1st California Documentary Festival | October 2 to 4, 2009

1st California International Documentary Film Festival

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Announcing Official Program of 1st California Documentary Festival, October 2-4, 2009, Stockton

Tuesday, September 1, 2009
1st California Documentary Festival to Open with "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe" October 2, 2009, 7:00PM

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Announcing Official Program of 1st California Documentary Festival, October 2-4, 2009, Stockton

Published: Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Stockton, California, USA - The San Joaquin Film Society (SJFS) announces the Official Program of its inaugural California Documentary Festival (CalDocFest), California Central Valley’s first international focus on nonfiction cinema, set to take place October 2nd to 4th, 2009 in Stockton.

Festival Website: www.caldocfest.org

CalDocFest is dedicated to promoting gifted documentary filmmakers and sharing knowledge and understanding of our world with audiences of California’s Central Valley and beyond. The vibrant roster of events will feature new works, new directors, distinguished and award-winning films, a spotlight on California filmmakers, creative conversations with guest artists, and educational events. Nine feature films and six short films (including premieres), along with the presence of directors and luminaries, will light up an exciting and memorable weekend in Stockton.

CalDocFest will jumpstart the Film Society's new Compassion for Humanity Initiative, an on-going educational campaign to advance, promote and support social consciousness, social justice, activism and humanity through film.

• Sophoan Sorn, Founder and Creator of Festivals, San Joaquin Film Society: “CalDocFest is a celebration of diversity, history, and humanity. Featured are the true stories of: A Jewish civil rights lawyer fighting for all people; an iconic Italian fashion designer sharing his passionate life; a Bay Area indie-rocker cherishing life with a new kidney; crying, young Chinese gymnasts and gay American Olympians facing tremendous obstacles; a British grandmother reuniting with a celestial planet that she had named; California Chicano artists influencing the music that rocks our life today; and so much more! The festival will also jump start the Society's new Compassion for Humanity Initiative, an on-going educational campaign to advance, promote and support social consciousness, social justice, activism and humanity through film. Our Film Society and partners are so thrilled to showcase the works of such intelligent and innovative filmmakers; and to contribute to the positive profile of California’s Central Valley - particularly the host city of Stockton - with this richness of cultural arts, awareness, education, and entertainment."

GALAS

• "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe"
Opening Night - Friday, October 2nd at 7:00PM
Directors Emily Kunstler, Sarah Kunstler (USA, 2009) – Central Valley Premiere. (L'Oreal Women of Worth Vision Award Honoree at 2009 Sundance Film Festival) "Filmmakers Emily and Sarah Kunstler explore the life of their father, the late radical civil rights lawyer. In the 1960s and 70s, Kunstler fought for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr. and represented the famed 'Chicago 8' activists who protested the Vietnam War. When the inmates took over Attica prison, or when the American Indian Movement stood up to the federal government at Wounded Knee, they asked Kunstler to be their lawyer. To his daughters, it seemed that he was at the center of everything important that had ever happened. But when they were growing up, Kunstler represented some of the most reviled members of society. This powerful film not only recounts the historic causes that Kunstler fought for; it also confronts a man that even his own daughters did not always understand, a man who believed that, however unpopular, justice should serve all." (www.disturbingtheuniverse.com) English, 90 minutes

• "Valentino The Last Emperor"
Centerpiece - Saturday, October 3rd at 2:00PM
A Presentation of the Fashion Program of San Joaquin Delta College
Director Matt Tyrnauer (in-person at festival) (USA, Italy, 2008) – (Official Selection, 2009 Venice International Film Festival) "An extraordinary, intimate, and charming film. This cinematic story captures the legendary designer Valentino Garavani in the wake of his exit in 2008 from the company he founded in Rome more than 45 years ago. The film is an intimate, engaging and very funny fly-on-the-wall exploration of the singular world of one of Italy's richest and most famous men. The film documents the colorful and dramatic closing act of Valentino's celebrated career, tells the story of his extraordinary life and work, and also explores the larger themes affecting the fashion business today. But at the heart of the film is the unique relationship between Valentino and his business partner and companion of 50 years, Giancarlo Giammetti." (www.valentinomovie.com) English, Italian, with English subtitles, 96 minutes

