The museum will debut its first-ever “crowd-sourced” exhibit, #DowntownVisions, on Sept. 27. The exhibit’s goal of bringing strangers together through art for meaningful conversation runs parallel to the theme of the Austrian drama Museum Hours, our monthly screening at the historic Tower Theatre on Sept. 13.

Filmworks is happy to welcome the Fresno Art Museum as a screening sponsor for Museum Hours. The museum’s executive director, Linda Cano, recently gave us a preview of the new #DowntownVisions display.

Question: What does it mean when you say this exhibit is “crowd-sourced”?
Answer: “It’s all skill levels, all ages, people that have never shown in a museum, people that aren’t artists that just wanted to be a part of it. If people have videos, they can upload them onto YouTube, send us the URL, and then the videos will be uploaded into the gallery. They’ll be on a loop [on a screen accompanying the physical artworks]. So, it’s totally crowd-sourced. Then we have people who have submitted 3-dimensional works and 2-dimensional works already, and those are here.

“We’ve got one piece that is by a 6-year-old. He submitted a work made out of Shrinky Dinks, which I had never heard of before. But it’s plastic that you can draw on with marker pens and colors, and then you put it in the oven and it shrinks. He has drawn and cut out all the big, large buildings in downtown and made sort of a diorama. It’s unbelievable!”

Q: Where did the idea for #DowntownVisions come from?
A: “It came from an exhibition we already had on the schedule, which is called C. Normart: 50 Years of Downtown. Local artist “Corky” Normart has done watercolors and paintings of downtown for about 62 years. Some are abstract, some are representational. Some of the buildings don’t even exist anymore. We were doing a retrospective for him and we started thinking about how the works were all so different. And then we started thinking that everybody has a vision of downtown Fresno. They see it differently, or maybe they see how they want it to look in the future. That’s how this whole #DowntownVisions exhibit came to be.”

“But things change. Times change. And people need to adapt, and certainly architecture and landscapes and cityscapes need to grow and adapt to the people so that they’re still useful.”

Q: Our upcoming film is about two strangers connecting very personally to each other through the art found in a museum. We’ve been interested to see how the filmmaker depicts that. We are also curious to know how you hope people will respond to your exhibit?
A: “I want people to take another look at the Fresno Art Museum as a very approachable gathering place, a place for people to come together to interact and discuss in a thoughtful way issues that they are concerned with. It’s not just a place to look at art, but it’s a place to engage and interact with each other. Also, the downtown community is really rich and strong. I’d like to strengthen the museum’s relationship with downtown.

“We’re hoping that the discussion will start because art is sort of a neutral way to approach sometimes difficult topics. Whether it’s political topics, whether it’s topics about different cultures or different issues, people can come in and they can look at things and be thoughtful and hopefully start discussing.”

The Fresno Art Museum will continue to take online contributions for the #DowntownVisions exhibit through their website. Selections will be shown live in the gallery starting Sept. 27, when #DowntownVisions is scheduled to open.

Andrew Veihmeyer earned his B.A. in communication from Fresno State. He is the Filmworks media relations and communication intern.

The post When art and strangers come together appeared first on Fresno Filmworks.

Occupations: Joan is a professor in the Department of Art and Design at Fresno State. Brijesh is a tour operator specializing in private and group tours to the Indian sub-continent.

What are your hobbies?
Joan: Traveling, working in the garden, and reading The New York Times.
Brijesh: Philately – international postage stamps, Indian and world history, and foreign films.

What type of films or movie genres would you like Filmworks to show more of?
Brijesh: “Foreign films from Eastern and Western Europe that are not available in commercial movie theaters. I lived in Switzerland for 20 years working with different banks in administrative positions. I had seen several Swiss, German, and Austrian films during that time.”
Joan: “I love international films that offer a global perspective and experience, specifically Monsieur Lazhar andVioleta Went to Heaven. I like to see the world through other people’s eyes, people who live in other regions of the globe instead of Hollywood films created here in the U.S. I enjoy having the opportunity to view films with less of a Eurocentric viewpoint. I like to get a broader perspective.”

