San Diegans approve Measure H

S1: Voters say yes to child care centres in city parks.

S2: I think we're going to see some slots open in 2023 where we're emphasizing this very , very quickly.

S1: I'm Maureen CAVANAUGH with Jade Heineman. This is KPBS midday edition.

S3:

S1: Some reasons why Republicans struggled in the midterm elections. And a star studded event this weekend at the Coronado Island Film Festival. That's ahead on Midday Edition. San Diego voters have given strong approval to the idea of opening city parks and rec facilities to child care businesses. More than 60% of voters said yes to Measure H. The ability to lease space from the city could be a lifeline for childcare providers. The number of childcare options in San Diego has declined since the shutdowns and uncertainty of the pandemic. Now the city has to develop the process involved in leasing out space to providers. And joining me is San Diego City Councilman Raul Campo. And , Councilman , welcome to the program.

S2: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

S1:

S2: And the reason for that is we hear from so many families the difficulty they have in getting childcare. You know , it's expensive. It's limited. On top of all their other costs that they have , it is a top priority of theirs. And they've been asking us at the city to deliver this service for them in some way and at least make it easier for private companies to be able to have childcare slots. People have to wait eight , nine , ten months , even longer to get their children to childcare. So I had a sense that this was going to pass overwhelmingly and the numbers show that it did.

S1: Now , this vote changes the city charter to allow child care facilities at city parks.

S2: Early on , before we even put this measure on the ballot , I asked our Department of Real Estate to do an analysis of all city owned land for what could potentially be used for child care centers. And they identified 72 sites and 42 of the 72 are parks and recreation centers throughout the city. And there are parks and rec centers that are potentially child care usable in every single district. So this is going to be a positive impact across the entire city. And so the measure is changing the city charter so that we can actually move forward with having a request for bids from childcare companies to outfit a recreation center in your neighborhood to be able to be used for child care.

S1: Now , many child care centers have been threatened by rising rents for the commercial properties that they're in.

S2: But what we've seen is that we have usable city land for this type of amenity that parents are looking for. Similar to the way that the city and county last month passed a resolution saying we would look into using public land to build housing that will be affordable. Similar mindset is coming forward here. So I can't discuss or opine on what those leases might be , but we definitely are looking to make sure that taxpayer dollars are protected , that legal requirements are met , but fundamentally providing the option for childcare providers to have this space that would be potentially cheaper than building their own facilities or renting out for profit facilities that might charge them more. We're going to make sure we protect tax dollars on this as well , but we are hoping that provides more slots which will drive down the price of it across the across the entire city.

S1:

S2: So if it's a lease that is three years or less , typically the mayor's office can approve such a lease. But when we're looking at child care outfitting of recreation centers , we know that those types of improvements and investments in the infrastructure typically aren't going to lead to a three year or three years or less lease. Those are going to be longer term leases several years beyond that , I'm sure , because otherwise we're not going to see child care providers want to take on that risk. So I anticipate that what will happen is the leases that will come before us will be longer than that three year threshold wherein the city council does have to approve it. So if it's less than three years , the mayor's office can approve it. And if it's an if it's an extension of an A lease that's already in place , it does have to come to the city council. So I anticipate that each of these leases will come to the city council.

S1: In one of your statements , Councilman , about this measure , you said allowing child care centers in city parks would be good for both city employees and the public. And it made me wonder.

S2: We do know that to attract qualified workers to work for the city , we have thousands of vacancies. Child care is one of those benefits that they have been asking for. And that's all part of the budget negotiations with their labor unions. But at this point , we do not have any intent to set aside any amount for employees. But we do look for ways to expand that benefit to our employees. Right now , I'm more concerned about analyzing the specific parks and recreation centers that can have childcare slots so that families that live in those neighborhoods will look to a nearby park where they can drop their child off before work and be able to pick up after work without having to drive way out of the way from where they live.

S1: Now the city bureaucracy can move pretty slowly when it comes to the details of measures like this.

