in order to demonstrate low-tech special effects that can be done using minimal equipment. The film depicts the transition from cocoon to butterfly, because that’s what stage of life teenagers are in. The paper puppet I used is a drawing based on a photo of an Anise Swallowtail butterfly (a local species) that I had raised from a caterpillar.

ELEMENTOS Adrian Arias TRT 3:45
In “Elements” we meet fire, earth, water and air through the motions of a dancer to express their essence.

LIGHT FALLING ON WHITE FLOWERS Sandhya Kumar TRT 13:30
Many years ago, a young girl was born with one dream, to trace back the sacred roo of dance and restore it to the highest place in the arts. Isadora Duncan came to invent the “Modern Dance.” Where dwells this poetic spirit, today?

NORMA’S FALL Rita Piffer TRT 09:00
Norma’s Fall is a dream-like short narrative. The protagonist, Norma — translated in Portuguese as norm – lives in a monochromatic box entirely made of cardboard. Norma’s perception is challenged when simply-made drawings of nature are thrown into her box changing the dynamics of her perfectly labeled environment.

HANG 332 Matt Venuti TRT 8:10
The Hang is a new musical instrument that has gained unprecedented popularity on youtube but is extremely difficult for most people to obtain due to the high demand, expense, low numbers made, and trip to Switzerland (by invitation only) requirement. When composer and Hang artist Matt Venuti made one of his journeys to visit the Hang Makers in Bern, Switzerland, he recorded a conversation between himself, the Hang Makers and a young traveler from Argentina Nico whose philosophical musings over the nature of freedom and attachment and his desire to acquire the Hang inspired this piece.
Live Music Interval: Matt Venuti will play the Hang #332 between screenings

Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center — 515 Cortland Avenue
7:30pm Screening

NOT ENOUGH Jakob Hofso TRT 1:52
Shot and edited entirely on a mobile phone, this tale tells the story of an average guy who happens to witness the attempted hanging of a very wealthy man. He immediately cuts the man down. The savior, expecting a handsome reward, is disappointed by the paltry sum offered to him, and turns on the man who he saved.

WHERE THE MONEY AT Sophia Rivera TRT 4:13
A Rap music video about AIG performed by a 7-year-old boy named LiL Yani and accompanied by other grade school children. (People losing their homes and jobs, and are unable to get loans because of the decline in the economy.)

IMMERSION Richard Levien TRT 14:00
“No Violence” award at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, and Golden Gate Award for Best Bay Area short film at the San Francisco International Film Festival
Ten-year-old Moises has just immigrated to California from Mexico. He doesn’t speak English, but he’s good at math, so he hopes to do well on his first math test in the USA. Using untrained child actors from public schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, “Immersion” plunges its audience into the visceral experience of a child who cannot understand his teacher.

THE SUBLET Gretchen Olivero TRT 10:02
Elsie, an elderly woman posts a rental sign in her window to sublet a room for rent while house sitting. When a man stops by to inquire, she accidentally poisons him and the grocery delivery girl. The gardener in fear of deportation, hides the bodies, though he isn’t the cause of the deaths, and when Elsie leaves she leaves no survivors.

SKY BURIAL Ellen Bruno TRT 12:00
Sky Burial follows the ritual of “jha-tor,” the giving of alms to birds in a northern Tibetan monastery — where the bodies of the dead are offered to the vultures as a final act of kindness to living beings. At the Drigung Monastery lamas chant to call the consciousness from the body. Juniper incense is burned to summon the vultures. Special body breakers, or “rogyapas,” unwrap the bodies and cut away the flesh. The bones are crushed and mixed with tsampa, roasted barley flour. The entire body is consumed by the birds, assuring the ascent of the soul. To merge with the sky after death is a holy event, one that replaces the sufferings of this world with peace. CAUTION: May be difficult to watch.

Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center — 515 Cortland Avenue
8:30pm Screening

THE MATH TEST Sam Rubin TRT 6:00
One boy’s experience of standardized tests as his imagination takes him on a (R)(T) = D journey.
Sam Rubin, filmmaker, says: “Different kids have different kinds of minds.”