What are some other independent film events you have been to?
Brijesh: “Joan and I had an opportunity to attend the Locarno Film Festival [in Switzerland] in the early ’90s and the Palm Springs International Film Festival a few times here in California. I enjoy the variety of interesting films offered through Filmworks and also Cineculture [at Fresno State].”
Joan: “In the ’80s while living in Philadelphia, I had the opportunity to see international films at the University of Pennsylvania. They had a very nice film festival. There were also a few theaters that showed international films and documentaries in Philadelphia. We’ve attended the Palm Springs festival three times and enjoy it very much, but attendance has increased and the lines to get into the theater are getting longer every year.”

How did you get involved with Filmworks?
Joan: “We began attending Cineculture on the campus of Fresno State, and I read about Filmworks in The Fresno Bee. After some time, there was a collaboration between Filmworks and Cineculture.”

Who got you to volunteer?
Joan: “G-L-O-R-I-A, Gloria! [That is, board member and volunteer coordinator Gloria Burrola.] I think we attended a number of films and we had attended the Fresno Film Festival. I got on the email list and there was a call out there for volunteers. I think the first time we volunteered was at the festival.”

What is your usual volunteer job?
Brijesh: “I have collected tickets and worked at the concessions table.”
Joan: Whatever is needed — ticket taking, concessions.”

What do you like most about volunteering?
Joan: “I enjoy meeting friends, students, and community members.”
Brijesh: “Meeting like-minded people and watching interesting, thought-provoking films.”

Filmworks thanks all of our August 2013 volunteers: Lorna Bonyhadi, Karin Carlson, Nené Casares, Monica Marks-Rea, Karen Mele, Luis Ojeda, Sholmo Pleban, Andre Provencio, Gene Richards, Susan Rogers, Bill Rovin, Brijesh Sharma, Joan Sharma, Richard Stone, Tracy Stuntz, Lorraine Tomerlin, Andrew Veihmeyer (intern), Suzanne Watkins.

Past volunteers of the month:
• July 2013 – Jon Veinberg
• June 2013 – Richard Stone
• May 2013 – Sarah Nixon
• April 2013 – Alyssa Rendon
• March 2013 – Nené Casares

Contact our volunteer coordinator, Gloria Burrola, to volunteer at a future screening.

The post Volunteers of the Month: Joan and Brijesh Sharma appeared first on Fresno Filmworks.

To address the issues affecting the moviegoing experience, Filmworks will screen the documentary drama The Rep on Aug. 18. Afterward, board members will lead small-group discussions about the preservation of independent cinema in Fresno.

One of my first assignments as the Filmworks summer intern was a blog post about Swede Fest 11, the Filmworks co-sponsored event showcasing community film creations. How could condensed, shoestring-budget versions of Hollywood films belong on a real movie screen? Weren’t these better suited to YouTube or a private screening at a friend’s house, to snicker in small groups at the homemade offerings?

Once I experienced Swede Fest myself, my assumptions vanished.

The Tower Theatre was packed and the crowd was lively. Among the many unusual creations was the “sweded” version of The Matrix from Dustin McLean. The effects were amusing and flat-out impressive, and the audience cheers confirmed it. Also of note, the “sweded” Devo music video for Whip It from Richard Rocha got big chuckles of surprise and was definitely another highlight. I realized something right there: Having this community event on an authentic movie screen in a real theater made all the difference.

We fed off of each other’s energy and reactions, and the atmosphere gave the filmmakers instant feedback on how their sweded creation was received. The applause wasn’t just because we were entertained. It was also a sense of pride that many of these creations were made locally, by friends and family and people in attendance. Having the movies screened at the Tower further enhanced the evening, adding a celebratory touch of class.

I’m also a fan of classic films, particularly works from directors like Frank Capra and Alfred Hitchcock, and anything with actor James Stewart. It was Filmworks’ short-lived classics series that convinced me to attend a movie at the Tower for the first time. I couldn’t pass up the chance to see personal favorites like Psycho and The Birds in 35mm, on the big screen and with an audience. And twice, I was charmed.

