Film and broadcast students shine on the big screen

By Peter Hernandez
The Guardsman

The first annual Festival of the Moving Image kicks off this Sept 19 at the Roxie Theatre with 11 inspiring films and broadcasts, including works from City College’s cinema department.

Opening night of the festival showcases cinema works, while the closing night on Sept 20 hosts a “best-of” screening of Identity TV programs and motion graphics from the Broadcast Entertainment Media Arts Department. IDTV is a half hour magazine-format program made by broadcast students and aired on Channel 27.

One of the films selected for the festival is “Ascend,” directed by Jacqueline Medina Argote. In this one-minute film a snail rides with commuters on the escalator handrail exiting a BART station. A  flare of sunlight and a downtown skyscraper comes to view as the escalator reaches the top, instilling a sense of optimism and perseverance.

“Art Inside Out” is a powerful documentary exploring the art program at the California School for the Blind where students are unburdened by visual art history. Director Patricia Warren said,  “I think if you can’t see you can’t judge.  You can engage in the process of making art without making comparisons. Your disability becomes an ability.”

Sabrina Wong directed the film “Grandpa,” which is a reflection on her non-English speaking immigrant grandfather living in Chinatown and an attempt to familiarize herself with her own family history. The film explores the dynamics of cross-cultural assimilation and uses local shots to peer into unseen places of the Chinatown neighborhood.

“I know many students at City College are immigrants,” said director of Grandpa, Sabrina Wong. “The topic of language was brought up in the film. I think it’s an important tool to succeed--there is a new work environment that is difficult and it’s important to adapt.”

Tom Ellis’ “Sortie” abstractly deconstructs French composer Erik Satie’s “Gnossiennes” series, reflecting on a mood captured in one continuous shot with live, on-set music. Performed by a pianist, cellist and violinist, the music is dynamic yet subtle as the film’s central character explores the different acoustics of sound and the cyclical nature of escapism.

“The music flowed with the mise-en-scène,” said Ellis. “I never really considered my film without on-set music.”

The second, and closing, day of the festival on Sept 20 will screen a 90-minute magazine-style program featuring a wide range of works drawn from four years of the Broadcast Electronic Media Arts department.

This marks the first time the BEMA department has ever screened their works in an eclectic format for the public.
The program includes four to five minute segments from the student-made IDTV, with interjections of motion graphics, or bumpers, that promote the department or television programs.

IDTV, which is aired on City College’s television channel EATV, explores topics like sustainable practices on a Marin farm, an artist that makes use of recycled materials, and a tenacious 92-year old Bayview-based homeless rights activist named Elouise Westbrook.

“It’s great, as students, to be able to engage with professionals in their field, and also to explore the field of broadcasting,” said writer and student producer for IDTV, Mark Castillo.

“What we want is for students to understand that you can do it. It can be done,” Castillo said. “You might have a great idea, but how to execute it is really the big experience.”