S2: So this is going to become part of our city charter as soon as it's certified by our city clerk. We are already working on requests for proposals to go out to the public , for child care providers , to tell us what they would want to do in a Parks and Rec center. Some will require more investment and improvements , others probably less so. But I think we can really work on this fast and see some slots open up in 2023. Of course , when it comes to other other places like libraries and office buildings where we could put childcare , that might take a little bit longer. But right now these parks and recreation centers are situated right in the middle of people's neighborhoods , amongst homes where parents are looking for that short drive to a child care center. So I think we're going to see some slots open in 2023 where we're emphasizing this very , very quickly.

S1: I've been speaking with San Diego City Councilman Raul Campo. And thank you so much for taking the time in speaking with us.

S2: My pleasure. Thank you so much.

S1: With rents , high housing in short supply and pandemic tenant protections gone. A movement is underway to increase renters rights in San Diego. The city council is considering a resolution calling housing a human right and proposing new regulations to protect renters from losing their homes. Some of the proposals would require landlords to pay tenants for displacement or no fault evictions. But many rental property owners say they are not the problem and shouldn't have to bear the burden of San Diego's housing crisis. Joining me is San Diego City Council president Shaun Ella Rivera , who has championed stronger protections for renters and Councilman Ella Rivera. Welcome to the program.

S3: Thank you for having me.

S1:

S3: When a city council goes on the record by way of a resolution. We are inviting accountability. We're inviting accountability as individuals who vote in support of that resolution. We're inviting accountability as the legislative body for the city to do our best to adhere to the commitments made in that resolution. That means we should not be doing things that undermine the ability to create housing. We should not be doing things that create unnecessary vulnerabilities for those who are currently housed. That means that we should be taking active measures to ensure that folks have every opportunity to live in San Diego in decent , stable housing.

S1:

S3: There's comments made sometimes that maybe you just can't afford to live in San Diego. Maybe these these people , just too many people want to live here. And I don't think that that's the city that we want to be , where we are dependent upon folks to do certain jobs during the day or in the evening. But we don't want to create a situation where they can actually live here. The rent is too high. People are consistently struggling to find a place that they can afford. But even if they do find that place , far too many people are receiving notices that they have to leave their apartment despite paying the rent , but abiding by the terms of our lease as a result of no fault evictions. And San Diego has lagged behind in updating our tenant protections. And we have a nearly 20 year old ordinance that is simply not getting the job done anymore.

S1: You've been speaking out about your own experience as a renter and a crisis that involved your parents several years ago. Will you share that with us ? Yeah.

S3: You know , for most of my life , my family and I have been renters. And , you know , that means that we are subject to , you know , the various conditions that renters face increases in rent sometimes when they're unaffordable and the whims of a landlord , the power imbalances that sometimes exist , that do exist between the landlord and their tenant. And then evictions , you know , are part of the the experience for for many renters. And that's been part of our experiences as well. You know , there's memories from when I was younger of , you know , these these hurt , this hurried move during my eighth grade year. And , you know , that was certainly somewhat traumatic. And then , you know , more recently , my family faced a situation when they were forced out of their place in Orange County. And , you know , me trying to do the best that I could. This was back in 2015. I wasn't making much money and couldn't provide a lot of financial assistance. But , you know , I found a different apartment to move in to myself and move them into my my apartment in Golden Hill. And unfortunately , that apartment changed ownership and their rent increased significantly to the point where they can no longer keep up with the payments that led to them needing to find another place to live and me having an eviction on my record and the impacts that that has on on on my credit. That's part of the experience of of renting for a lot of people. And , you know , certainly knowing the long term effects that eviction can have both tangible and intangible effects and certainly motivates me to. Want to make that experience as as few and far between as possible for other folks here in San Diego.

S1: Now , the council recently had a tenant protection ordinance workshop.