The Psycho screening in April 2011 was one of the most exciting moviegoing experiences I’ve ever been a part of. One audience member dressed up as Norman Bates’ mother — so completely unexpected and hilarious. Nostalgic and playful reactions were heard throughout the rows of the theater during the film, and even a few spirited and genuine gasps at the plot twists. Not bad for a suspense tale that’s more than 50 years old. To put it simply, the experience transported me to a time in film history I had always wished to visit.

I keep using the word “experience” intentionally. That is what film viewing ought to be about, a point that The Rep director Morgan White details in his recent interview with Filmworks for CMAC TV. One audience coming together for a unified purpose, and yet bringing their own interpretations and emotional responses to the material, is what the cinema experience ought to aspire to.

When the artistry takes front and center, and the need for a Hollywood-sized commercial return loosens up, the viewers receive a certain intimacy with the material and shared energy with their fellow filmgoers. So grab some snacks, maybe a beer, sit down with your neighbors, and enjoy a real show.

Andrew Veihmeyer earned his B.A. in communication from Fresno State. He is the Filmworks media relations and communication intern.

The post On classics, swedes, and the independent theater experience appeared first on Fresno Filmworks.

Gibney, known for provocative documentaries calling out the corrupt, delivers another intriguing political story with We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks on Aug. 9 at the historic Tower Theatre. Filmworks presents his new film, which chronicles the dramatic revelations of one of the biggest information leaks in U.S. government history. The leak, headed by Assange and informant Bradley Manning, continues to make waves and front-page news around the world, as Manning’s court case goes on.

The whistleblowers highlighted in the film act as a parallel to Gibney’s own revealing style as a writer and director. His first well-known documentary was Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, detailing the fall of a crooked corporate giant and its bankruptcy that led to to thousands of layoffs and even employee suicides.

Former Enron bigwigs Kenneth L. Lay, Jeffrey K. Skilling, and Andrew S. Fastow are painted in a shocking light, as the audience discovers their actions that sank the company into over $66 billion in debt.

Not only does the filmmaker focus on the seedy nature of the company, Gibney also takes pains to depict the people caught up in such corruption and inner turmoil.

“I became somewhat sympathetic about some aspects of some of the people from Enron—even some of the higher-ups,” says Gibney in a PBS interview. “I don’t think they started out running a scam; they fell into it, incrementally.”

His passion for exposing deceptions and displaying the individuals involved in them continues in his Oscar-winning 2007 film Taxi to the Dark Side, depicting the controversial torture methods used by the United States in Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Once again, the film revolves around poignant human experience. Dilawar, an Afghan taxi driver suspected of attacking an American base, was arrested and subjected to extreme torture from U.S. forces that ultimately led to his death.

Afghan commander Jan Baz Khan, who originally arrested Dilawar and his taxi passengers and turned them over to the U.S. military, was later found to be himself behind the attack, rather than the men detained.

Although Gibney has a long history of depicting the United States government and Americans in less than noble shades, critics have still identified him as a man who wants to show people the truth and present it fairly.

A review from Variety shares surprise and appreciation for We Steal Secrets as it avoids the typical harsh fodder directed at former President George W. Bush. “It’s heartening to see Gibney shift his target to the current administration, demonstrating an ongoing willingness to take on the Man, whoever that may be.”

This balanced approach at real-subject filmmaking and his adamant efforts to include the powerful and personal stories of those involved in such narratives has given Gibney a firm and respected place in the documentary film tradition.

The director is already moving forward with his follow up to We Steal Secrets, this time devoting himself completely to the complex story of Manning, recently found not guilty for the charge of aiding the enemy, as the United States continues to determine the course to take regarding his actions. The new film will be based on a book by Denver Nicks.

Andrew Veihmeyer earned his B.A. in communication from Fresno State. He is the Filmworks media relations and communication intern.

The post Gibney whistles cold realities and human stories appeared first on Fresno Filmworks.

In a digital world where exposing sensitive details is often commonplace and instant, what happens when decades worth of data is revealed in one of the largest breaches of government information in history? What are the ethical standards expected of the individuals who reveal it?

These questions and more are examined in the Alex Gibney documentary We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks, which plays Aug. 9 at the historic Tower Theatre. The film is hosted by Fresno Filmworks, the nonprofit that brings independent and international movies to the Central Valley each month.