TWO MINUTES ABOUT MY FATHER Ya-Hsuan Huang TRT 2:00
The filmmaker recounts her meeting with her father after
10 years of separation.

THE GRIND BAYCAT TRT 31:09
Set in San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point (BVHP) neighborhood, THE GRIND follows the parallel lives of Kilo and his estranged adult son Ricky. On parole and recently sober, Kilo is trying to start a new life caring for his infant son Angel, but is struck by poverty and the reality of life on the street. Meanwhile, Ricky tries to provide stability for his wife and daughter, while he struggles to avoid making his father’s mistakes. THE GRIND is based on the real lives of the two lead actors, Keith “Kilo” Perry and Antoine “Goddi” Perry.

Bernal Library — 500 Cortland Avenue
7:30pm (one screening, only)

BALLET & BUSINESS Xochitl Bernadette Moreno TRT 8:41
A busking ballerina finds a business man’s wallet and while trying to “dance” him down, inspires the business people around her to stop listening to their i-pods, reading magazines and tweeting to join with her in dancing in
the streets!

THE STORY OF ANNA’S MERMAIDS Francesca Faatar TRT 4:00
Inspired by T.S. Eliot’s “the Love Son of J. Alfred Prufrock,” the STORY OF ANNA’S MERMAIDS examines one young woman’s struggle with anorexia and the inner conflict she faces while trying to attain her ideal body image. Made in collaboration with the Youth Program of TILT, Ninth Street Independent Film Center.

DIRECTED BY Adam Kennedy TRT 15:55
Two directors set out to collaborate on a film. Neither is aware that the other is a control freaks. Each expects he will have directorial control. The result is chaos.

MR. REUBENS GOES TO MARS Sheila Malkind TRT 15:00
A withdrawn older man becomes the unlikely hit of a downtown swing dance club.

Bernal Yoga — 461 Cortland Avenue —
KID-FRIENDLY FARE
7:30pm Screening

ANIMACRACKERS (sample reel) Mark West and Barbara Bayne TRT 0:74
Local animation studio shares some of the characters they have produced for their commercial clients.

GET UP Judith Keenan TRT 2:05
Shot on the staircase in the Health Center at City College of SF.

HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS Crystal Fitzgerald TRT 2:14
Hundreds and Thousands—aptly named after the Australian slang for sprinkles—follows the process of baking vegan cupcakes. The short film was produced, directed, and edited by filmmaker Crystal Fitzgerald, with production assistance provided by her friend and neighbor, Rachel Brennan. Hundreds and Thousands was shot in the span of five hours, in Crystal’s tiny kitchen, with a 1-Chip Mini DV camera and a half-working light kit.

PIGS IN A BLANKET Nilima Abrams TRT 8:09
For most Americans, “pigs in a blanket” are a food item. Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pigs became expensive fad pets in the 80’s. Once the initial thrill wore off and the pigs kept growing, many people abandoned them. The families featured in this film, however, adore their pets, and each has between 2 and 26 miniature pigs. This film is divided into musical sections displaying each family’s relationship with its pets. They show us their pigs doing tricks, getting into mischief and acting as emotional companions.

LEAP BEFORE YOU LOOK Eliciana Nascimento TRT 2:15
LEAP BEFORE YOU LOOK is a stop-motion animation film that explores the difficult aspect of decision-making while making our way through the natural world. This short peace is a lesson in life. It’s the result of an assignment on “shot-reverse-shot” from the Narrative Filmmaking class, taught by Caroline Blair at City College of San Francisco.

WHEN BANANAS ATTACK Elijah Post TRT 5:00
The main protagonist travels to her workplace–a weather satellite that monitors strange occurrences. A red phone rings and she learns that bananas have evolved to drive people crazy! Can she save the day? Made in collaboration with the Youth Program of TILT, Ninth Street Independent Film Center.

ON FIRE! Karil Daniels TRT 2:00
The Fire Pixies perform at The Exploratorium. This was shot spontaneously while at the Exploratorium on a tiny RCA pocket video camera the size of a pack of cigarettes and edited in iMovie.
This is the result.

