Showing posts with label san jose film festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label san jose film festival. Show all posts

Monday, August 14, 2023

Cinequest 2023 ("Energized") kicks off tomorrow

The 33rd Cinequest returns tomorrow, August 15th and runs through the end of the month. It features over 300 films this year, 84 of which are US or world premiers. This has become a top-10 film festival in the US, so it's well worth checking out. My favorites are always the collections of shorts, especially the comedies.

For a short guide, head over to SJ Today. To see the full list of films and buy your passes, Cinequest.org is your best bet.





Friday, March 25, 2022

Downtown San Jose is getting a new film festival

3-Below--Downtown San Jose's only remaining movie theater--is hosting a brand new event featuring the works of aspiring filmmakers. The short film festival is called "Screen!" and the films will be shown on May 5th, 13th, and 20th. 100% of the ticket sales are going directly to the filmmakers. On June 3rd, they will announce the audience choice winners and award prizes.

This is partially funded by the City of San Jose Parks Department Abierto program and the SJDA. Tickets will be available closer to the event dates at the 3Below website over here.




Friday, October 16, 2015

The 7th Annual San Jose International Short Film Festival

Next weekend the 2015 San Jose International Short Film Festival kicks off at Santana Row's CineArts Theater. This will be the largest event in the film festival's history. Over 180 short films will be screened over the four-day festival, grouped into 30 different categories. Film makers across 20 different countries will be represented this year.

Tickets range from $12 for a 90 minute collection of films to $125 for a VIP all-access plan (includes all screenings, special events, after-parties, access to the VIP lounge in Santana Row, and a T-shirt). The festival runs from October 22nd to October 25th.

For more information and to buy tickets, head over here.



Thursday, May 21, 2015

1st Annual San Jose J-Town Filmfest!

First came Cinequest, then the San Jose Short Film Festival, and now there is a brand new festival for movie lovers. The San Jose J-Town Filmfest will run from May 29th to the 31st at the JTS Northside Community Center and the Japanese American Museum of San Jose. There will be a total of seven screenings, two special events, and multiple Q&As with the filmmakers.

For more information and tickets, just head over here.




San Jose J-Town FilmFest Film Line-up:



Friday  May 29   (Northside Community Center)
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7:00pm - Delano Manongs: Forgotten Heroes of the United Farmworkers (30min)

Delano Manongs tells the story of farm labor organizer Larry Itliong and a group of Filipino farm workers who instigated one of the American farm labor movement's finest hours :  The Delano Grape Strike of 1965 that brought about the creation of the United Farm Workers Union.

After the film, there will be a discussion and reflection on the 1965 Delano Grape Strike by famed playwright/filmmaker Luis Valdez and Marissa Aroy, the film's director.


8:15pm - Special Live Music Event featuring San Jose-based group Sonido Clash. Enjoy a night of live music, dancing, and food to kick off the first night of the festival!



Saturday  May 30   (Northside Community Center)
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11:00 am - Hibakusha (45 min)

An animated documentary/drama directed by Steve Nguyen and Choz Belen, the film centers around Kaz Suyeishi, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. As an older woman, she recalls her most vivid and horrific memories of the bombing when she was a student in Hiroshima.

The filmmakers reached out to Mrs. Suyeishi in order to tell her story using computer animation and hand-drawn techniques. The film utilizes specialized graphic design techniques and 3-D implementation to establish the unique visual animation style.

Film screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Steve Nguyen.


12:45pm- Kumu Hina (77 min)

Kumu Hina is a powerful feature docu-drama that shines light on the struggle to maintain Pacific Islander culture and values within the Westernized society of modern day Hawaiʻi. It is told through the lens of Hina Wong-Kalu, an iconic Native Hawaiian figure who is both a proud māhū (transgender woman) and an honored and respected kumu (teacher) and community leader.

A special Q & A with Kumu Hina live via Skype will follow the screening of the film.