The screening of We Steal Secrets arrives during an important time in the ongoing narrative regarding national security issues, in the midst of dramatic new revelations about the government’s use of data.

“The U.S. government, no matter the administration, always walks a fine line when using its power to suppress information,” says Jefferson Beavers, the communication director for Filmworks. Beavers, who teaches journalism at Fresno City College, hopes those who attend consider the imposed limits to freedom of expression depicted in the film.

The ABC story focused on Edward Snowden, a former NSA and CIA employee who leaked new government files earlier this year. Snowden is currently stuck in Russia, seeking asylum there or in Latin America. During the interview, a taped segment was shown of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry criticizing Snowden and predicting, with the latest data leaks, a higher level of sophistication in future terrorist attacks and even death for compromised Americans worldwide.

Assange, currently in a safe house in Ecuador, downplayed Kerry’s comments to Snowden as skilled rhetoric, nothing more.

“Not a single U.S. government official, no one from the Pentagon, no one from any government has sensed that any of our revelations in the past six years has caused anyone to come to physical harm,” Assange told ABC.

While much of the current media attention is on Snowden, We Steal Secrets focuses on the earlier revelations of Bradley Manning, a U.S. Army soldier taken into custody in May 2010 for leaking video footage of U.S. forces in a Baghdad airstrike, hundreds of thousands of Army reports from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as diplomatic cables dating back to 1966. The documents were published online via WikiLeaks and Assange’s global network of digital activists.

Manning’s current military trial continues now into the sentencing phase, and in theory he faces a possible sentence of life in prison.

An article by The Telegraph that compares Manning and Snowden, the newspaper argues that there are distinct parallels in their stories, but there remains “a crucial distinction.” Manning could not have been aware of the sheer mass of everything he transmitted, says an unidentified former defense official, while Snowden’s release of classified data from surveillance programs in both the U.S. and Britain, so far, seem more deliberate, selective, and targeted.

The alleged recklessness of Manning, experts say, may be particularly troublesome considering the amount of information he had access to. In any case where classified or private information becomes publicly accessible, the individuals involved must exercise careful judgment.

“They have to take responsibility of the consequences of disclosure,” says Robert Navarro, a Fresno lawyer who is affiliated with the Greater Fresno Chapter of the ACLU. Navarro, who also serves as the Filmworks vice president, says the goal for anyone who discloses sensitive information ought to be about “informing the public without putting undue risk to the health and safety of the person who might be involved in the activity.”

At the screening, Navarro and the ACLU will conduct an informal survey for the audience to provide feedback on free speech and information issues facing those in Fresno County. He hopes it will help the local ACLU chapter to direct its attention to specific matters facing the area.

Joining the ACLU Greater Fresno Chapter as sponsors of the Aug. 9 film is the WILPF Fresno Branch and the Community Alliance newspaper. Show times are 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Audience members are encouraged to arrive early or stay late to discuss the film with the sponsors in the theater lobby.

Andrew Veihmeyer earned his B.A. in communication from Fresno State. He is the Filmworks media relations and communication intern.

The post Documenting the Data Wars appeared first on Fresno Filmworks.

Occupation: Jon is a retired mental health therapist at Families First, a poet, and an occasional teacher.

What are your hobbies? “I love the Tower District. We have friends who are musicians, so we try to go to concerts and dinners and things of that nature, a lot of things that relate to the arts.”

What type of film or movie genre would you like Filmworks to show more of? “Dramedy, because it gives us a more realistic picture of the world. A little bit of offbeat dramedy is what I would like, and a director or whoever is responsible who has a different vision than the Hollywood vision. That’s what life’s about—tragedy and comedy.”

How did you get involved with Filmworks? “My wife, Dixie Salazar, is on the board, and I have other friends on the board. I have also been fascinated with independent movies.”

Who got you to volunteer? “In 2002, Filmworks had fundraising parties asking for volunteers, and that’s how they got the original volunteers. I don’t know if all of them are even still around 11 years later.”

What is your usual volunteer job? “At the bar, mostly. But before it became mandated to have a professional security guard there, I was security. I don’t look anything like how a security guard should look. All I had was a T-shirt that said ‘Security.’ But those who go to the theater are not the kind to start a brawl.”

