A film still from the class documentary “Exit 426: Watsonville.” The film will premiere as a featured local documentary at the 2012 Santa Cruz Film Festival Sunday at the Nickelodeon Theatre. Photo courtesy of Lusztig’s Intermediate Documentary course.

We’ve all driven through it at one point. Still, some of us know next to nothing about our neighbor to the southeast.

Last winter quarter, assistant professor Irene Lusztig’s Intermediate Documentary Production course spent three months getting to know Watsonville through the creation of their documentary, “Exit 426: Watsonville.”

The film will premiere as a featured local documentary at the 2012 Santa Cruz Film Festival Sunday at the Nickelodeon Theatre.

Filmed in a slow-paced, meditative and observational style, the documentary follows the lives of local residents. From a farm harvesting its winter crops to local government officials discussing issues of housing, the film pieces together an inside view of everyday life for many in Watsonville.

Lusztig, who came up with the idea for the film, said she wanted students to get off campus and into the community.

“I’m thinking about how to encourage students to explore communities they aren’t familiar with, meet people they wouldn’t normally meet, go somewhere they wouldn’t usually go,” Lusztig said. “Watsonville is great for that — it’s nearby but demographically very different. A surprising number of my students have never been there.”

The class of 20 students worked in pairs to explore different aspects of Watsonville culture. From agriculture to city government, the main focus of the film is to have a real understanding of the community.

Timothy Irvine, a fourth-year film major and class member, said while half the class was initially put off by the idea of a professor assigning a collaborative project, he was excited.

“I think that’s how film classes should be taught, because that’s how film production works in the real world,” Irvine said. “In most film classes, every student does their own individual project.”

With only 10 weeks in the quarter, it was a struggle to create a feature-length film rather than the five- to 10-minute documentary that film students are used to creating. The entire class worked together, brainstorming, decision making, producing and editing.

“In most of our classes, students do their own film, and you have students making three or four projects a quarter,” Lusztig said. “It’s a really quick turnaround, and there are certain things I never get to teach in that situation — and certain things students never learn.”

Irvine, who enjoyed the teamwork on the film, said it could be thought of as a cinema mosaic.

“Confusion was sort of unavoidable because, with a collective thing, there will always be different styles between the people shooting it,” Irvine said. “It’s really important to learn about the complexities of a feature length co-operative filmmaking experience, instead of just doing individual projects.”

Ana Perez Lopez, a journalism and humanities major studying abroad from a university in Spain, said she has been working on films in groups throughout her college experience.

“I feel like teamwork is always better and it’s more realistic,” Lopez said.

Lopez, who has lived in Santa Cruz for a year now, didn’t know Watsonville existed until she took the film class.

“It’s just a place where we get things like produce from but we don’t really know the social dynamic of the town,” Lopez said. “The film really opens your eyes to what life’s like for some people in Watsonville.”

Through filming some of the day laborers in Watsonville, Lopez said she learned about the struggles undocumented workers experience on a daily basis.

In addition to supporting local cinema and local documentaries, Irvine said it’s important for people to see documentaries about things they might not otherwise pay attention to.

“The film wasn’t in Santa Cruz. It was a commute. It was getting off a campus away from pine trees and pot and student problems and the beach, and it was going to look at some place that, in my opinion, is pretty negatively represented in the media,” Irvine said. “Going there, talking to people and seeing so much of it, totally made me change my opinion on Watsonville.”

Filmmakers from all over the Pacific Rim, as well as local filmmakers, bring their work together to emphasize the importance of diversity to a broad audience while staying true to the film festival’s theme: “When Strangers Meet.” Illustration by Matt Boblet.

Get a taste of the Pacific Rim’s culture, minus the plane ticket, at this year’s 23rd annual Pacific Rim Film Festival (PRFF), which offers us a look into the eyes of people from cultures and places much different from California. With free admission and a variety of films and speakers, the Pacific Rim Film Festival is a great opportunity to not only enjoy cinema, but also gain a new perspective on other parts of the world.

During the free, six-day 23rd Pacific Rim Film Festival in Santa Cruz and Watsonville, films and documentaries from the Pacific Rim region will be screened, as well as several live speaker events after the screenings.

Filmmakers from all over the Pacific Rim, as well as local filmmakers, bring their work together to emphasize the importance of diversity to a broad audience while staying true to the film festival’s theme: “When Strangers Meet.”

Films will be screening Oct. 14-19 in Santa Cruz at the Del Mar Theatre and Rio Theatre, and in Watsonville at the Cabrillo College Watsonville Center. All screenings are free, barring the Closing Night Benefit.