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE Tomas Wischerath TRT 3:50
A young woman puts a message in a bottle and throws it out to sea.

Selected Animations San Francisco School TRT 8:00
Students of San Francisco School create stop action and traditionally animated films and visually interpret their musical performances.

Bernal Yoga — 461 Cortland Avenue
8:30pm Screening

A MESSAGE FROM THE UTC Jason Shamai TRT 1:24
A bike rider wends his way home from work

ONE WINDY DAY Linden Bengtson TRT 5:00
A girl loses her glove in the breeze. A smitten boy finds it mysteriously in a local mini-mart and tries to find a way to get her glove back and meet her again. Made in collaboration with the Youth Program of TILT, Ninth Street Independent Film Center.

JEFF VS. TIM Cody Meeks TRT 3:25
This entry is a short narrative, comedy about a battle of wits and grasping for dominance. Jeff and Tim try to outdo one another in a series of contests, testing the limits of both body and mind.
The Weird Turn Pro Chip Lord TRT 8:40
Featuring Pollo Del Mar 2000–2009
Surf band Pollo Del Mar playing in the plaza where the Bay to Breakers route crosses Market and heads up Hayes Street. Because of this strategic location and the nature of the music, many artist/runners pause to perform with the band. Featured are President Nixon, Batman and Robin, mermaids, sharks, multiple Elvises and a naked sax player along with a cast of thousands running past.

A PERFECT PLACE Derrick Scocchera TRT 25:00
A tragi-comedy. Two drinking buddies try to find the “perfect place” …to bury a body. A very “noir” film. CAUTION: Language

Four Star Video/Succulence — 402 Cortland Avenue
7:30pm & 8:30pm

MY WOODEN VALENTINE David Winn TRT 2:25
Some things just aren’t made like they used to, as shown in this claymation animation.

GRAFFITI Audrey Daniel TRT 1:15
A young graffiti artist in the neighborhood comes face to face with his own symbolic art. Two local skateboards discover the mysterious painting by the artist in true astonishment. Shot on location in Bernal Heights.

MY FATHER’S HOPES Sheila Malkind TRT 5:00
A poetic and moving short documentary about the filmmaker’s father, who studied art as a young man, but was diverted into the business world by family responsibilities. After his wife’s death, he faced a profound crisis, which eventually resulted in a remarkable old age.

THE EDGE OF THE WILD (trailer) Gail Mallimson TRT 8:09
The trailer for The Edge of the Wild set on San Bruno Mountain, just south of San Francisco. Although this 3,500 acre mountain is right in the middle of a major urban area, it is home to rolling grasslands, pristine oak forests, and three endangered butterflies. In 1982, landowners on the mountain wanted to build houses on endangered species habitat there and were successful in getting the federal Endangered Species Act amended to allow them to kill endangered species if they agreed to finance a fund to help the endangered butterflies elsewhere. The Edge of the Wild looks at the effects of this exemption on three locations, with the primary focus on San Bruno Mountain.

NOW LEAVING COLORADO CITY Samantha Grant TRT 23:00
Steve, Fawn, and Enos were all born and raised inside the extremely private and extremely religious polygamous community known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. All under the age of 23, these young people are part of a larger community nearly a thousand strong commonly referred to as “The Lost Boys” who were forced out of the insular world they’d been raised in to start a new life on their own in the outside world. Through intimate conversations, family photos, and an emotional return trip to Colorado City, this documentary explores the origins of the FLDS church, the current state of life in the twin cities, and what it means for these young people to try and reconcile a challenging religious past with a bright and hopeful future.

About Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema: The 2010 season kicks off on September 2, Opening Night. Four more evenings of screenings, music and more follow on September 3 with a Film Crawl on Cortland Avenue, September 4, a Hilltop Screening on Bernal Heights Park and September 5, Closing Night at Precita Park. Then October 4 sees us back for a Season Finale at El Rio (must be 21 years of age).

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.

Cost: FREE
Tags: Bernal Heights, Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema, Free
Categories: *Top Pick*, Live Music, Movies, San Francisco, Walks & Tours