S3: But obviously , as we've worked on this more and more with the community , we've heard more and more stories. A couple that stand out to me involve one in an entire apartment building where the folks in that community were served No fault eviction notices just weeks before the holidays. 100 families just weeks before the holidays who were all paying the rent , who were all abiding by the terms of their lease being told that they needed to get out. Now , only two of the families who were there remain. They've they've done their best to try to stay despite being trying to be forced out of their homes. And then the other other stories that really stand out to me are about seniors. Seniors who , again , are are following the rules. They're paying the rent. They're not violating the lease. They're living on fixed incomes. And some some of their landlords have been pretty brazen in sharing with them that , you know , you haven't done anything wrong. But I can I can make a lot more money with somebody else. And so you need to go I'm going to make some upgrades here and then I'm going to be able to charge twice as much for this apartment. We are in a housing and homelessness crisis here in San Diego , and we can't simply watch situations like this occur and not take action.

S1:

S3: We have a nearly 20 year old ordinance on the books. The state policy was updated in the last couple of years. But San Diego was exempted for that from that because of our our old ordinance. And we want to make sure that we at a minimum come up to the state standard , but also provide a few additional protections. We want folks who are following the rules , who are paying the rent to have ample notice that they're going to have to move if that situation does arise and given a real opportunity to keep their families here in San Diego and to not fall into homelessness , we want to ensure that that family that's doing everything we're supposed to do , if they're served a no fault eviction notice , they're not simply forced out and have to come up with , you know , 8000 , $10,000 to move in and to pay for moving expenses. And , you know , again , as a result of that , find themselves living in their car or having to move from San Diego. What is the I think , very important changes that we want to make. And I think we're making progress on in our conversations with some of the folks from the rental industry is ensuring that our protections kick in on the first day of someone's tenancy right now. Believe it or not , San Diegans have to wait two years before their protections kick in. And that means that someone can go through all the expenses of moving , you know , the thousands that it costs to pay for a moving truck and pay for movers or to bring your family over to help you move up upfront money that you need to pay when you move in. All of those costs and then two months later , despite having broken no rules , be told that they have to move again. And I think most of us would agree , almost everyone would agree that that's not right and that people should have their protections on the first day that they move in. And we want to make sure that that that is the case here in San Diego. And then the last thing is providing a little bit of additional security and stability to seniors and people with disabilities , the folks who are most vulnerable of not only falling into homelessness , but of the consequences have fallen into homelessness. We are making progress on that front as well.

S1: Now , of course , the flip side to renters rights is that owning property is not free. Landlords have bills to pay too.

S3: I understand that that folks need to recover their costs when they're running a business and they should have an opportunity to make some profit. But there's also responsibilities that come with running certain businesses. And when your business involves something that has a huge impact on the health and safety of those who are interacting with your business , and in this case , housing , there should be an understanding that there will be some rules applied. And I certainly want to be empathetic to the challenges of running a business. We want there to be clarity because landlords also do deserve to know what the rules are , that they're not going to be changed on a whim. It's important to note as well that we've had folks with property management and apartment ownership experience as part of the working group that helped create the framework. So we are certainly not ignoring the voices of property owners. But right now there's not only a huge power imbalance between a renter and their landlord , but some very , very outdated roles that bad actors are exploiting. And here's the problem When bad actors exploit rules or something as important as housing , this isn't like someone's just out a few bucks. It can be the difference between life and death , between a family having a roof over their head or not. And we can't simply accept that bad actors exploiting two lax rules is a part of everyday life here in San Diego. When we have the opportunity to create better policy that will ensure that more folks have housing stability without being overly onerous on those who are who are renting their homes.

S1:

S3: The next step is continuing those conversations and bringing back an action item for the council to consider. And we immediately got to work in having those conversations. We listened closely to what our colleagues had to say. We listened closely to what the advocates for both tenants and landlords had to say. And we are acting with real urgency. And urgency stems from knowing that we cannot solve the homelessness crisis here in San Diego without providing more protections for renters.

S1: I've been speaking with San Diego City Council President Shawn Ella Rivera , and thank you so much for speaking with us.

S3: Thank you.

S4: You're listening to KPBS midday edition. I'm Jade Hindman with Maureen CAVANAUGH. A red wave is how many pundits predicted Tuesday's election would pan out. Some polls predicted a surge in Republican voting power that would deliver resounding defeats to all facets of Democratic power on Election Day. What happened was not exactly that. And as votes in many key races are still being counted , San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Michael Smolens writes that there are many takeaways from this election that offer a glimpse into the near future of American politics. He joins us now. Michael , welcome back to the show.