What do you like most about volunteering? “All the people I work with seem to have a fun-loving attitude. That makes it a joy to do something for nothing. Where else can you go to be a volunteer at a great, beautiful building like The Tower Theatre and serve drinks to people?”

Filmworks thanks all of our July 2013 volunteers: Kiara Actis, Anna K. Adaska, Nené Casares, Alyssa Garvin (discussant), Katie Giometti, Margaret M. Hord, Jenna Lange, Hope Megerdichian, Susan Messina, Sarah Nixon, Kristy Page, J. Wes Pierson, Gene Richards, Susan Rogers, Brijesh Sharma, Joan Sharma, Zoë Smurr, Richard Stone, Tracy Stuntz, Jordan T. Taylor, Andrew Veihmeyer (intern), Jon Veinberg.

Past volunteers of the month:
• June 2013 – Richard Stone
• May 2013 – Sarah Nixon
• April 2013 – Alyssa Rendon
• March 2013 – Nené Casares

Contact our volunteer coordinator, Gloria Burrola, to volunteer at a future screening.

The post Volunteer of the Month: Jon Veinberg appeared first on Fresno Filmworks.

“Someone described her to me as being like a tumbleweed. She just kind of keeps rolling.”

Gerwig co-wrote the character of Frances for the film, which plays July 12 at the Tower Theatre. Onscreen, Gerwig plays Frances as a young but suddenly older New York woman whose dreams of having a successful dancing career, a secure life in the city, and closer relationships always seem to be just out of reach.

What is the worth of watching characters “tumble” their way through the plot? Why are unfulfilled dreams so interesting to witness in film characters?

In April 2011, Filmworks screened Alfred Hitchcock’s influential work, Psycho, as part of its monthly series. While drastically different from a film like Frances Ha in setting and tone, Hitchcock’s suspense tale also devotes its first half to characters who long for something intangible to fill their empty lives.

The film begins with Marion Crane in her desperate attempt to be with the man she loves– even if it means stealing $40,000. While on the run, she stumbles upon the Bates Motel and decides to stay the night during a rainstorm.

There, she meets the manager, Norman Bates, and it’s clear he has desires and dreams of his own.

Marion feels sorry for the young man, stuck managing a deserted motel and with a controlling mother. Their talk convinces her to make amends back home. Marion says, “I stepped into a private trap back there and I’d like to go back and try to pull myself out of it.”

As the plot develops, however, Marion’s dreams to be with her love interest and her conviction to clear her name go unfulfilled, and Norman remains in his darkness and isolation. Most film lovers know what becomes of them in the second half of the movie, even for those who haven’t seen it. Perhaps that’s part of the power of the film. It’s the very real personal struggles of both Marion and Norman– not their resolve– that keeps these characters alive and fresh in the minds of many filmgoers.

Such is also the case with Federico Fellini’s powerful 1957 classic Le notti di Cabiria (Nights of Cabiria). The film follows a quick-witted prostitute in a poor neighborhood in Rome. She owns a meager home and a small life savings, but she longs to leave her situation and find genuine love. Her friends call it vain hope while others take advantage of it and steal her property.

Throughout the course of the drama, Cabiria pursues her dream relentlessly, all the while insisting that she is self-sufficient and strong.

“I have my own house with water, electricity, bottled gas. I’ve got everything, even a thermometer,” she assures one of her customers.

As Cabiria wanders a deserted country road, completely destitute, a sobering smile begins to form as she hears music from a passing crowd, perhaps a symbol to keep going. Her strength in the pursuit is what ultimately makes her endearing.

While the coming-of-age troubles that Frances faces may prove to be less extreme by comparison, the sentiment of identifying with someone’s struggle remains true. In an interview with Refinery 29 magazine, Gerwig parallels the shaky life of Frances with her own as an independent artist. “You just always feel like you’re just one bad break from it all falling apart.”

But she says that the lost character trying to find his or her way often resonates with her: “I have a lot of empathy for them and I feel, in some ways, very close to them.”

