WATSONVILLE — The Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) returns to present a lineup of screenings by award-winning directors and young local filmmakers, as well as live music and film talks by experts in the industry.
The festival will take place at the Gene Hoularis and Waldo Rodriguez Youth Center, 30 Maple Ave. in Watsonville, from March 28-31.
Under the theme “Stories Matter,” the seventh annual edition of WFF will aim to humanize political issues, honor trailblazers, and offer inspiration to solve local and global problems.
“We believe that film is a potent medium that helps us see the world with fresh eyes, promotes respect and compassion, and expands possibilities for transformation,” said Executive Director Consuelo Alba. “We have designed the program for people to have a good time and also be inspired.”
WFF will open with the award-winning documentary “Singing Our Way to Freedom” on March 28 at 6:30 p.m. The feature-length film chronicles the life and music of Ramón “Chunky” Sánchez from his beginnings as a farmworker in California to when he received one of the nation’s highest musical honors at the Library of Congress in 2013.
“Singing Our Way to Freedom” won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the San Diego Latino Film Festival. Director Paul Espinosa will attend the festival for a question-and-answer session after the screening. Espinosa is a longtime producer for PBS, whose films have won eight Emmys.
WFF will host the Imagine Short Film Program on March 29 at 6 p.m., featuring the work of local and international filmmakers, including the world premiere of “Service With a Smile,” a science fiction short set in Watsonville in 2040. “Service With a Smile” was directed and produced by young filmmakers at Digital NEST.
At 8:30 p.m. that same day, a screening of “La Habitación / Tales of Mexico” will take the viewers on a journey of Mexico’s transformation throughout the last 100 years, told through the eyes of the tenants who have lived in the same room in a colonial-style house in Mexico City. The story’s vignettes were directed by eight of today’s leading Mexican directors.
A new documentary about Rubén Blades will be shown on March 30. The film follows the Latin American icon who was at the center of the New York Salsa revolution in the 1970s. His socially-charged lyrics and rhythms bought Salsa music to an international audience. Local band Flor de Caña will serve up their Afro-Caribbean dance music immediately following the film.
The WFF closes with “Harvest Season” on March 31 at 3:30 p.m. The documentary highlights the vineyard workers and small wine producers with roots in Napa. Filmed over the course of one agricultural year, “Harvest Season” follows the triumphs and tragedies of two Latino winemaking families and the Mexican farm laborers who help bring the wines to your table. Award-winning Director and TV Producer Bernardo Ruiz is expected to attend.
Ticket prices for the Watsonville Film Festival range from $5 to $20 depending on age and specific event. Pre-orders can be placed online, and tickets will also be sold at the door, beginning one hour before the first screening of the day.
In addition to film screenings, special guests of the WFF will share stories about their works, the challenges and rewards of making films as part of the Film Talks series at Digital NEST, 318 Union St. in Watsonville. These conversations are free and open to the public, and all ages are welcome.
For a complete list of film screenings and other events happening at the Watsonville Film Festival, and to pre-order tickets, visit watsonvillefilmfest.org.