Ever since the Pacific Rim Film Festival started at the Del Mar Theatre in 1988, filmmakers have been keeping the theme of cross-cultural awareness alive in Santa Cruz and Watsonville through their films.

The film “Resilience” is a great example of how PRFF weaves the theme of cross-cultural dialogue into its film selections. The film documents the reunion of a Korean mother and her American son after nearly 30 years apart. As we watch them build a relationship, struggling with cultural differences and misunderstandings, the details of the story itself become secondary to the dialogue inspired by the film’s themes.

This year, the PRFF features films from Japan, South Korea, China, New Zealand, the Philippines, New Mexico, India, Australia and the U.S., providing viewers a truly comprehensive look at the Pacific Rim culture.

At the Closing Night Benefit screening, Bay Area filmmakers Brian Lilla and Greg Miller will present their film, “Patagonia Rising.” The film raises awareness and suggests potential solutions to the issue of international water and power shortages. Lilla himself will be attending the screening and holding a Q&A session after the film. This special screening event will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz.

More films from the Bay Area include Eric Thiermann’s documentary, “It Tolls for Thee: Bells and Their Stories,” which explores the use of bells around the world. Thiermann will make an appearance at the screening followed by a musical performance.

The film “Family of the Wa’a” shares the journey of paddlers (including Santa Cruzans Dave Loustalot, David Waynar, Theron Forrester and Matt Muirhead) through the Hawaiian Islands, from the island of Hawai’i to Kure Atoll in a wa’a (canoe).

Since PRFF has become a popular event, it is recommended that viewers arrive to the screenings early.

PRFF has remained a popular and well-known event, as shown by the generous donations received each year from UC Santa Cruz, Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County, Ow Family Properties and other local groups. Their donations have kept the free admission a tradition for 23 years.

By bringing these provocative cultural films to Santa Cruz, PRFF sets a precedent of sharing through the arts. By filling up the theaters for every screening, Santa Cruz will show how much it is appreciated.

Illustration by Louise Leong

The Santa Cruz Film Festival will present “Ramen and Beer,” the 2011 UCSC student showcase tonight, May 5, at the Del Mar Theatre. Compiled of 12 short films from selected student filmmakers of the film and digital media department, the film festival will share the talent of the next generation of filmmakers with the Santa Cruz community.

The showcase covers a broad range of narrative works, autobiographical pieces, documentaries and experimental films originally started as class projects in the film and digital media department. A few pieces were selected from each class and submitted into a year-long selection process by a showcase selection committee of students and faculty.

“These students are essentially the up-and-coming filmmakers of our day and age,” said fourth-year Nicolas Richard Kerr, a student on the showcase selection committee. “There is no pressure like commercial incentive, and it’s … a critical work that is much more thought-provoking [in comparison to major production films]. It’s interesting to see the potential that our department is producing.”

The title of the showcase, “Ramen and Beer,” was chosen to characterize the unique profile of a student filmmaker — a student who maintains a questionable diet, but harbors immense creative potential.

“As students, we’re living on the edge as far as financial means goes, and sort of have to struggle to create well-made work with constraints,” said Sarah Jaffe, maker of “Wikipedia to Pure Reason,” a film that explores the experience of surfing the internet. “Part of being a student filmmaker is learning the limits of getting your project financed and doing whatever you can to make it work with what you have.”

“I think a lot of the cool part is that there is no studio saying ‘yes’ and ‘no,’” said Christopher “Kip” Radt, a student filmmaker. “Your creativity can run wild.”

Radt made the autobiographical narrative, “Kip,” a story that involves literally going inside his head.

This film class assignment not only offered a spot in the limelight for selected students, but also provided a fun and experimental experience. Student filmmaker Douglas Smith had been planning his film, “Rise and Shine,” even before his 10-week class and has spent close to 100 hours working on it.

“I really just made the film for fun,” Smith said.

The comical plot follows a student who oversleeps and rushes to get ready for class while objects around her house come to life to help her get ready.

“It also happened to be the film I submitted for my film production class at UCSC, but I mainly wanted to try out a new style of filmmaking [stop-frame with live actors],” Smith said.

Student filmmaker Zak Lambert also enjoyed making his film, “O, Abby,” a love story between two young kids.

“I had a blast. I think of Robert Altman’s quote that filmmaking is similar to building sandcastles with your closest people … No matter how stressful the intermittent rainstorm, the rising tides, my non-functional homemade camera tools, or the cast of children with their on-set parents might have made things, that day was perfect. I’ll be the luckiest person alive if I can do this for the rest of my life,” he said.