• "Chicano Rock! The Sounds of East Los Angeles"
Closing Night - Sunday, October 4th at 7:30PM
Director John Wilkman (in-person at festival) (USA, 2008) – (Spotlight on California) "A major untold Californian and American story: This is the history of Chicano rock ‘n’ roll and how it defined – and continues to define – the Latino community in East Los Angeles. A spirited and vibrant documentary about the generations of young Mexican-Americans who proudly expressed their identity through music. The program is filled with intimate first-person storytelling, rare film and photos, and exuberant music from artists such as the legendary Ritchie Valens, Lalo Guerrero, and classic bands such as Cannibal and the Headhunters, Thee Midniters of "Whittier Blvd." fame, El Chicano, Tierra and Los Lobos." (www.wilkman.com) English, Spanish, with English subtitles, 90 minutes

FEATURE FILMS

• "The Beaches of Agnés" (Les plages d'Agnès)
Sunday, October 4th at 3:00PM
Director Agnés Varda (France, 2009) – (Winner of 2009 César Award for Best Documentary) "A reflection on art, life and the movies, This is a magnificent new film from the great Agnes Varda, director of 'Cleo from 5 to 7' and 'The Gleaners and I,' a richly cinematic self portrait that touches on everything from the feminist movement and the Black Panthers to the films of husband Jacques Demy and the birth of the French New Wave." (www.cinemaguild.com//beachesofagnes) French, English, with English subtitles, 107 minutes

• "Good Fortune"
Saturday, October 3rd at 4:00PM
Director Landon Van Soest (attendance to be confirmed) (USA, Kenya, 2009) – West Coast Premiere. (Winner of 2009 Witness Award at AFI Discovery SilverDocs International Film Festival) "Exploring how massive, international efforts to alleviate poverty in Africa may be undermining the very communities they aim to benefit. Through intimate portraits of two Kenyans battling to save their homes from large-scale development organizations, the film presents a unique opportunity to experience foreign aid through the people it is intended to benefit." (www.transientpictures.com) English, Swahili, with English subtitles, 70 minutes

• "D Tour"
Saturday, October 3rd at 6:00PM
Director Jim Granato (USA, 2008) – (Golden Gate Award for Best Bay Area Documentary Film at 2009 San Francisco International Film Festival) "A rock 'n' roll film about life, death, and bodily functions. Pat Spurgeon is a professional musician whose dreams of being in a successful rock ‘n’ roll band have come true. But just as his band, Rogue Wave, starts to take off, his kidney starts to fail." (www.dtourmovie.com) English, 99 minutes

• "Oh My God! It's Harrod Blank!"
Saturday, October 3rd at 8:00PM
Director David Silberberg (attendance to be confirmed) (USA, 2008) – (Spotlight on California) "An obsessively made documentary filmed over 18 years, exploring the creative life and adventures of director Silberberg’s friend, the eccentric art car artist, film-maker, and entrepreneur Harrod Blank. Blank is captured from his youth growing up in the woods to the creation of his first attention-getting art car, to his current multi-faceted career as creator and head of a nationwide art car movement." (www.d4doc.com) English, 75 minutes

• "The Red Race"
Saturday, October 3rd at 10:00PM
Director Chao Gan (China, Germany) – (Winner of 2008 Peabody Award and Special Jury Prize at AFI Discovery SilverDocs) "This observational documentary offers a controversial look into the lives of a group of young Chinese children enrolled in an intensive gymnastics training program. The adults in their lives, all continuously reinforce one ultimate goal: winning a gold medal at the Olympics. This detailed insight captures the contradictions of modern China and the cost paid for the country’s dreams." (www.ganchao.net) Chinese, with English subtitles, 70 minutes

• "Speaking in Tongues"
Sunday, October 4th at 1:00PM
Directors Marcia Jarmel, Ken Schneider (in-person at festival) (USA) – (Spotlight on California, Audience Award Winner at 2009 San Francisco International Film Festival) "In a time where 31 states have passed English Only initiatives, one urban school district is exploring the provocative notion that speaking a foreign language can be a national asset. We follow four diverse students and their families as they encounter the challenges and delights of becoming fluent in two languages." (www.patchworksfilms.net) English, Spanish, Chinese, with English subtitles, 60 minutes

