Third Annual San Diego Film Week Looks To Local Filmmakers
Speaker 1: 00:00 The film consortium's Third Annual San Diego film week started last week and wraps up on Saturday with the film awards. KPBS arts reporter Beth Ahca, Mondo speaks with filmmakers. John Freeman and Keren Zilla gear, whose film capture screens tonight. Speaker 2: 00:18 Coretsa you have a film called capture that's going to be screening during film week. Tell me what the film's about. Speaker 3: 00:23 Yes, capture is a suspenseful 15 minutes psychological thriller. It's about a photographer who finally decides to reveal his deep dark passion to his girlfriend. And once he does that, he can't come back from that decision. He's going to have to live with the consequences, but it's not for everyone. Speaker 4: 00:45 I'm not clamoring for attention or approval from wealthy art collectors. Deeply personal, artistic expression intended only for very few to FRC. Speaker 2: 00:58 John, you worked on this film as well and we'll be screening it. So what were the challenges of making this film? Speaker 5: 01:04 That's a very good question actually. I feel like there are quite a lot of challenges, mostly in just trying to figure out locations and trying to get everyone organized. I mean, it's really just me and Corrine's it producing the whole thing and working with the talent and sourcing the crew and sourcing the actors and working out schedules. We ended up turning my entire living room into a studio and like making three or four different lighting setups in there just because it was easier than trying to source locations for shooting. So actually now let me think about it. The hardest part was definitely writing. Speaker 2: 01:34 Talk a little bit about how this film came about because this was part of a project where kind of the writing prompt came from. So say we all and a local writer, Speaker 5: 01:44 the film came about from the film Con Horror Competition and essentially what happens in the film Khan Horror Competition held by the San Diego film consortium is that, so say we all will supply a prewritten scripts from one of their writers as short story, short story. Thank you. And then it needs to be adapted into a screenplay and it turned into a film and two months. And, uh, so you get a story and it's a horror story in this case because that was the theme of the competition and we got our story and then it was all about adaptation. Speaker 2: 02:15 You mentioned the film consortium. How does that play a role in filmmaking here in San Diego? How has that helped you or provided you with some networking? Speaker 5: 02:25 I mean, I've been a part of the film consortium from its very beginning, which I think was five years ago now. It has done what he has set out to do from the very beginning, better and better every year. I can promise you that I would not be where I am now without the film consortium. As a filmmaker. I can make a living right now making movies, doing what I love. I make a living, making art. And I got that opportunity to wreckly from the film consortium. They gave me opportunities to meet other filmmakers. They gave me opportunities to enter film festivals. They gave me opportunities to get resources such as other likes, such as crew and locations. And they even gave me other opportunities that I didn't even need yet. But I know I will, such as entertainment lawyers and I mean, you name it like everything from the legality to the fun of it. Like they kind of have been a huge resource for me personally and from my understanding a lot of other filmmakers. Speaker 3: 03:17 And so how about you? I mean, I've wanted to be in the arts, performing, filmmaking, acting, singing, all of it my whole life. But I think, and I'm also a native San Diegan. So, uh, when I think back to my younger years, it felt like I kept searching for my tribe and couldn't find them. Now I have a great tribe. Um, some of them came from projects I did here in San Diego, but all of us are connected through the consortium. It's wonderful to finally feel like there are other people who speak your language in terms of your love and passion for the art form and to be able to go to events and run into those like minded folks on a regular basis and collaborate or see their work and become inspired. So I'm very appreciative for that. Speaker 5: 04:02 And for people who may not be familiar with film week, what is this? What can people expect from it? It's essentially one whole week of various film festivals that screen pretty much everyone who's entered over the last year and then after that film we get leads up to what's called the Fillmore. It's where they essentially have San Diego's own like Oscars and the choose what the community has decided and what a panel of judges have decided are the best stuff. Speaker 3: 04:26 I would add to that. Just it's mean so much to see your work on it, how it's intended on the big screen and it's such a nice thing to get to go and see your own work or support others in their, their work on the big screen and that's a huge part of it and to share it with friends and family. It becomes an event. You know you have a whole week where you can tell friends and family. I was in a movie, I made a movie and it's going to be playing here at this time on this day at this place. Speaker 5: 04:53 Is there anything else you want to add about the film consortium or a film week? I mean, if you're new to town, every time I meet someone who wants to get in the film or they're new to San Diego at, which happens a lot, you know, I always encouraged them to just go on the Facebook pages and just start posting and go to the events. And that's the easiest way to break into anything going on in a San Diego. Find your people just like her. I said San Diego is very, very friendly and open to newbies and professionals. And the one thing this place has that a lot of other places that are making movies don't have as a community. Speaker 3: 05:23 Certainly Echo that because I drive up to Los Angeles on a regular basis for work and opportunities. But the thing is when I have an idea for a movie or a project, I don't feel like there's anywhere I can turn to in Los Angeles to actually make that a reality. So I actually come back to San Diego. Um, well I live here as well. I split my time between the two. But I know that in San Diego is where I can make my art or collaborate with others to actually make an idea of mine come to fruition. There's a community here that you can start making your baby steps and building up to hopefully paid positions and whatnot. People are doing this Speaker 1: 05:58 for the love of the art. All right, well, I want to thank you both very much. Thank you. Thank you. That was KPBS arts reporter Beth Ahca, Mondo speaking with filmmakers, John Freeman and [inaudible] Sola gear, their film capture screens tonight at 9:00 PM at landmarks Hillcrest cinemas as part of film week.
