Ok, ok, so perhaps I should first mention that these past 10 days, Santa Barbara celebrated its 27th Annual International Film Festival (SBIFF)...and then guess I'll have to admit that the pass actually belonged to my brother Ryan (who did have a film in the festival in the Local Shorts section). But I'm definitely not exaggerating about how much fun I had experiencing the SBIFF in true VIP style!
Although Kevan had to leave for a limo job in San Luis Obispo, my parents, Ryan and I decided to go see another film that afternoon after Ryan's film screened. Ryan had heard good things about a documentary called "The Other Dream Team", so we decided to check it out, and I must say that I was MORE than pleasantly surprised. The film follows the extraordinary story of the 1992 Lithuanian basketball team, whose athletes struggled under Soviet rule, became symbols of Lithuania's independence movement, and - with the help of the Grateful Dead - triumphed at the Barcelona Olympics. After the film, we were treated to a Q&A with director Marius Markevicius, who talked about growing up in Los Angeles as the son of first generation Lithuanian immigrants a second generation, and how he came to make this film. I would recommend this film to EVERYONE!
At this point I was feeling pretty good about my film festival experience...I'd only picked one film that was mediocre at best (if you're wondering, it was Alps, a Greek film that sounded promising, but ended up being downright depressing and left me wishing I could take back those 2 hours I spent watching it), but all the other films I'd seen were spectacular. So when Ryan invited me to see 2 more films, I was hoping they wouldn't leave a bad taste in my mouth, so to speak.
Quite the opposite, really, as the first film Ryan and I saw was "Samsara" which is a Sanskrit word that literally means 'a running together', but in Buddhist and Hindu belief, means the ongoing cycle of life, growth, death, and rebirth. If you can, try to see this film as it was meant to be seen, in 4K, which makes it look better and more crisp than life itself. This breathtaking documentary was featured as the Centerpiece Film and was shot in over 40 countries. Here are just a few still shots from the film to whet your appetite:
Check out this interesting interview with director, Ron Fricke.
Last, but certainly not least, Ryan and I attended the Closing Night film, "Where Do We Go Now?" This Lebanese film is about a remote, unnamed Lebanese village inhabited by both Muslims and Christians, which is also surrounded by land mines and reachable only by a small, nearly blown out bridge. As civil strife engulfs the country, the women in the village try, by various hilarious means, to protect their men and families from more violence. I was immediately swept up into the lives of these characters, sitting on the edge of my seat one second with tears pooling in the corner of my eyes, and laughing uproariously the next. This is the second film for director Nadine Labaki (who also starred as one of the main women in movie and is pictured on the above movie poster), and I can't wait to see her first film, "Caramel". "Where Do We Go Now?" is a film that I would love to watch again, only to fall in love with the characters and their stories all over again. Find a way to view this film...you will certainly not be disappointed!
On that note (after attending the closing night party of course), I bid adieu to the 27th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and look forward to next year's line up (of course my fingers are crossed that my talented little brother has another film in the festival, so that I too can again receive the red carpet treatment!)