SHORT FILMS

• "12 Notes Down" (12 Toner Ned)
Friday, October 2nd at 9:30PM (DocShorts One)
Director Andreas Koefoed (Denmark, 2008) – (Winner of 2009 Sterling Award for Best Short Film at AFI Discovery SilverDocs International Film Festival) "A star performer of the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir, 14-year-old Jorgis leads his peers with charming confidence and lifts the entire choir’s spirit with his generous smile. When his voice suddenly begins to change, Jorgis must decide when and how to make an unexpected yet graceful exit." Danish, English subtitles, 27 minutes (Additional Notes: Winner of 2009 Best Documentary Short Film at San Joaquin International Film Festival)

• "Anita's Africa"
Friday, October 2nd at 9:30PM (DocShorts One)
Director Beverley Reid (Canada, Uganda, 2007) – (Official Selection, 2008 Seattle International Film Festival) "A pen pal letter from a girl in Uganda becomes a visual postcard of her daily life." English, 18 minutes

• "Claiming the Title: Gay Olympians on Trial"
Sunday, October 4th at 5:00PM (DocShorts Two)
Directors Jonathan Joiner, Robert Martin (in-person at festival) (USA, 2009) – Central California Premiere. (Audience Award for Best Documentary, 2009 Palm Springs International ShortFest) "The story of the San Francisco athletic group that tried to hold a 'Gay Olympics,' instigate a battle at the nation’s highest court and a challenge over the place of gays and lesbians in American society." (www.claimingthetitle.com) English, 30 minutes

• "Naming Pluto"
Friday, October 2nd at 9:30PM (DocShorts One)
Director Ginita Jimenez (UK, 2008) – Northern California Premiere. "In 1930, American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovers Planet X. Across the Atlantic, 11-year-old Venetia Burney becomes the only child in the world to name a planet. 77 years later, she gets the opportunity to see Pluto through a telescope for the first time." (www.fatherfilms.com) English, 13 minutes

• "Nous Deux Encore"
Sunday, October 4th at 5:00PM (DocShorts Two)
Director Heather Harlow (USA, France 2009) – (Best Short Film Winner, 2009 Portland International Film Festival) "Twenty two years after the sudden death of her Greek husband, Maxie, a former French television journalist, takes us into the soul of the love affair that changed her life forever. Captured visually through many of the countless photos he snapped over the years, this piercing portrait of one couples' passion for life and each other will touch even the most disenchanted hearts." (www.nousdeuxencore.com) French, English Subtitles, 17 minutes

• "Teen Truth: An Inside Look at Body Image"
Sunday, October 4th at 5:00PM (DocShorts Two)
Director Erahm Christopher (Editor Shane Williamson in-person at festival) (USA, Canada, 2009) – (Spotlight on California, San Joaquin Filmmakers) "Regardless of how closely their actual figure resembles their perception, teenagers' body image can affect their self-esteem, eating and exercise habits, relationships with others and ultimately their health. Using the series' signature student-shot style, this film presents real people discussing how celebrity, media, sports and peer influences can shape one's body image and ultimately lead to dangerous habits. In the end, this affecting film challenges viewers to think differently about how they see their body image and the body images of others, and ultimately empowers them to find true strength and beauty from within." (www.teentruthlive.com) English, 24 minutes

CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS AND POST-FILM DISCUSSIONS

• Launch of SJFS Compassion for Humanity Initiative
Friday, October 2nd at 8:30PM following Opening Night Film “William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe”
Special Guests to Be Announced

• A Conversation with Matt Tyrnauer
Saturday, October 3rd at 4:00PM following “Valentino The Last Emperor” (at Atherton Auditorium)
- Presented by the Fashion Program at San Joaquin Delta College
Special Guests in Attendance: Director Matt Tynauer, Michael Palladino of LIM College, New York

• Good Fortune for Africa
Saturday, October 3rd at 5:15PM following “Good Fortune”
Special Guests to Be Announced

• Is English Enough in America?
Sunday, October 4th at 2:00PM following “Speaking in Tongues”
Special Guest in Attendance: Director Marcia Jarmel

• Film for Activism
Sunday, October 4th at 6:30PM following DocShorts Two (Re: “Claiming the Title” “Teen Truth”)
Special Guests in Attendance: Directors Jonathan Joiner, Robert Martin, Shane Williamson

• Sights and Sounds with Jon Wilkman
Sunday, October 4th at 9:00PM following “Chicano Rock! The Sounds of East Los Angeles”
Special Guest in Attendance: Director Jon Wilkman

SCHEDULE

Friday, October 2nd
• 7:00PM "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe" (Opening Night Film)
• 9:30PM "DocShorts One" Shorts Program