S5: Thanks for having me on.

S4: So Republicans are still poised to take the House while a special runoff election could determine control of the Senate.

S5: They may even still lose the Senate. They're acting like they won. They were expecting we all were expecting the Republicans were expecting that the Democrats were going to get steamrolled by , as you mentioned , this vaunted red wave , and it just didn't appear. Democrats performed a lot more strongly than people thought. So it is sort of odd that they're so really overjoyed at keeping what appears to be keeping their losses to a minimum that will affect the dynamics in Washington , even if Republicans hold the House.

S4: The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade , a constitutional right to abortion , really seemed to galvanize the Democratic voter base. Do you think we saw that actually play out in this election ? Absolutely.

S5: And it was just the darndest thing. I think a lot of us were lulled and got a little confused or or missed something along the lines when Rosie Wade went down with a Supreme Court decision in June. I mean , it was a political explosion. Kansas is red state is there is practically voted heavily against a ballot measure to , you know , basically outlaw abortion. So that was a real indication. Yes , Democrats were , you know , not enthused , but certainly energized , concerned about that along with their allies. Then along the way , that seemed to maybe just fell out of the media. Some polls suggested that abortion wasn't quite the driver that it had been earlier. And folks , I think we're lulled into thinking , aha , it is all about the economy. Well , the economy , of course , was a huge issue , particularly inflation in this election. And that helped Republicans. But as we are finding out from exit polling , abortion access was a huge issue for a lot of people. And yeah , that really did help drive folks. And like I said , I think a lot of us were lulled into thinking maybe it just sort of faded as an issue. It clearly did not.

S4: Democratic politicians on all levels framed this election by saying that democracy was on the ballot.

S5: I think so. But I think in the larger sense , where Republicans were hurt was certainly by that. But they had a lot of candidates. I think moderates and even some Republicans viewed as too extreme on abortion , on democracy , on election denial. And I think that that played into things. You know , it's not an absolute. But if you look around the country , moderate Republicans who were a little distant from Donald Trump tended to do better than his candidates and the more extreme candidates. Now , again , that's not the rule necessarily. There's still a lot to play out , as you mentioned , that votes are still being counted. So I'm sure we'll see some perhaps some of the more extreme candidates on the Republican Party side.

S4: Winning election denial remained a major rallying point for several Republicans. Some major election deniers were handed some resounding defeat across the nation.

S5: And to a degree they did on the expectations front. They still have certain powers and like we said , probably control or at least have the majority in the House. But I think a lot of , you know , long time Republicans that are unhappy with where the party has gone are not unhappy to see what's occurred here because they want to get the party back into a different competitive level on issues they think worked and away from the extremism a lot of the elder states persons in the party. But the mainstream Republicans just said Biden won the election. Let's move on from that. That's dragging them down. And , you know , so I like I said , I think a lot of them are not unhappy to see those election deniers lose. As we know , though , some some will be in office.

S4: As we mentioned earlier , you know , pundits had it wrong. News organizations had it wrong. Even the Coke report had the predictions wrong.

S5: A lot of analysis is wrong. I think with the 24 seven news cycle that we get caught up in a lot of echo chambers. And , you know , some polls would weren't that far off. But I think that the expectations , the history of midterm elections certainly drove a lot of people to the conclusions that it was going to be a big Republican year , a big Republican election. But we have to wait till the votes are counted. And as we've learned in these last few election cycles , a lot of the usual political rules just don't apply. And so we try to be cautious , but sometimes we're not.

S4: All right. I've been speaking with San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Michael Smolens. Michael , thank you very much.

S5: Thanks for having me on again.

S4: The approval of Prop 28 guarantees as much as $1,000,000,000 from the state budget every school year for arts education without raising taxes starting next fall. That means 6 million students will have access to music , theater , dance or painting. Russ Sperling is director of visual and performing Arts in San Diego Unified. He is a veteran arts administrator who estimates his district will get an additional $15 million every year. He spoke with KPBS education reporter Meg Perez. Here's their conversation.

