- Santa cruz film festival
=Festival Overview=The Santa Cruz Film Festival (SCFF) is a non-profit, independent, International film festival who's goal is to foster cross cultural awareness by programming international films and presenting a platform for public exchange. A hallmark of The Santa Cruz Film Festival is producing multi-disciplined art and performance events with film screenings that enhance the film goers experience.
Since the inaugural year (honored by The Santa Cruz Downtown Business Association as the Cultural Event of the Year) its programming has championed voices and stories that are often left out of mainstream cinema. The Santa Cruz Film Festival has presented over 800 diverse films from 5 continents, many of them World Premieres.
Honoring today's most creative independent films, SCFF presents Audience Awards for Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, International Film, Short Narrative, Short Documentary, Animated Work, Experimental Work, Student-Produced Work, Youth-Produced Work. Jury prizes are awarded in the Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature and Emerging Filmmaker categories.
Some film showcased in the fests history include: The Cockettes by David Weissman and Bill Weber, Sherman Alexie's The Business of Fancy Dancing, Neil Young's Greendale, Santa Cruz writer Cheri Lovedog's Prey For Rock and Roll, Curt Worden's One Fast Move Or I'm Gone :Jack Keruoac's Big Sur, David Arquette's The Tripper, Ray Manzarek's UCLA student films, The Ant Farm Anthology, LinkTv's Creative Programmer and Director Stephen Olsson's Sound of the Soul, BAFTA winner Summer Scars, Independent Spirit (Cassavetes) Award winner August Evening, Sundance Audience Award winner Fields of Fuel, local Dharma Punkand biopic subject Noah Levine of Meditate and Destroy by director Sarah Fisher, Maybe Logic: The Lives and Ideas of Robert Anton Wilson, The Grateful Dead concert doc Sunshine Daydream, the James Joyce inspired Imaging Ulysses, among others.
SCFF advocates cultural and artistic diplomacy by inviting directors, producers, actors, musicians, dancers, poets, painters, performance and other cinematic artists from around the globe to Santa Cruz. This generates conversations, builds community and collaborations among artists, academics, students, theorists, curators, festival-goers and the public. Musicians, artists and educators include:
The Cockettes, Neil Young, James Mazzeo, Ray Manzarek, B. Ruby Rich, Shyam Benegal, Chloe Webb, Wavy Gravy, Arthur Rosato, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Kabir and Camille Helminski, Baraka, Sonia Drakulic, Gari Haggedus, Hamed Nikpay, Daus Jerrahi, Jim Wanless, Timothy Ford, Larry Harvey, David Best, Paul Ruebens, The Mermen, Blood Bath and Beyond (Greg Campbell of Smashmouth), Lumin featuring Irina Mikhalova and Jeff Stott, Kevin Kmetz, Superior Olive, Patrick Cooper, Al Frisby, Ashkon, Yousimar, Alan “Sitar” Brown, Phil Collins (New Music Works), Blue Print, Thomas Cunningham, The Fue, Neo Benshi, Roxi Power Hamilton, Amanda Davidson, Wayne Smith, Morton Marcus, Jimmy Jackson, Dylan Rosenberg, No Limits Dance and Performing Troup, Jazz A Quartet, DJ MLE, Mark Robinson, Alina Moleti, Chanda Leer
Festival Partnerships
Collaborative partnerships include:
*The Satyarit Ray Film and Study Archive at UCSC
*Film Arts Foundation
*Link TV
*Pacific Film Archive
*University of California, Santa Cruz Department of Film and Digital Media
*University of California, Santa Cruz Porter College
*Cabrillo College, Aptos, California
*Epiphone
*Intel
*PAH fest (Project Accessible Hollywood)
*International Buddhist Cultural Social Foundation-Sri Lanka
*Visionary Media Inc. – Toronto, Canada
*Evan Kuhn Memorial Fund
*Cinema Sports (connecting SC with Frankfurt, London and Paris for a simultaneous film making workshop and live event)
*University of California, Santa Cruz Arts and Lecture Series (which co-produced the West Coast’s first tribute to Spalding Gray)
*The Santa Cruz County Museum of Art and History
*The Black Rock Arts Foundation
*The Bridge School
*The Rex Foundation
*The Threshold Society
*Cinemar
*Shakespeare Santa Cruz
*The William James Association
*Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County
*Santa Cruz County Cultural Council
*New Music Works
*Downtown Business Association
*The American Red Cross – Santa Cruz County Chapter
*Tipitina Foundation (Providing housing to musicians in the wake of Hurricane Katrina)
*The Burmese Migrant Education Project
*Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival
*Planned Parenthoodubmissions
The Santa Cruz Film Festival accepts film submissions from August to January yearly. Submissions can be made to the Festival's address:
Santa Cruz Film Festival312 Seabright AveSanta Cruz, CA 95062
Learn more about the Festival by visiting [www.santacruzfilmfestival.com]
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