Maybe it’s not so much in reaching the dream that an audience takes home with it, but rather it’s in the attempt at making that dream a reality. We would find little enjoyment in seeing a passive or ungrateful character be fulfilled out of chance, and even less with one wallowing in hardship without any desire for something better.

Even if we haven’t experienced the same aspirations and disappointments as shown in these characters, a good film will always make us feel that we have. And in the case of Frances Ha, the pursuit promises to be quite amusing and anything but black and white.

Andrew Veihmeyer earned his B.A. in communication from Fresno State. He is the Filmworks media relations and communication intern.

The post Chasing dreams in black and white appeared first on Fresno Filmworks.

Occupation: Richard is a retired independent studies instructor at Reedley College. He currently teaches yoga at the Yoga Center of Fresno, he volunteers for the Fresno Center for Nonviolence as secretary and board member, he volunteers with the Community Alliance newspaper as a writer, and he recently joined the board of directors for the social services group Healing Hope.

What are your hobbies? “I write creative nonfiction. But I call it an avocation.”

What has been a favorite movie you’ve seen at Fresno Filmworks? “12:08 East of Bucharest [in October 2007], a comedy about whether or not a revolution took place in a civil city. It was by a filmmaker just breaking into the business and semi-autobiographical of the director. It had allusions to other films, but it was all done so modestly and deadpan that I found it very enjoyable.”

Is there a certain movie genre you typically enjoy the most? “As long as it’s good quality, I don’t care what genre it is.”

How did you get involved with Filmworks? “I like film and Fresno commercial theaters are so limited in what they show. I read something about Filmworks and was delighted. I also know some people on the board. The Tower Theatre used to show foreign films and other good films and it was such a missing element in the Fresno area.”

Who got you to volunteer? “Gloria Burrola. She attended classes at the Yoga Center of Fresno.”

What is your usual volunteer job? “Mostly the concession stand; I sometimes make the popcorn. I’ve volunteered for maybe three or four years.”

How do you think you benefit? “It’s a pleasure, and they treat volunteers nobly and generously. It’s a fun job interacting with people who pass through. If it helps Filmworks, I’m glad to do it.”

Filmworks thanks all of our June 2013 volunteers: Avigdar Adams, Michelle Alexander, Nick Andrews, Glenda English Finley, Katie Heaton, Julie Linxwiler, Peter McDonald, Susan Messina, Sarah Nixon, Elvie Pastor, Peter Pastor, Wes Pierson, Alyssa Rendon, Gene Richards, Bill Rovin, Zoe Smurr, Richard Stone, Andrew Veihmeyer (intern), Jon Veinberg, Suzanne Watkins.

Contact our volunteer coordinator, Gloria Burrola, to volunteer at a future screening.

The post Volunteer of the Month: Richard Stone appeared first on Fresno Filmworks.

Occupation: Sarah is a sophomore at Central West High School. She also volunteers at Food Not Bombs and for different projects at her school.

What are your hobbies? “I really enjoy studying about completely extraneous subjects. I feel like that compels me to change what my college major is going to be. Most recently I’ve been fascinated with neuropharmacology. If you ask me in a month, I’d probably want to study something different.”

When did you first become acquainted with Filmworks? “I had driven by The Tower Theatre a fair percentage of my life and I’m sure some showings must have gone on and I was completely unaware. We used to pick up our vegetables from a CSA, and when I walked into the house where it was delivered, there was a sign for Urbanized [in January 2011].”

What has been your favorite screening? “I really liked the film Turn Me On, Dammit! [in June 2012] because a predominance of the audience seemed vaguely uncomfortable. I really enjoy when that happens because I think that’s occasionally what films are supposed to elicit in people, and it’s really fascinating to watch people experience that.”

What is one film you’d love to see on The Tower Theatre’s big screen? “Sans soleil. It’s shot in a documentary fashion and it’s narrated by the director, and I really enjoyed it. It’s also called Sunless, which is from the name of the song cycle by Modest Mussorgsky.”

What is your favorite time period of film? “Maybe 1970s or ’80s. The Holy Mountain [1973] and Sans soleil [1983] are my two favorite films. So, within that time period.”