S6: Let's just begin with the historic nature of this funding.

S5: The eyes of the nation are on us. I'll tell you what my Facebook has been like. Oh , my God , how can we get that in North Carolina ? How can we get this in Texas ? Because we are going to be the leaders in the nation in arts education.

S6: And when we say funding and arts for all , that's literally every school in California.

S5: Public school. Yes. Austin Beutner , who is former superintendent for LAUSD , he he basically wrote this. He realized a superintendent , that he didn't have the resources to really give to schools what they needed did in order to make sure that every student had access to a quality arts education. Yes , the money goes to the school sites , every school site in California , in public schools. They are going to have access to this money for schools that have a Title one population. They're going to get additional funding with the recognition that there needs to be more funding for school sites like that , 2 to 4 for equity.

S6: Not every school has the same.

S5: Need for.

S6: Arts programming. Some may already have significant programs. Is that.

S5: Right ? That's correct. And the decisions are site based that from a district office or a state perspective , we're not saying you have to offer this class. We're saying to the principals and the communities what arts you want to see at your your school. And that should be in response to what the community wants.

S6: So , Rush , one of your colleagues is in for now. She's the K-12 music program manager for San Diego Unified. She had this to say about the impact on students with this funding. They think of the students who might not feel that their voice hasn't been heard because they've not had an opportunity to express themselves. And then suddenly , with the arts , their voice will get heard or seen in movement or across the stage or with a visual or with with a sound of music. But our whole thing is education. To find every child and every child should be a part of education. So what do you think about that ? There is also a social emotional impact of this. It's not just about talent.

S5: Through the arts , Meg. That is where students can really find themselves. And certainly at this particular moment in time coming out of the pandemic , we need to give students that opportunity to really explore who they are. You know , sometimes theatre kids don't know that they're theater kids until they're given that chance on stage and they try it out and they realize , Oh my gosh , this is me. And we haven't been able to necessarily give that opportunity. And we're and we're going to be able to do that now. The good news is we're starting this now , but this funding is going to last. It's going to last forever. The voters would have to actually vote against it to take it away.

S6: This campaign had several big names attached to it in order to get it passed. Everybody from Barbra Streisand to John Lithgow and Tony nominated and Emmy award winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph. Here's what she had to say about the victory. Maybe they will keep coming to school because they're going to have dance class , because they're going to have hip hop. Well , I mean , it might not be everything to everybody else , but some of these kids like that. Maybe one of them will write the new Hamilton musical. Come on. I see great things coming out of this vote and I am excited. Attaching big names to this proposition.

S5: This doesn't raise my taxes. Like what ? I vote against kittens. You know , it was kind of I think I would think it was kind of that easy. I think it was really important at the beginning for legitimacy sake , that there were many voices , not just celebrities , but people in education , people in arts education that said , yes , this is needed. We're not going to be able to make a difference for students in California without Prop 28.

S6:

S5: I think that starting in the fall , we are going to have students involved in arts , education , music , theater , dance , visual art , media , arts and. They're going to be creating , they're going to be thinking creatively , solving problems. They're going to be working collaboratively. And this is going to change the student bodies across the state. And that is going to create the dynamic employment force that we need in this creative economy and in the entertainment capital of the world. And we're going to be catching up for what we should have been doing. And we were doing it just not at this level. I just want to be clear. We're I think we're about to enter a renaissance.

S4: That was Russ Sperling , director of visual and performing arts in San Diego Unified. He was speaking with KPBS education reporter Meg Perez. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman with Maureen CAVANAUGH. Mexican artist Ugo Crosthwaite is being honored this weekend in Washington , D.C.. His portrait of Dr. Anthony Fauci , head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease , is set to be unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery today. KPBS arts producer and editor Julia Dixon Evans tells us how Crosthwaite used stop motion animation to capture some of the defining moments of Fauci's career.

S6: Okay , well , let's talk about art. Let's take a look.