Saturday, October 3rd
• 2:00PM "Valentino The Last Emperor" (Centerpiece Film)
• 4:00PM "Good Fortune" (West Coast Premiere)
• 6:00PM "D Tour" (Free for Film Society Members)
• 8:00PM "Oh My God! It's Harrod Blank!"
• 10:00PM "The Red Race"

Sunday, October 4th
• 1:00PM "Speaking in Tongues"
• 3:00PM "The Beaches of Agnés"
• 5:00PM "DocShorts Two" Shorts Program
• 7:30PM "Chicano Rock! The Sounds of East Los Angeles" (Closing Night Film)

VENUES

Stockton Empire Theatre (Main Venue)
on the Miracle Mile
1825 Pacific Avenue
Stockton, CA 95204

Atherton Auditorium (Only for Centerpiece Film “Valentino”)
at San Joaquin Delta College
Delta Center for the Arts
5151 Pacific Avenue
Stockton, CA 95207

ADMISSION

All festival screenings are open to the public. Films not in English have English subtitles.

• Tickets for All Regular Shows are $7-$9 each
• Tickets for Opening and Closing Night Films are $10-$12 each
• Tickets for Centerpiece Film are $5-$12 each (available only through San Joaquin Delta College Center for the Arts Box Office at (209) 954-5110)
• Tickets for "D Tour" are $10 each or FREE for Film Society Members

• Festival Pass: General Public $75, Film Society Member $60
(Access to all films except Centerpiece)

Festival hotline: (209) 423-4719.

Advance tickets on sale at www.sjiff.org/tickets

Box Office opens one hour prior to first show of the day at respective venues.

Film Society Membership information at www.sjiff.org/members.html

MEDIA

For still images from films, directors’ headshots, and electronic press kits, visit www.sjiff.org/filmstills.html

For updates on special guests of the festival, please call (209) 423-4719.

INDUSTRY AND MEDIA ACCREDITATION

Industry and Media Accreditations are to be granted at the discretion of the San Joaquin Film Society. For more information, visit www.sjiff.org/caldocfest/media.html

ABOUT THE SAN JOAQUIN FILM SOCIETY

The San Joaquin Film Society, Inc. (SJFS) is the benchmark cinema arts organization of California’s 400-mile Central Valley and home of the San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF). The Society celebrates cinema arts, multi-cultural appreciation, and global outreach through year-round productions of festivals and educational programs. For 2009, with a home base in Stockton, California, the Society launched an ambitious and exhilarating year-round program, which includes: The flagship 2nd San Joaquin International Film Festival (May 14 to 23), San Joaquin Children's Film Festival (January 16 to 18), California Documentary Festival (October 2 to 4), year-round world cinema series and mini-festivals (Cinema Italia, Jewish Cinema Day, French Cinema Day, Latino Cinema Day), social events and galas, special screenings, a membership program, and educational events. SJFS is dedicated to celebrating the artistry, diversity, and power of filmmaking; and to bringing the world of cinema to the culturally-rich, Valley audiences and beyond.

Official Website: www.sjiff.org

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1st California Documentary Festival to Open with "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe" October 2, 2009, 7:00PM

Published: Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Disturbing the Universe

Stockton, California, USA - The San Joaquin Film Society (SJFS), the benchmark cinema organization of California's 400-mile Central Valley, is proud to announce the powerful and captivating "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe" (Dir. by sisters Emily and Sarah Kunstler) as the Opening Night Film of the Society's inaugural California Documentary Festival (Oct. 2-4), making its Central Valley Premiere. Showtime is Friday, October 2, 2009 at 7:00PM at the Stockton Empire Theatre (1825 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, 95202).

• Sophoan Sorn, Founder, San Joaquin Film Society: “I was lost for words, filled with emotion, and moved to tears when I saw this film for the first time at its San Francisco Premiere in July. What an masterful, historical and intriguing tribute that the Kunstler sisters have created for their father! In addition, our Film Society is so honored to have this film open our new documentary festival and that it will jumpstart our new Compassion for Humanity Initiative, an on-going educational campaign to advance, promote and support social consciousness, social justice, activism and humanity through film."

Film's Page: www.sjiff.org/caldocfest/f-universe.html

Admission is $12.00 General, $11.00 Senior 65+ or Student with ID or Disabled Person, $10.00 for Film Society Member. Advance Tickets go on sale online on Friday, August 28th via www.sjiff.org/tickets .