The festival creates opportunities for the student filmmakers to make connections with more experienced filmmakers through pre-reception parties and meet and greets, and ultimately gives independent films the limelight.

“Apart from television addiction, mass media is often problematic due to the limited ideology that’s represented and provided to the people watching,” Lambert said. “So it’s a win for everybody when more storytellers are thrown into the mix. Independent films, as long as they’re daring, offer the satisfaction that sometimes other voices get heard.”

CHP Archives.

I am writing this on no sleep, which is fitting, considering the event I am chronicling had the very same effect. To be fair, at this point I can no longer blame the 5th Annual Secret Film Festival, as it ended on Sunday at noon (after starting, and continuing uninterrupted, at midnight on Saturday). Having watched “Apocalypse Now” this past weekend, I find a strange kinship with the Colonel Kurtz’s splinter-brained, post-Vietnam lifestyle, though I doubt even he would be able to enjoy the smell of popcorn in the morning.

For those unaware of the horror (the horror!) of the Secret Film Festival, it breaks down as follows: the Del Mar doors open at midnight, and attendees are ushered into the main theater. It’s here that the first film is shown, with clues as to its identity given before it begins. After that, you are given a choice: stay in the main theater or go upstairs for an alternative screening. This continues again and again. For 10 hours.

I consider the festival to be the poor man film fan’s Coachella equivalent, except cheaper ($13 for the whole event) and with the added allure of mystery — the lack of sequined headbands and acceptance of sweat pants are additional pros. But what the Secret Film Festival really asks of you is mental and tangible preparation. I, for instance, came prepared with a blanket, comfortable clothes, and a treasure trove of snacks — only to realize that, in my sleepy state, I packed nothing but a half-eaten bag of saltines and a string cheese that I foolishly put in my back pocket, only to inadvertently sit on it before the festival even rolled film.

The night began with an employee introducing the new format (the alternative screenings were a new addition this year), and giving us clues as to what the first two screenings were, which my film companions and I were able to successfully guess — an ability that would dwindle as the night wore on. Turns out that David Duchovny did not star in a Norwegian-language detective thriller, and that, though it seemed like it at around 7:30 a.m., every clue did not lead to Iron Man 2.

12:30 a.m. — The first film was an Australian caper titled The Square (2008, Nash Edgerton), a taut, if occasionally over-the-top, thriller about a married man’s plan to run away with his mistress in one hand and a duffel bag of stolen money in the other. As with any film that features stolen money and infidelity, things go awry and the worst kind of shenanigans ensue. Considering its relatively early placement in the night’s schedule, the crowd was appropriately active and enthralled, with audible gasps echoing off the theatre walls. I found myself overly enthusiastic, which proved fatal for my string cheese.

2:15 a.m. — My delirium having yet really to set in, my cinematic comrades and I dashed upstairs in time to see “Thirst” (2009, Chang-wook Pak), a Korean vampire film whose abundant usage of art house gore made me long for a pop culture manifesto that didn’t align ‘vampires’ with sparkle-skinned teens and apathetic heroines. I left depressed — my string cheese followed suit.

4:28 a.m. — “Thirst” ends, and while my celluloid juices are flowing, the rest of my body begins to feel the pains of the Festival’s “Clockwork Orange”-like disposition: upright sitting with eyes wide open. Plus, the sitting is really only furthering the flattening of my string cheese.

4:32 a.m. — “The Good, The Bad, The Weird” (2008, Ji-woon Kim) begins. I whisper to my friend asking if she knows what kind of muffins the concession stand is serving. She asks me why my pants smell like mozzarella. I tell her I’m going to close my eyes for a second.

6:41 a.m. — I opened my eyes to find the crowd enthusiastically applauding. I followed suit, exclaiming things like, “What an ending!” and “This is just one of those movies!”

6:45 a.m. — A 20-minute break allowed me to go move my car to a new parking lot. The second I stepped foot outside, I was taken aback by the absence of people, cars, and the smell of popcorn. I hissed at the fresh air, running to my car like a goblin, and thanking God that no one was around to see the hideous mad dash to my car.

7:00 a.m. — My friend told me she saw me running when she was moving her car. I told her it wasn’t me, as my baggy eyes began darting from side to side. She asked me if I was okay — I asked her if they were selling muffins.

7:15 a.m. — “The Secret of Kell” (2009, Tomm Moore/Nora Twomey) was playing in the alternate theatre. I’d been curious about the film ever since it nabbed a surprise spot in the Best Animated Feature category at the 2010 Academy Awards, and was excited to see if it would live up to the hype. But my exhaustion made it too difficult to decipher the Irish accents, reminding me of the time I tried watching “Grey Gardens” but was too high to understand the Kennedy drawl.

