Twenty short films by area students not only filled the big screen at Green Valley Cinemas Sunday afternoon. The program by the Watsonville Film Festival also filled the theater.
The 14th annual WFF is unfolding across the Central Coast March 12 -21, featuring award-winning films and a string of short films produced by up-and-coming local filmmakers.
This year’s theme is “Art As Resistance,” with films addressing a wide-range of issues, from immigration to the power of the arts to uplift and connect and heal, organizers said.
Festival Director Consuelo Alba said, “The festival is bigger this year and has so many new creative elements.”
About 26 students from Diamond Tech, Watsonville, Pajaro Valley and Aptos high schools took part in making short films this year, Alba said.
They covered a range of topics, from what it means to play a musical instrument, to counseling on addiction, to building positive relationships to delving into psychological challenges of being a teen.
Working with PVPSA’s Empower Watsonville, the festival helped area youth to explore issues such as mental health and drug awareness, Alba said.
Both people attending the event and the number of fimmakers have seen a 35% growth, with most screenings sold out, Alba said.
“It has been a fantastic year,” she said. “The response from everyone has been enthusiastic, especially among young people who are seeing themselves represented on the big screen.”
The Festival continues this weekend with screenings at the Maya Cinemas and after-parties with live music performances at XL Club in Salinas, co-presented by Indie Basement Cinema.
“We will close our festival with a great program in Santa Cruz Saturday, March 21,” said Alba.
At 3pm, WFF is presenting “Between the Sun and the Sidewalk” at the 418 Project, formerly known as River Front Twin Cinemas. The film follows Watsonville’s Christian Garcia, as he organizes for healthy communities. Garcia, award-winning director Helen De Michiel and special guests will participate in a post-screening conversation.
At 6pm, also at 418 Project, the festival will present “Traces of Home” by award-wining Palestinian-Mexican director Colette Ghunim. The film follows the director’s journey of self-discovery as she seeks to reunite her parents with the homes they were forced to leave as children, in Mexico City and Palestine.
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For information, visit watsonvillefilmfest.org/