S7: In his airy Rosarito studio , border artists Ugo classmates spent months meticulously drawing and photographing , composing a narrative portrait of Dr. Anthony Fauci as he went the finished work as a five minute stop motion animation film. It's more than just a portrait of Foushee. The animation gave Crosley a chance to tell a bigger story.

S6: Doing that portrait had this opportunity not just to do the portrait of a man , but do a portrait of this particular moment that we're living in this pandemic.

S7: The work is an extraordinary look at someone who has been the face of science in America during the pandemic. Animation is intricately , stunningly rendered and powerful to watch. The film is set to music from composer Marilou Salinas , plus Ramona Metz from Tijuana Electronica Ensemble Nortec. It opens with gloomy , suspenseful music and a drawing of Fauci pensive at the height of the COVID pandemic. His career is bookended by crisis. The COVID 19 pandemic today and the HIV AIDS epidemic in the eighties. It shows a stark contrast in attitudes toward public health and science. Now and then.

S6: They were fighting for their lives. They were fighting for medicines. They were fighting for. For government involvement in , you know , to save them from , you know , to help them deal with this pathogen. And then with the COVID 19 pandemic , kind of the opposite happened. No , we have a vaccine. We have the medicines , we have the treatment. But then it's a population that rises against those things.

S7: Cross began drawing as a kid , killing time in his father's curio shop in Rosarito. Then , while people watching along Tijuana's busy streets and plazas , he drew elaborate narratives , whether invented or reflective of a human condition. And for his portrait , the narrative rises from the American response to the pandemic.

S6: In a moment where truth was being denied in homeland , alternative facts were coming up in on. And he became this personification of science , of real fact of of truth. Immediately I knew that the narrative that I wanted to tell with this animation would be these two antagonistic forces. It would be science against superstition , you know , truth against lies.

S7: The portrait depicts Fauci several times over the years. There's an iconic moment where a social media thumbs up icon hovers at the presidential podium. Foushee in the background , looks worn down. To make a stop motion video. Crosswhite does it all by hand. He draws a detail. Snaps a picture , draws another detail and repeats. The effect is full of movement as figures emerge and wobble with tiny shifts of the camera angle. The animations buzz with life.

S6: It's this process where one detail needs to the next and leads to the next. And then I'm composing narrative kind of like a writer would , or a poet would compose a poem where you string together words and you're creating a narrative. That's the same process I use with with my work , with my drawing.

S7: It ends with a recent likeness of Forky. But along the way , there are health care workers , protesters , sick people connected to ventilators and someone receiving a vaccine. All elements of Fauci's legacy.

S6: 100 years from now , nobody is going to know who Dr. Fauci is. Nobody is going to know who I am. Nobody is not. Names and places get forgotten. But stories are universal. None like we've had the story of science fighting against superstitions since there's been science now.

S7: Julia Dixon , Evans , KPBS News.

S4: You can view an excerpt of Ugo Cross Thwaites Animation at KPBS dot org.

S1: This is KPBS midday edition. I'm Maureen CAVANAUGH with Jade Heineman. The Coronado Island Film Festival kicked off its seventh year last night with Empire of Light at the Village Theater. This weekend , film critic Leonard Maltin returns to host the festival's industry awards at the Hotel Del Coronado's Crown Room. KPBS arts reporter Beth ACCOMANDO spoke with Maltin about the festival.

S7: Leonard , you are involved with the Coronado Film Festival. So tell me how you originally got involved with them.

S5: A phone call some seven years ago asking if I would be interested in participating in the launch of a new film festival on Coronado Island with a gala dinner at the Hotel Renata , which my wife and I love. That made it very appealing right away. And as we got more involved , we met lots and lots of nice people , and it was clear that the community was ready to embrace this idea. So it was hard to say no.

S7: And you are now hosting the Gala awards. And to start with , you actually have an award named after you , the Leonard Maltin Award.

S5: But it was it was meant as a compliment. I take it that it just means honoring somebody who's done something worthwhile in the area of film. And this year's recipient is Ron Shelton , who some Bull Durham will be screened.

S8: Well , you got something to write with. Good. It's time to work on your interviews.

S5:

S6:

S8: You're going to have to study them. You're going to have to know through your friends. Write this down. We got to play him one day at a time. Got to. Play.