8:30 a.m. — I overheard a group of friends laughing and engaging in a lively conversation. Tuning back into my immediate setting, I heard my friend break the silence by mumbling, “I think my organs are failing.” We decided we had come too far to quit now, and vowed to stay until the final film’s credits had rolled.

9:00 a.m. — I passed out mid-vow and missed nearly the entirety of “Terribly Happy” (2008, Henrik Ruben Genz), a Danish-language film that I believe may have been about a detective in a small town who comes across a series of increasingly peculiar characters. The bits I did manage to see are atmospheric and macabre, harkening back to the Coen Brother’s neo-noirs of yesteryear.

10:35 a.m. — My friend with the organ failure kicked the chair in front of her and stumbled upon a roll of five movie posters — gifts given to the first 50 ticket holders. Two “Iron Man 2” posters led us to our overly confident assumption that it would be the last film screened.

10:45 a.m. — “District 13: Ultimatum” (2009, Patrick Alessandrin) ended the festival on a high note. The French-language Parkour film blew everyone’s mind all over their faces — regardless of the fact that my friends and I were continuously waiting for the film to be interrupted by “Iron Man 2.”

12:15 p.m. — The festival came to a close with a raffle. 15 prizes were given out, though the first 12 had “The Runaways” T-shirts included, as well as a copy of the soundtrack to “The Square.” This felt less like a gift and more like the Del Mar’s attempt at spring-cleaning. Two people from the same row of seats won consecutively, leading to sleep deprived conspiracies that were uttered far too loudly. However, I somehow won a “How to Train Your Dragon” sweater, a copy of “Black Dynamite” on DVD, and two free passes to the next four midnight movies. I said “hello” instead of “thank you” to the employee giving out the gifts. He turned out to be the same guy I had approached two consecutive times earlier in the night asking about the Del Mar’s muffin selection.

12:30 p.m. — Freedom! The festival ended, but my plans for immediate sleep were dashed at the news that the Indian buffet was currently open at the Royal Taj. I repeated the same goblin-run I did to my car the first time around, only this time running into the same Del Mar employee in the parking lot. He pitied me.

And, with that, my time at the Secret Film Festival came to a close. It wasn’t easy, but, in those 12 hours, I would like to think that I learned a little something about myself. I learned that my love of film cannot be beaten — that, even in the face of such adversity as exhaustion, paranoia, and an ungodly amount of questions regarding muffins, my passion for film allows me to take any obstacle in stride, risking it all for my celluloid mistress.

But, most importantly, I learned that we are blessed to have a unique film culture like we do in Santa Cruz — where 12 hours of back-to-back films is not just deemed possible, but desirable. I thank the Del Mar for hosting such a wonderful annual event. I thank the studios that support independent theater chains in their unique artistic endeavors. But most of all, I thank the housemates that were foolish enough to join me on an adventure that proved just as challenging as it was entertaining. Scraping the string cheese out of my back pocket will provide a similar experience — one I am almost positive they will not be partaking in.

“Awesome Land: Women of Dirt,” a film about female mountain bikers, is the culmination of the two-day Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival this weekend. Photo by Isaac Miller.

For the Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz, mountain biking isn’t just a hobby — it’s a lifestyle and a community. This weekend, members of MBOSC intends to share their passion with the rest of Santa Cruz in the biggest event they have ever held.

On Saturday, Feb. 27, the Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival will set its wheels in motion, focusing on the growing prominence of women in mountain biking. All of the proceeds will go to the Soquel Demonstration Forest, a favorite haunt of the county’s mountain bikers.

MBOSC is a local nonprofit organization and advocacy group that organizes group rides and club trips, provides volunteer work to build new trails, and raises money for local mountain biking locations.

President Mark Davidson exemplifies the organization’s dedication to the sport. Davidson met his wife mountain biking, and has a daughter who bikes as well.

“I love bikes,” Davidson said. “… I love the sport. Just being part of mountain biking and the mountain bike community is really rewarding.”

The festival begins with a group ride in Soquel Demonstration Forest on Feb. 27 and culminates with the California premiere of the film “Awesome Land: Women of Dirt” at the Rio Theater on Feb. 28.

Other activities will include bike demos and raffles. The festival will feature professional women bikers Lisa Myklak, Emily Johnston, Tammy Donahugh and Kathy Pruitt.

