By Eva Trieger
LA JOLLA, California — This year’s San Diego International Film Festival is being billed as the place where “culture, coast and cinema collide.” In the words of CEO/Artistic Director, Tonya Mantooth, this 24th annual festival provides a unique and essential function by bringing together “storytellers, changemakers and film lovers.”
From October 15th- 19th, San Diego audiences will be invited to take part in this transformational experience of exploring cultures outside of our own and perhaps unearthing new truths about ourselves, revealed by gifted filmmakers and cinematographers.
This year’s 3,500 submissions exceeded expectations. Included in this number were narratives, documentaries, shorts and animation. Films were selected from 29 countries, and the festival will introduce no fewer than 24 world premieres. Some of the films come by way of Venice Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Telluride and SXSW.
There is no shortage of familiar celebrity names featured in the films. The Opening Night film will showcase Julia Roberts in Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt. Another highly anticipated film, Rental Family, stars Brendan Fraser. The eagerly awaited film, Fantasy Life, features Amanda Peet and Alessandro Nivola.
I caught up with Mantooth by phone and was able to get a more in-depth understanding of what sets this year’s festival apart from the previous years. First, I was told that there is a new venue that elevates the scale of everything! The LOT in La Jolla will host Opening Night. With this new expanded space there will be more room for a bigger party and more pageantry. Night of the Stars will be held at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center. This red carpet event pays homage to well-loved celebrities, actors, directors and filmmakers. As in years past, the Gregory Peck Award of Excellence will be bestowed upon worthy honorees. Past recipients of this award include Laurence Fishburne, Kate Beckinsale, Andy Garcia, Heather Graham, Judd Apatow, Kenny Loggins and Geena Davis.The ever-popular Culinary Cinema will be held on Sunday, October 19th. This year’s cuisine-themed film, The Chef & the Daruma will be accompanied by inspired treats at the Capital One Cafe. In addition, the AMC14@ UTC Westfield Mall in La Jolla will feature films throughout the festival. A complete listing of festival events may be found at www.sdfilmfest.com.
Curious to know if any themes could be found in the submissions, Mantooth shared that trauma/abuse and working through it with strength and emerging with resilience was a common thread. She noted that the films employed different thematic approaches but that trauma seemed to be at top of mind for filmmakers. The films revealed that healing can occur only after the subjects open up about their experiences.
This year female filmmakers turned out in greater numbers and took on bolder topics than in previous years. Mantooth shared that in this, her 13th year as CEO she sees women taking a big swing, leaving behind their former reticence.
Has AI (artificial intelligence) left a mark on this year’s selections? YES. Interestingly, the Artistic Director shared that there are many ways in which AI has been a boon to filmmakers through cost cutting and efficiency, but with these advantages come risks as well. Will this technology begin replacing people? Will losing the human touch impact films and how we connect to them?
The demographics of this year’s featured films include representation from 29 countries. The submissions rolled in from nearly three times that many! I found it interesting that this year there were fewer submissions about Gaza and one French film that addressed the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Lost in Territories is directed by Nadav Shlomo Giladi. His world premiere boasts a cast of many accomplished Israeli actors. Cast members have been seen in films and series such as The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, Fauda and Shtisel. While clearly dealing with a loaded situation the film “extracts the humor out of absurd situations where living together becomes a tricky challenge.“ Lost in Territories will be shown Oct. 17 at La Jolla’s AMC14@UTC at 2pm.
Special focus was placed on the House of Pacific Relations in Balboa Park. This was intentionally done to promote international films. Mantooth explained that this was one year “we needed to remind audiences that it is so important to broaden our perspectives and respect others’ cultures. Things feel tumultuous, so we need to look to artists to understand the past and imagine the future.” Through these deeply personal stories we’re able to look beyond our “bubble” and connect to other cultures all around the world.
The incredibly inclusive line up of documentaries, shorts, dramedies, student offerings, comedy and narratives is simply phenomenal.
Tickets may be purchased as packages or individually from https://sdfilmfest.com/buy-passes/
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Eva Trieger is a freelancer specializing in the coverage of the arts.