Chicano Rock!

Ok. The closing night film was exactly the film I had been waiting to see all weekend. I love rock music, love history, born and raised in California.

All good.

And let me start by saying how proud I am of the audience tonight. You all showed up, wanting to get into the door on a Sunday night. You asked good questions and wanted to end the Fest on a high note. Really all the crowds have been great. The Fashion group were impassioned. The Kunstler crew opened up the place big. Very cool Stockton. Very cool.

The film was centered around the East LA Chicano music movement. Ritchie Valens and Cannibal and the Headhunters were the obvious big names that director Jon Wilkman focused on. They scraped a sound to make a name for themselves outside of Anglo rock and roll and traditional Mexican music. Bands likeThee Midnighters went beyond the British Invasion to infuse soul and Motown into the scene. Los Lobos brought it all together to keep the legacy alive.

I was amazed at how much music was interjected in the hour long documentary, which coincidentally was the biggest expense that Wilkman had mentioned while making the film. The life breathed into the film with pictures and eye popping graphics brought a strong visual connection that young people need to connect to the stories of the past. My favorite part came when Lalo Guerrero spoke on what it meant to him to be given the National Medal of the Arts. Truly awesome.

No spoilers here though. Go buy the DVD.

The Shorts!

For the first part of the night, we went through a cavalcade of films, part of the second run of shorts: Nous Deux Encore, Teen Truth: An Inside Look at Body Image, and Claiming the Title: Gay Olympians on Trial.

Between the three of them, nothing could be farther in theme. A French romantic introspective, a call for young people to consider the choices they make in response to self image, and the fight of gay athletes to legitimately use the term Olympics.

Shane Williamson (Editor, Teen Truth) and Jonathan Joiner (Co-Director, Claiming the Title) were on hand for a Q and A afterwards. (See video below).

I enjoyed seeing the variety of the different films. One thing to consider in regards to the Cal Doc Fest and ticket prices is what is actually being seen. It's true that seeing different independent productions that may be out of your frame of reference can seem a bit daunting, but truthfully buying a ticket to see three different films along with substantial director or editor interaction is a good deal no matter what the ticket price may be.

Shane and Jonathan were very accessible during the formal Q and A session as well as after the event. For someone like me who loves to create and be a part of film process, the knowledge and expertise that award winning filmmakers can give seems to me way more valuable than the price of admission.

Ok. That's my sell...

Fashion Fest or How I Learned To Stop Worring and Love Style

I admittedly have no desire to know much of the fashion world.

Sorry.

But that is actually what documentaries are all about. They take you to a place where you aren't exactly comfortable, where you don't have a whole lot of information. They present new ideas and make you think in a different way and see things in a new light.

Valentino: The Last Emperor is a film based around a man that director Matt Tyrnauer admits is out of touch with the real world. The famous designer has gigantic houses in Paris and Rome, buys jewelry worth thousands of dollars, and has a spot on his private jet for his pugs.

The film goes through the lavishness and absurdity of Valentino Garavani's day to day life designing high priced dresses and working behind the scenes on fashion shows. Often times he is shown as a tyrant, other times, an icon.

The heartbeat of the movie comes in two ways: his relationship with his partner Giancarlo Giammetti and the not-so-subtle ousting from his own brand name company. The laughs definitely come into play when we see Garavani and Giametti bicker back and forth between each other due to the way the company is run. Dramatics and hijinxs ensue whenever they are in the same room. The dramatic factor plays strongly as we see a cultural icon get bought out of his own company and shoved towards the door, in part to a young president taking over the Valentino brand and part because 45 years sounded like a good time to call it quits.

The film climaxes as Garavani and Giametti plan Garavani's great 45 year aniversary party. all of his famous dresses are on display, celebrities meet and greet, fireworks go off and the two ride off in the sunset.

It doesn't seem like a spoiler because if you like fashion and follow it, you know what the outcome is.