Festival hotline is (209) 423-4719.

Media: For still images, visit www.sjiff.org/filmstills.html

ABOUT THE FILM

In "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe" filmmakers Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler explore the life of their father, the late radical civil rights lawyer. In the 1960s and 70s, Kunstler fought for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr. and represented the famed “Chicago 8” activists who protested the Vietnam War. When the inmates took over Attica prison, or when the American Indian Movement stood up to the federal government at Wounded Knee, they asked Kunstler to be their lawyer.To his daughters, it seemed that he was at the center of everything important that had ever happened. But when they were growing up, Kunstler represented some of the most reviled members of society, including rapists and assassins. This powerful film not only recounts the historic causes that Kunstler fought for; it also confronts a man that even his own daughters did not always understand, a man who believed that, however unpopular, justice should serve all.

"William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe" held its World Premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival in January, where it was honored with the L'Oreal Women of Worth Vision Award. It went on to screen and be honored at major international film festivals across America, including Special Mention for the Charles E. Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award at the Full Frame Documentary Festival, runner-up for the Golden Space Needle Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Seattle International Film Festival, and won the Special Jury Prize for Best New Documentary Filmmaker at Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival.

ABOUT THE DIRECTORS

Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler (producers / directors) run Off Center Media (www.off-center.com), a production company that produces documentaries exposing injustice in the criminal justice system. The sisters founded Off Center Media in 2000, and have produced, directed, and edited a number of short documentaries, including "Tulia, Texas: Scenes from the Drug War" (2002), which won Best Documentary Short at the Woodstock Film Festival, and was instrumental in winning exoneration for 46 wrongfully convicted people; and "Getting Through to the President" (2004), which has aired on the Sundance Channel.Other notable Off Center Media projects include "A Pattern of Exclusion: The Trial of Thomas Miller-El" (2002), a documentary about racism at the trial of Miller-El, who had been on death row in Texas since 1985; "The Norfolk Four: A Miscarriage of Justice" (2006), about four young men in Norfolk, Virginia, who falsely confessed to a rape-murder that they did not commit; and "Executing the Insane: The Case of Scott Panetti" (2007). These films have contributed to campaigns to secure pardons, stay executions and convince decision makers to reopen cases. "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe" is the sisters’ first documentary feature.

Emily Kunstler graduated in 2000 from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Video. She was a video producer for Democracy Now!, an independent national television and radio news program, and a studio art fellow with the Independent Study Program of the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2004.

Sarah Kunstler graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in Photography in 1998 and from Columbia Law School with a Juris Doctorate in 2004. She is currently a criminal defense attorney practicing in the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York.

The sisters were awarded the L'Oreal Women of Worth Vision Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize for Best New Filmmakers at the Traverse City Film Festival.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The California Documentary Festival (CalDocFest) is the San Joaquin Film Society's newest festival, inaugurating October 2 to 4, 2009. It is a showcase dedicated to promoting gifted documentarians by cultivating knowledge and understanding of our world through non-fiction cinema and dynamic storytelling - and presenting their works to new audiences in California's Central Valley and beyond. CalDocFest will present a vibrant and exhilarating set of programs, featuring new works, new directors, American and international documentaries, a spotlight on California documentarians, creative conversations with guest artists, and educational programming. Full line-up to be announced by September 2009.

Festival Website: www.caldocfest.org

ABOUT THE SAN JOAQUIN FILM SOCIETY

The San Joaquin Film Society, Inc. (SJFS), home of the San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF), celebrates cinema arts, multi-cultural appreciation, and global outreach through year-round productions of festivals, films, and educational programs. For 2009, with a home base in Stockton, California, the Society launched an ambitious and exhilarating year-round programme of events: The flagship 2nd San Joaquin International Film Festival (May 14 to 23), the 1st San Joaquin Children's Film Festival (January 16 to 18), Cinema Italia Series (February 16 to 28), Jewish Cinema Day (July 19), French Cinema Day (August 30), Latino Cinema Day (November 15), the 1st California Documentary Festival (October 2 to 4), the Cinema Room (March-May), social events and galas, special screenings, workshops for filmmakers, a new membership program, and educational programming. SJFS is dedicated to celebrating the artistry, diversity, and power of filmmaking; and to bringing the world of cinema to the culturally-rich Central Valley audiences.

Official Website: www.sjiff.org

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