Who got you to volunteer? “Alyssa Rendon was the substitute teacher in my world geography class. We briefly crossed paths at the showing of Urbanized and she encouraged me to volunteer. The next month I was on call to serve two shifts.”

What is your usual volunteer job? “I frequently take tickets and stand by tables and get mistaken for people in films, which I am pretty good at being mistaken as.”

How do you benefit? “Just becoming acquainted with the individuals that volunteer there and having conversations with them. It feels like a very good lecture in one sitting. I learn a lot from them. And I always know I’ll busy on the second Friday of the month, which is pretty good to inform my friends of so they can come.”

Filmworks thanks all of our May 2013 volunteers: John Alden, Nené Casares, Karen Hammer, Bryan Harley, Linda Hernandez, Carl Johnsen, Kathryn Johnsen, Mary Malesani, Monica Marks-Rea, Sarah Nixon, Luis Ojeda, Kristy Page, David Pirl, Alyssa Rendon, Gene Richards, Roque Rodriguez, Susan Rogers, Debi Ruud, Brijesh Sharma, Joan Sharma, William Skuban (discussant), Richard Stone, Tracy Stuntz, Lorriane Tomerlin, Andrew Veihmeyer (intern), Jon Veinberg, Olga Verkhotina (intern), Rebecca Wage.

Contact our volunteer coordinator, Gloria Burrola, to volunteer at a future screening.

The post Volunteer of the Month: Sarah Nixon appeared first on Fresno Filmworks.

Director Paul Bunnell’s alternate universe bursts to life on classic black-and-white celluloid film in his newest feature, The Ghastly Love of Johnny X, playing June 14 at The Tower Theatre.

In a recent phone interview, Bunnell insists that Johnny X was not born out of one singular vision but from many. Consciously emulating the B-movie style was never the sole lifeblood of the production, which officially began in 2004. Instead, Bunnell says his primary inspirations were James Whale’s 1935 horror classic Bride of Frankenstein and Brian De Palma’s 1974 cult classic Phantom of the Paradise, productions he believes move far beyond your typical B-movie flick.

But Johnny X still seems to resonate with audiences as a retro throwback of sorts, Bunnell admits.

So, what exactly are the elements that make up a classic B-movie? Opinions are mixed. Literally, it refers to the second movie on a double-feature screening. Beyond that, the movies generally contain extraordinary situations and places as their backdrops. Naturally, horror, sci-fi, and gangster films were right at home in this low-budget format that is perhaps most widely recognized as a product of the 1950s.

Influenced by vintage clubs he used to attend in the 1990s, combined with Bunnell’s recollection of the 1959 sci-fi movie Teenagers From Outer Space, the seeds became instrumental in growing the Johnny X storyline.

Throughout years of development, the story went from dark and brooding to a tone more playful and exciting, Bunnell says, and at its eventual finished form, the film plays similarly to those ’50s extravaganzas – stylized rebel greasers, flying saucers, and kooky horror creations.

“Everything comes out pretty sincere,” Bunnell says in describing the film’s acting style and pacing. Viewers will be surprised to see a more leisurely paced story than what they may be expecting, he teases.

Equally unexpected is the character of The Grand Inquisitor played by Kevin McCarthy, fondly remembered as the star of the influential 1956 horror sci-fi flick Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which Filmworks screened in October 2012 as part of its classics series.

Bunnell met McCarthy at a festival screening that showcased the actor’s accomplishments. He told him about his plans for Johnny X and McCarthy eventually agreed to be a part of what would be his final appearance in a full-length feature film.

“I did [this film] with heart, soul, and passion,” Bunnell says. He looks forward to sharing the film with Central Valley audiences.

Immediately following the June 14 screening, Bunnell will be joined at the theater by actor Will Keenan, costume designer Kristina West, and executive producer Mark Willoughby to talk about the film. They will detail the movie’s long journey to the big screen. An after-party with the filmmakers will be held at The Voice Shop, 1296 N. Wishon Ave.

Andrew Veihmeyer earned his B.A. in communication from Fresno State. He is the Filmworks media relations and communication intern.

The post Johnny X director creates his own big-screen universe appeared first on Fresno Filmworks.