3:00pm - Skin Stories (60 min)

Skin Stories is an anthology of stories and stunning images gathered from the hot spots of Pacific tattoo culture. The film offers an insight into how various Pacific Island cultures have reclaimed their deep ancestral heritage of tattooing.

Co-Producer Emiko Omori will appear for a post-screening Q&A discussion.


5:00pm - East Side Sushi (100 min)

Winner of the Audience Award at the Cinequest and CAAMFest film festivals, this critically acclaimed film introduces us to Juana, a working-class Latina single mother struggling to make ends meet.

After landing a job at a Japanese restaurant, Juana is introduced to a completely new culinary experience after observing the restaurant's sushi chefs. A reinvigorated Juana embarks on a journey to become a great sushi chef, determined not to let anyone stop her from achieving her dream.

A Q&A with director Anthony Lucero will follow.


7:15pm - Special Sushi Reception

Join East Side Sushi director Anthony Lucero and other special guest filmmakers for a festival reception with sushi!


8:30pm - The People I've Slept With (89 min)

Karin Anna Cheung stars as a promiscuous young woman who finds herself with an unplanned pregnancy. Determined to find the father, she goes on a comical and raunchy hunt through her past hook-ups in this charming romantic comedy.

There will be a post-screening Q&A discussion with screenwriter Koji Sakai and the female lead, Karin Anna Cheung, after the film.



***Sunday May 31 (Japanese American Museum of San Jose)***
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1:00pm - Issei: The First Generation (54 min)

Filmed in and around Walnut Grove, this historical documentary revolves around original interviews with Issei (first generation Japanese Americans) as they recount their lives and experiences growing up in rural California before, during, and after World War II.

***SCREENING ONLY AT THE JAPANESE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF SAN JOSE ***


Filmmaker Toshi Washizu will appear for a post-screening Q&A discussion.

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You can join us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/events/765557100224091/

For more information, visit our main website: http://www.catsasiantheater.com/

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

5th Annual San Jose International Short Film Festival Opens Oct 17th @ CineArts Theater Santana Row

The stellar San Jose Short International Film Festival kicks off next week with a greatly expanded offering! They are celebrating their 5th year by showing over 120 films (up from 70 last year). The festival will also expand to two screens for the first time and has added three new sets of short films:
  • Family Block (for kids aged 6-15)
  • Sci-Fi Block
  • Documentaries Block
These are of course in addition to their normal assortment of dramas, thrillers, comedies, feel-good movies, international films, and local productions. I have attended this festival for the last three years and have never been disappointed (the comedies were really awesome in 2012)! For more information just keep on reading or hop on over to the San Jose International Short Film Festival website over here!




San Jose International Short Film Festival Opens October 17th at CineArts Theater Santana Row

San Jose, CA – The 5th Annual film festival opens in San Jose with an incredible lineup of short films from across the globe, featuring selected entries from Tribecca, Cannes, Sundance and other top festivals.  With over 120 films cultivated from the hundreds of entries submitted, these World Class productions include stunning performances and visuals by some of the most talented up and coming filmmakers in world.

With over 20 short film screening blocks that feature every genre of film imaginable, there is something for everyone, plus industry guests, filmmaker panels, after-parties and more.

This year the San Jose International Short Film Festival kicks off Thursday, October 17th with the Red Carpet "Opening Night Screening & After-Party" and continues through Sunday October 20th.

The SAN JOSE INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (SJISFF) distinguishes itself as a festival that caters to filmmakers and their craft. Beginning with the Red Carpet event and "Premiere Selection" screening & Opening Night After-Party in the heart of beautiful Santana Row.

Multiple screenings are held each day at CineArts Theater, with its All Stadium Seating and State of the Art Digital Presentation that include "Make ‘em Laugh", "The Ink & Paint Club" our tribute to Animation Shorts, “World Cinema”, featuring the best in short foreign film., and "The Human Experience”, a block of life-affirming films that resonate and make you think. And much more.