For Davidson, mountain bike enthusiasts make up a tight-knit community, which is necessary when planning the MBOSC’s largest event yet.

“This is the biggest thing that our organization has put on,” Davidson said. “It is going to kind of be a breakout for us, so it’s pretty exciting. The bike industry, local bike shops and local businesses have really rallied around this event.”

Mountain biking has traditionally been dominated by men, but Davidson is seeing more and more women drawn to the sport and hopes the event will encourage even more women to join in.

“A lot of new mountain bikers I’m meeting are women,” Davidson said. “[Our events] are focusing specifically on women mountain biking.”

Lisa Myklak is one of the pro mountain bikers featured in the film “Women of Dirt.” The documentary follows 11 women mountain bikers and expresses their dedication to the sport. Myklak, as well as three other pro riders, will be present at both the group ride in Soquel Demonstration Forest and the film premiere.

Myklak was put in touch with MBOSC in order to promote “Women of Dirt,” and she is confident that the film will encourage more women to give the extreme sport a try.

“I remember watching guys put in videos constantly,” Myklak said. “I think [the film] is going to have a great influence on women’s [mountain biking] because now they can see some women riding.”

The film’s final sequence takes place in Santa Cruz, establishing the town as a prime location for mountain biking. Davidson said that those familiar with the trails will definitely recognize some of the locations in the film.

“The film ends in Santa Cruz, so people who ride in Santa Cruz will recognize some of their favorite trails and favorite spots,” Davidson said.

Myklak is excited about this weekend’s events, and anticipates relaxing after all the hard work she put in to organize the event and promote the film.

“I’m looking forward to sitting down and watching the movie and seeing other people’s reactions,” Myklak said. “I’m just looking forward to riding with people.”

Illustration by Justin Martinez.

With a recent peak of interest in immigrant and labor issues spurred by the contract resolution of UC workers in early February, local May Day celebrations will ensure that this important day is not overlooked. Events planned for the week of May 1, which is known as International Workers’ Day, will serve as a testament to the social and economic achievements of the labor movement.

Locally, the May 1 festivities will be centered on marches and rallies for immigrant and worker rights, starting at UC Santa Cruz in the Quarry Plaza and ending at San Lorenzo Park. The marches have been a May Day and Labor Day tradition for 119 years and serve to inform the Santa Cruz community about the current labor issues.

Laura Barringer, a third-year feminist studies major from College Ten, is a member of the Movement for Immigrant Rights Alliance. Barringer has been involved in the labor movement since her senior year of high school. 

“The recent May Day marches have brought critical attention to the issues that immigrant communities and working communities are facing, and mass awareness is the first step to making change,” Barringer said.

Locally, Santa Cruz citizens and students participating in the rallies will be protesting the budget cuts to workers and students in underrepresented and marginalized communities, and protesting the deportations and foreclosures.

Also on May 1, the Reel Works Film Festival, which began in late April, will continue with a film screening at the Watsonville City Plaza of a work entitled “Golden Lands, Working Hands.” The film is a reflection on California’s history through the perspectives of working people, and has a focus on farm workers and teacher organization. 

The director of “Golden Lands, Working Hands,” Fred Glass, is a labor history instructor at San Francisco City College as well as a communications director for the California Federation of Teachers. Glass expressed that a film screening is a powerful way to recognize the labor movement’s influence and to educate people on the history of labor rights.

“I made [the film] because labor history is an underground and unknown history,” Glass said. “Working people are the overwhelming majority of the nation and the world.”

Reel Works will also feature UCSC alumni and student films throughout the ongoing festival, which ends May 4. The student films will encompass all different aspects of labor issues. 

The California Faculty Association and the Student California Teachers Association are sponsoring the Reel Works Film Festival for the second year in a row. These organizations are deeply rooted in the importance of educating the public about the labor movement.

“Both organizations feel strongly that we need more education about labor struggles in the United States and around the world,” said Jennifer Colby, Ph.D. lecturer for the liberal studies and service learning institutes at CSU Monterey Bay. “The Reel Works film festival provides an opportunity to see the most recent films that document these struggles.”

Colby feels that especially during the economic crisis universities are facing, teachers and students alike are experiencing labor issues firsthand.

“Teachers and professors are workers too,” Colby said. “We work for the state of California, so today we have very special needs in the face of budget cuts.”

In addition to those special needs, Barringer spoke of the broader issues that motivate her activism for the cause of labor rights.

“I am involved because I believe that we are a nation of immigrants and, in the end, we are living on stolen land,” Barringer said. “So how can we have a debate over which human beings are legal and which ones are not?”