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Day 7 (the finale) at NBFF

May 6, 2018 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

As the Newport Beach Film Festival comes to a close, I want to express my appreciation to the festival for allowing me to take part in so much over the last week. I also want to thank the staff and especially the volunteers for all the work they put in to make the festival run smoothly and for the hospitality they share.

I took in the repeat showing of Rust, directed by Aly Muritiba. This Brazilian film was part of the Latino Showcase on Wednesday night. On a field trip, Tati, a teenage girl, begins connecting with Renet. After Tati’s phone goes missing, an explicit video of her and her ex-boyfriend is soon circulating around school. The story comes in two parts. The first is Tati’s story and the shame and pain she goes through. Part 2 focuses on Renet and his reaction to all that has happened. How much has he contributed to Tati’s pain? How will he deal with that?

The Human Element, directed by Matthew Testa, is one of the environmental films showing at the festival. It was conceived by photographer James Balog who also came up with the Extreme Ice Project seen in the documentary Chasing Ice. Balog wants to show the two way street between nature and humanity. Just as we affect nature in various ways, that comes back to us in different ways. It focuses on the four traditional elements of nature: earth, water, fire, and air. Balog picks a locale within the US that shows how man and nature have interacted and the cost that interaction brings. Perhaps the most telling of these is when he looks at Tangier Island in Chesapeake Bay. It is a small community that relies on fishing and crabbing. But rising water levels will soon leave nothing of the island. What is to happen to those who live there? He also looks at air pollution and asthma in Denver, the wildfires in the West, and coal country in Pennsylvania.

Playing with The Human Element was Fishing with Mobile Nets, a short about how Qualcomm has worked with local fishermen in La Boquilla, Columbia to equip them with tablets and a fishing app that allows them to have a much better catch and improve their way of life.

Filed Under: Film, Film Festivals, Newport Beach FF Tagged With: Brazil, environment

Day 5 at NBFF

May 2, 2018 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

I began Tuesday by watching Cardinals, a film directed by Grayson Moore and Aidan Shipley that was the Canadian Spotlight film on Friday night, . It is the story of a woman who has returned home after years in prison after being convicted of killing her neighbor in a drunk driving accident. But soon the neighbor’s son shows up with questions that he just won’t let go of. There are dark secrets that are being held at bay, but things begin to unravel in ways that may put her back in prison again. This will likely be one of my faves for the festival.

The festival has a section of environmental films which I dipped into to see Living in The Future’s Past, a documentary by Susan Kucera. This is a film that uses evolution (especially human evolution) and other disciplines to look at the current environmental issues we are facing. Many of the people featured are philosophers or psychologists seeking to shed light on how our very nature affects the world around us. This is at times a bit frenetic and overwhelming. There were times I wanted to say, “Stop, tell me more about that. Can you flesh that out a bit.” But by then the film had moved to more speakers and ideas. Even the excellent visual images seemed to be geared to those with short attention spans.

Tuesday night was the European Showcase with films from Italy, Germany, Sweden, and France. I opted for the German film, My Blind Date with Life, by director Marc Rothemund. A young man who dreams of a career in hotel management suddenly loses his vision. Without noting that, he applies for an internship at a prestigious hotel. There with the help of friends he manages to do far more than we might expect. But it could all come crashing down at any moment. (And “crash” is the word for the potential problems.) He also meets the girl of his dreams, but can their relationship grow if he fails to tell the truth about himself? Nice blend of comedy, romance, and the struggle to overcome adversity.

Filed Under: Film, Film Festivals, Newport Beach FF Tagged With: Canada, documentary, environment, Germany

4.02 The Heart of the mother!

October 22, 2017 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/4.03-mother.mp3

When director Darren Aronofsky releases a film, it’s often bound to court controversy.  Blending an environmental message and Biblical metaphor, mother! instantly divided audiences between those that loathed its excessiveness and those that loved and respected its ambition.  This week, Steve welcomes ScreenFish guppies Ben Dower and Andrew Eaton as they tackle Aronofsky’s complicated vision by discussing its portrayal of God, the meaning of love and… um… Taylor Swift.

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

4.04 mother!

Thanks Ben and Andrew for coming on the show!

Filed Under: Film, Film Festivals, Podcast, TIFF Tagged With: biblical epic, Darren Aronofsky, Ed Harris, environment, environmentalism, horror, Javier Bardem, Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Pfeiffer, mother!

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