2012 San Diego Film Festival (Sept. 26-30)

Did you applaud the film "Milk"? What about the Matt Damon and Robin Williams flick, "Good Will Hunting"? Anyone love "My Own Private Idaho"? We love it! Here's to all three! If you agree, you are a Gus Van Sant fan and it's time to get yourself to the 2012 San Diego Film Festival. This year's festival includes a tribute to Van Sant as well as 110 top-notch features, documentaries and narrative shorts chosen by an expert panel.

Tonya Mantooth, Vice President of the San Diego Film Festival Board of Directors and this year's Director of Programming shared, "We are really proud to have Gus Van Sant join us this year. He is an amazing director with an incredible body of work. He is so proud to support the event and really believes in what we are doing. When he wanted to make 'My Own Private Idaho,' which he also wrote the script for, no one would accept the script and he just about gave up. Finally, he decided to produce it himself, as an independent and it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Where it was picked up for distribution. He really wants to see festivals succeed to raise funds and support for young and independent filmmakers."

Fellow Board Member Dale Strack is proud of the impact the film festival has on San Diego's economy, "We know that for every dollar someone spends on the film festival, they are spending $10 in the community, with 30 to 40 percent of festival attendees coming from out of town. We bring in directors, actors, studio heads and distributors, all kinds of people. We want them here to see San Diego as a viable place to make films. That's a win for them, the city, the economy and the people of San Diego."

Mantooth explained that the 110 films that made it into the festival underwent rigorous review. The festival received 1,300+ submissions from 55 countries and a panel of 45 diverse professionals screened and ranked the films, carefully narrowing the list. At the festival itself, a jury with industry credentials will select winners in varying categories.

With more than 1,300 submissions and only 110 spots, Mantooth suggests the following three things for aspiring film-makers: "First, they should pay attention to their story, there is an art to storytelling. In this day and age when anyone can buy a camera and edit footage on their computer, the story isn't always there. Craft the story, tell the story, then film it and edit it. Secondly, know when to cut your film. It can be really hard as a filmmaker when you like all your footage to cut it. Have a producer or a colleague who can be an objective eye review and suggest edits. We have to honor the audience, so if it feels 20 to 25 minutes too long, we have to reject it. Lastly don't forget that audio is as important as cinematography. A film can be really good, but if there is weak audio it makes it difficult to convey your story."

Aside from his excitement about Van Sant being a part of the festival, Strack is looking forward to the surrounding events and panels. "There are a number of
fascinating industry panels-seven or eight-on a variety of subjects from
new technology to the process of filmmaking. For many people, the best moment at a film festival is to walk out from a film and have the director and cast members there ready to meet you and discuss the film."

Mantooth's favorite is short films, "You get to be really creative with only ten, 15 or 20 minutes. They are constructed so differently than a feature. We have one that features Kathy Bates ("Fried Green Tomatoes," "Misery," "Titanic," "Harry's Law") and Christopher Lloyd ("Back to the Future"). They were happy to participate."

In the LGBT realm, Mantooth is proud to be screening a documentary entitled "The Invisible Men." "It's by a Palestinian filmmaker and follows the persecution of gay men who are hiding in Tel Aviv. They are in hiding from their families and their country. It is emotional, impactful. These are the kinds of films we want people to see. To know what is happening in places in the world."

Strack says that the best way to support the film festival is to, "Come discover a film or two or three or four. Let them inspire you, transform you, make you laugh. It's exciting to see films that you would not otherwise see, that have never been seen and some will not ever be distributed."

Mantooth reminds us, it isn't all heavy; "the indie comedies are also really wonderful, there are two standouts that have already been picked up for distribution."

The San Diego Film Festival runs Wednesday, September 26 through Sunday, September 30 at two local venues: The Reading Theater in the Gaslamp Quarter and the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla. For more information on events, or to order tickets to screenings and the surround parties go to sdff.org. Look for the "Local Love" pass and save 15 percent.