Tickets on Sale Now

Ticket and Screening Information: www.sjsff.com

Picture

Monday, October 15, 2012

San Jose International Short Film Festival Opens October 18th at CineArts Theatre Santana Row!

If you thought Cinequest was the only film festival in San Jose, think again. Last year the San Jose Short Film Festival really shined with an impressive selection of short films and events spanning several days. It looks like they are raising the bar yet again for their 4th year with the best lineup of features in the event's history. I'm really looking forward to the comedies, which are usually my favorites.

It all starts this Thursday at CineArts Santana Row and continues until Sunday night. For more information either keep on reading or head over to the festival site over here.




PictureSan Jose, August 13, 2012 – Our 4th annual event is back, better than ever with an incredible lineup of short films featuring selected entries from Tribecca, Cannes, Sundance and other top festivals.  With over 70 films cultivated from the hundreds of entries submitted, these World Class productions include performances by Michael Fassbender (Prometheus, X-Men First Class), Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (The Thing, Scott Pilgrim) and many more.

With over 16 short film screening blocks that feature every genre of film imaginable, there is something for everyone, plus industry guests, filmmaker panels, after-parties and more.

This year the San Jose International Short Film Festival kicks off October 18th with the Red Carpet "Opening Night Screening & After-Party" and continues through October 21st.

The SAN JOSE INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (SJISFF) distinguishes itself as a festival that caters to filmmakers and their craft. Beginning with the Red Carpet event and "Premiere Selection" screening & Opening Night After-Party at the prestigious Santana Row complex.

Multiple screenings are held each day at CineArts Theatre in Santana Row, with its All Stadium Seating and State of the Art Digital Presentation that include "It's Comedy, Tonight", "The Ink & Paint Club" our tribute to Animation Shorts, "I've Got A Bad Feeling About This" which features Sci-fi and Thrillers that will have you on the edge of your seat, and "Welcome to the Alternative Universe" that captures the essence of Experimental, Cult and the Avant Garde. Also, this year is our NEW screening block “Wish you Were Here”, featuring the best in short foreign film.

Tickets on Sale Now.

Ticket and Screening Information: www.sjsff.com

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The San Jose Short Film Festival is This Weekend!

San Jose is continuing to grow its presence in the film-making universe. We're already becoming very well known for Cinequest, but there is another local festival that is rapidly gaining traction. Now in it's 3rd year, the San Jose Short Film Festival has grown to 8 sets of screenings (up from 2 last year) and has attracted filmmakers both local and from afar! It all starts this Thursday at CineArts and continues through Sunday.

For more information, continue reading the press release below or visit the San Jose Short Film Festival website!

SJ Shortfest Program


San Jose Short Film Festival Opens October 20th at CineArts Theatre Santana Row


San Jose, October 10th, 2011 – The festival kicks off October 20th with the Red Carpet "Opening Night Screening & After-Party" and continues through October 23rd with 8 different genre screenings. From hundreds of entries we will be screening some of the best short films from around the globe.  Whether it’s comedy, drama, sci-fi, animation or documentaries there is something for everyone.

This year we are proud to bring the San Jose Short Film Festival to Santana Row, the premier shopping and dining destination in Silicon Valley. An ideal environment with over 12 million visitors each year, Santana Row has a natural attraction to its fabulous shops, upscale restaurants, and Mediterranean-styled residential units.

As part of the Santana Row complex, CineMark's CineArt Theatre, with its All Stadium Seating, State of the Art Digital Presentation in both 2D & 3D, and Lobby Cafe, will become our host venue on October 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd.

After our screenings, be sure to join us for our Red Carpet Receptions which will include the Opening Night After-Party, the 3 Day Film Challenge Awards, and the Closing Night After-Party.