S6: Play. It's pretty boring. Of course it's boring.

S8: That's the point. Write it down. Okay , great. I'm just happy to be here. Hope I can help the ball club. I know. Write it down.

S5: I have a special fondness for writer directors. The fact that they're directing their own script , their own story means that I think that they have an even greater commitment telling that story. And he's done that over and over again. And white men can't jump in tin cup plays and other sports related film.

S7: And one of the other awards is going to be the Legacy award going to Geena Davis. And this seems to go beyond just her work on screen , but also to acknowledge who she is and what she's doing.

S5: As the Academy. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences favorite or Oscar or the significant work she done. Voting Gender equality is either ironic or fitting , depending on how you look at it. But this is the co-star of Thelma and Louise , who has had her own awakening , has raised her own consciousness to the level that she feels it incumbent upon her to lend a helping hand in terms of guidance , in terms of practical answers , practical solutions to an ongoing problem.

S7: Another one of the awards that will be given out is called the Cultural Icon Award , which is going to the wonderful Jacqueline Bisset. Yes.

S5: Yes. And she has a new film called Lauren and Rose , which is actually a actually a two character piece , very intimate little film that is a perfect showcase for her playing an older actress and dealing candidly with that fact.

S6: You know , the actress Rumor has it for some people , cinema means something superficial and glamorous. But I think it is the mirror.

S5: Of the world. Here's a woman who was known originally and still known in many quarters for her , her beauty , which is striking. But she's more than just a attractive woman. She has honed her skills as a screen actress over many years time and hasn't had as many opportunities to show her her chops as it were.

S7: And the festival will also be showing one of her older films Day for Night , which is a lovely valentine to filmmaking itself.

S5: That's exactly what it is. So here's a woman who's worked with Francois Truffaut , among many , many others , who can tell us firsthand about working with one of the great masters of 20th century cinema and.

S7: Being part of a film festival.

S5: It's not just seeing the film , but seeing the film in a context of other films , in the context of being in a festival going mode. I want to be carried away , swept away by the currents of that festival. I find that festivals make me more adventurous , more willing to try something that I don't know anything about. And then talking about the other half of the equation is talking about the films with the other people there. You come together for an experience and then discuss the experience. That's a key part of any faith.

S7: And you have been a film critic for a long time and seen a lot of changes go on.

S5: There is no equivalent to Siskel and Ebert today. There are a lot of people spouting opinions. Some of them professionally , some of them not , but accusing basically , some of them with great articulation and and intelligence and some of them not. It seems like most people don't care. I guess my my vision about reading or listening to professional film critics , they'd rather just go online and register their opinions and back them back and forth with other people who agree or disagree. So it's not not what I'd call a growth area.

S1: And I also.

S7: Wanted to bring up something from your particular past , which is you appeared once in an absolutely glorious film by Peter Jackson called Forgotten Silver. It was a mockumentary. So you were playing yourself , but kind of poking fun at that whole sort of documentary format. And I just love the fact that you were willing to do that.

S5: Well , thank you. And you're one of the few people to bring up that title. It's not readily available. You can't stream it. And I don't think it was ever really released on DVD , let alone Blu-Ray. And I'm very fond of that film. Peter Jackson did a wonderful , wonderful job with this saga of a New Zealand silent film pioneer named Allan Mackenzie.

S6: By 1908 , after three years of development , Colin Mackenzie had perfected a way to record.

S5: Synchronized sound with pictures. He just forgot one thing. All of his subjects talking were Chinese. And while he figured out a way to record them , he didn't think of making subtitles. It was his fatal flaw. When it aired on in primetime on New Zealand television , all the lot of people , when they found out they had been had , there was great anger. He got a lot of blowback from his fellow Kiwis over that.

S7: And thanks so much for talking with me.

S5: Well , my pleasure. And I hope maybe well into this weekend.

S1: That was Beth ACCOMANDO speaking with Leonard Maltin. The Coronado Island Film Festival continues through Sunday with the Leonard Maltin Industry Awards gala taking place on Saturday.