I think the film succeeds when it goes into what it takes to make a Valentino dress. Those seamstresses are insane. In a reality television society, you would almost want to see a behind the scenes look at all the crazy personalities it takes to keep that brand running. American Chopper meets couture.

The film, if you aren't into fashion design can lose appeal very fast. Were this to be a film that dove into Mick Jagger's over the top lifestyle, I would probably more into it because I love The Stones. I could tell that the audience behind me understood the nature of the material and enjoyed seeing the icon tell his story.

If you like dresses, see it.

Matt Tyrnauer Q and A

On why he made the movie
" I had met Giancarlo and Valentino and I was really blown away by their relationship. I had never seen anything like it before in my life. It was not only a marriage but it was two people that was almost the same person... I wanted them to tell their story because it's more that a story about fashion, it's a story of friendship and a story of love."

On what Valentino thought of the movie
They were completely devastated by the movie. They hated it. They bombarded me with these complaints that there was no glamor, no beauty, no celebrity. The movie the would have wanted would have been titled "Celebrities Who Know Valentino and What They Think Of Him". What they got, was of course, not that at all."

On the editing process and the use of different languages
"By the time the filming was done I had become pretty proficient in Italian. I don't speak one word in French....But their secret code language was French not thinking that I could get a translator and understand perfectly well what they were saying... There are moments that they are speaking French because it is on the down low."
"

Night one recap!

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe was the first film and it was huge.

A very well made documentary. The film, directed by his daughters Emily and Sarah Kunstler, dives into the history of the polarizing social lawyer. It touches on his work in the Civil Rights movement, the Chicago riot trial, Attica, and Wounded Knee.

I was shocked to see how well the archival footage held up. The film moves seamlessly through images of Kunstler, video of him speaking, interviews from those who knew him and celebrities alike (Phil Donahue? What?) and even the occasional courtroom sketch.

It was excellent at showcasing his flaws and triumphs without moving too far in a radical direction. Because his daughters filmed the movie, it was evident in the production that some interviews may have been held back, but I really applaud them in getting candid and real responses.

I also enjoyed the fact that they did not shy away from the fact that they were critical and did not understand everything about their father. The cat trial was epic.

A good film. If you didn’t get a chance to make it out, see it.

Some quotes from the Q/A with Emily Kunstler via dedicated phone call from NY:

On making the film
“The most challenging part of making this film was then decision to make it… We had a responsibility to make it and we deserved to make it…I would like to think that we are both better for it, our family is better for it, and it has brought him back into our lives in a positive way.”

On the amount of content
“There were so many stories, we could have made a mini-series. It was really hard to cut it down to an hour and a half documentary…We really could have made a three hour movie. Maybe one day we will.”

On Kunstler’s possible reaction to the film:
“He was his favorite subject so I think in that respect he would have really like a film on him. I think he would have been really proud that we looked up to him as a source of inspiration and spent many years getting to know him as well…It gave us an answer and a relationship with him that we wouldn’t have been able to have otherwise.”

More work coming tomorrow as I watch Valentino: The Last Emperor at Delta and D Tour (hopefully)

Welcome, welcome, welcome

Quick! What's your favorite film?

...

Now what is your favorite documentary?

I have a running list of my favorite films usually in order on command, ranging from action to comedy to romance to spaghetti western. Documentaries don't really factor in.This is sad when you consider the amount of time and dedication it takes to create such an involving project.

Cameras always have to be running. Editing has to be a continuous project. There's no script so who knows what the final result be. The effort will always be undervalued as well. There may be an Oscar nod in the future for the truly great ones, but they rarely get wide distribution much less record breaking revenue.

Thankfully, these films are still able to see the light of day due to exceptional dedication by film crews and public appreciation.

So, Stockton, let's start appreciating.

The 1st California Documentary Festival is going on this weekend and there are some very interesting films happening. I'll be out there every night, asking questions, taking pictures, and watching some good stuff.

Should be very cool.

Where I'm at tonight: William Kunstler: Destroying the Universe
What is it: A look at the controversial civil rights lawyer directed by his daughters
Where: Empire