The SAN JOSE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (SJSFF) offers filmmakers from around the world, an opportunity to present their films in the best possible HD clarity before exuberant audiences in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Ticket and Screening Information: www.sjshortfest.com
Buy Tickets online now at www.sjshortfest.com  or beginning Thursday October 20th at the SJSFF Ticket office at CineArts Theatre
Thursday October 20th 7:30pm:  “Opening Night – Premiere Selections”
Friday October 21st 7pm: “It’s Comedy Tonight” (Comedy Shorts Block)
Friday October 21st 9pm: “Welcome to the Alternate Universe” (Drama, Dark Comedy)
Saturday October 22nd 12 pm: “The Best of the 2010 San Jose Short Film Festival”
Saturday October 22nd 2pm: “Welcome to the Ink & Paint Club” (Animation and Documentries)
Saturday October 22nd 4pm: “Another Slice of Life” (Drama)
Saturday October 22nd 7pm: “3 Day Film Challenge”
Sunday October 23rd 2pm: “The Bay Area Presents...” (Local Filmmakers)
Sunday October 23rd 4pm:  “I’ve Got a Bad Feeling About This” (Sci-fi, Thriller)
Sunday October 23rd 6pm: “Awards Winners and Closing Night” 

Sunday, March 13, 2011

International Asian American Film Festival

While Cinequest draws to a close, another film festival is right around the corner. The Center for Asian American media is presenting the International Asian American Film Festival in the Bay Area, and it's coming to San Jose for the 10th time. Camera 12 will host the closing weekend of the festival on March 19th and 20th. For more information on the films and festivities, just click the image below to enlarge or click this link.

Friday, December 10, 2010

2nd Annual San Jose Short Film Festival

Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to write a post about this, so I'll have to "borrow" Cynthia's post from San Jose Metblogs below:


Welcome to the 2nd Annual San Jose Short Film Festival
December 10th, 2010 @ 10:12 AM DowntownEntertainmentFestivalFilmSan JoseWeekend
If you’re having a difficult time waiting for Cinequest 2011 (March 1!) or if you’re just looking for an excellent way to spend a few hours this weekend, the 2nd Annual San Jose Short Film Festival is for you.  Held at Camera 3 downtown this Saturday and Sunday, you will be treated to several short films per session and even have a chance to speak to the filmmakers when it’s over.
Yes, to be clear, this is not a short film festival, this is a festival of film shorts.  This means all films are 15 minutes or less, and some are as short as two minutes.  There are two different groupings of films: Program 1 has 16 different films, and Program 2 has 13 films, and there is a great variety of genres and types of films to see.  Everything from drama to comedy to Sci Fi is represented, and I enjoyed almost every film of Program 1 on Thursday evening.  But the best thing about film shorts is that even if you don’t like one particular film it is over in 15 minutes or less!  And then you’re on to the next one!  Program 1 is about 2 hours 30 minutes long and Program 2 is just under 2 hours, and both have a good variety of shorts with some crossover.
Some highlights from Program 1:
BLUEBERRY is the charming story of a darling young girl whose mother has left “on holiday”.  One day her father, who has suffered from “allergies” ever since mummy left, takes little Daisy to the pet store.  When they come home with their new pet, Blueberry the snake, the story really begins.
WINNER BEST SHORT FILM is actually the title of one of the shorts, and is the hilarious story of a man who is sure he will be successful in the industry based on the results of his recent award winning short film.  This film will be fully appreciated by anyone who is in the film business, who has tried or failed to make their own short film, or who has had to sit and watch endless screeners of bad films.  But truly the audience of film lovers last night were laughing themselves silly.
SHELDON is the sad story of a washed up television show puppet, fresh out of rehab.  With no one willing to give him a second chance on film, what choice does he have but to accept the offer of a celebrity wrestling match?
COCKPIT: THE RULE OF ENGAGEMENT is an excellent Sci Fi entry taking place in 2103 when humans are battling creatures who have perfected mind control.  When one fighter returns from battle claiming he never had any contact with the alien mind controllers, should he be believed, or should he be destroyed to protect the human race?  The moral question in this short makes it an excellent Sci Fi pick.
In my opinion, short films are always a great choice, and with $8 for a ticket that allows you to see 13 – 16 films, you can’t beat the price.  If your mind isn’t made up yet, keep in mind that Camera 3 contains the awesome Psycho Donuts in their lobby AND they serve alcohol.  Pop corn, donuts, wine and beer, and two hours of great film…  what better way to spend your weekend?
San Jose Short Film Festival
Tickets $8
Camera 3
288 S. Second Street
Program 1
Saturday, December 11th, 4pm
Sunday, December 12, 4pm
Program 2
Saturday December 11th, 1pm
Sunday December 12th, 1pm
There is also a FREE Film Forum (at their Festival Headquarters: 110 Paseo de San Antonio) from 1pm – 9pm TODAY (Friday, December 10) with filmmaker interviews, equipment and product demonstrations including Red Cameras, DLSRs and sound equipment, plus a terrific panel discussion where you get to ask the questions from their panel of film experts (starts at 6:30pm) and discuss the state of indie filmmaking in the Bay Area.nd Program 2 has 13 films, and there is a great variety of genres and types of films to see.  Everything from drama to comedy to Sci Fi is represented, and I enjoyed almost every film of Program 1 on Thursday evening.  But the best thing about film shorts is that even if you don’t like one particular film it is over in 15 minutes or less!  And then you’re on to the next one!  Program 1 is about 2 hours 30 minutes long and Program 2 is just under 2 hours, and both have a good variety of shorts with some crossover.
Some highlights from Program 1:
BLUEBERRY is the charming story of a darling young girl whose mother has left “on holiday”.  One day her father, who has suffered from “allergies” ever since mummy left, takes little Daisy to the pet store.  When they come home with their new pet, Blueberry the snake, the story really begins.
WINNER BEST SHORT FILM is actually the title of one of the shorts, and is the hilarious story of a man who is sure he will be successful in the industry based on the results of his recent award winning short film.  This film will be fully appreciated by anyone who is in the film business, who has tried or failed to make their own short film, or who has had to sit and watch endless screeners of bad films.  But truly the audience of film lovers last night were laughing themselves silly.
SHELDON is the sad story of a washed up television show puppet, fresh out of rehab.  With no one willing to give him a second chance on film, what choice does he have but to accept the offer of a celebrity wrestling match?
COCKPIT: THE RULE OF ENGAGEMENT is an excellent Sci Fi entry taking place in 2103 when humans are battling creatures who have perfected mind control.  When one fighter returns from battle claiming he never had any contact with the alien mind controllers, should he be believed, or should he be destroyed to protect the human race?  The moral question in this short makes it an excellent Sci Fi pick.
In my opinion, short films are always a great choice, and with $8 for a ticket that allows you to see 13 – 16 films, you can’t beat the price.  If your mind isn’t made up yet, keep in mind that Camera 3 contains the awesome Psycho Donuts in their lobby AND they serve alcohol.  Pop corn, donuts, wine and beer, and two hours of great film…  what better way to spend your weekend?
San Jose Short Film Festival
Tickets $8
Camera 3
288 S. Second Street
Program 1
Saturday, December 11th, 4pm
Sunday, December 12, 4pm
Program 2
Saturday December 11th, 1pm
Sunday December 12th, 1pm
There is also a FREE Film Forum (at their Festival Headquarters: 110 Paseo de San Antonio) from 1pm – 9pm TODAY (Friday, December 10) with filmmaker interviews, equipment and product demonstrations including Red Cameras, DLSRs and sound equipment, plus a terrific panel discussion where you get to ask the questions from their panel of film experts (starts at 6:30pm) and discuss the state of indie filmmaking in the Bay Area.