The Carmel International Film Festival can feel like two different events. One is appointed with exclusive dinners, VIP privileges and pricey sponsors. The other is a smorgasbord of films facing down topics like fascism, journalism and consumerism.
The former shows us how the 1 percent live (they might dig The Preppie Connection… or not) and can take hundreds to thousands of dollars to access. But most of the films tell stories about the rest of us. So for those masses with not-so-massive paychecks, here’s how to get the most out of CIFF, without it getting most of your budget.
A Charlie Kaufman film!
It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from this certifiable genius whose writing credits include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Adaptation, and whose auteur masterpiece Synecdoche, New York is as ambitious as it is perplexing.
This time it’s a stop-motion animation called Anomalisa (6pm Sat, Lighthouse Theater) which was financed through Kickstarter, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and picked up distribution by Paramount Pictures.
There’s little info available on this film, but it’s loaded with promise. Kaufman does not mess around with anything less than the meaning of human experience.
Filmmaker talks and panels
Films with Q&As and panel discussions exemplify one of the best aspects of film festivals: the connection between filmmaker and audience. The list of filmmakers coming to offer themselves up for Q&As is in flux. But there are three films with confirmed panel discussions worthy of attention, for just $10 apiece.
The documentary CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap (10am Sat, Sunset Center Studio 105) examines the failure in gender equity in high tech workplaces like Facebook, Google and Apple, where 80-85 percent of the programmers are male. Robin Hauser Reynolds’ film shows viewers how and why, then she joins a panel of tech industry folks to expound on it.
Buried Above Ground (3pm Sat, Carmel High Performing Arts Center) examines Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the stories of a Hurricane Katrina survivor who describes her ordeal as “something out of Apocalypse Now,” a woman who suffered such abuse by her husband that she drinks to ameliorate the despair; and an Iraq war veteran who says “I think about it every day, throughout the day.” The panel comprises NAMI Monterey County, Shelter Outreach Plus and Veterans Transition Center of Monterey County.
The third documentary introduces Lizzie Vasquez, who was born with an undiagnosed syndrome that prevents her from gaining weight, prompting someone to post her video on YouTube and title it “The World’s Ugliest Woman.” Cruel comments followed. But she fights the tide of bullying with bravery. Sara Hirsh Bordo directed the film, A Brave Heart (12:30pm Fri at Sunset Center; 8pm Sat, Carmel High Performing Arts Center) and Vasquez will come to speak.
Mixing it up over music
Part and parcel of a film festival is the admixture of frivolity, networking and self-promotion. But if you have a script you want someone to see or a pitch you want someone to hear, you’ll have to have at least a $195-credential pass to attend parties, talks or breakfasts, etc. No need.
That’s because Forge in Carmel hosts a free VIP lounge in a private room. But it’s also the spot for the festival’s live music.
Johan Sotelo (9-10pm Fri, 7-8pm Sat) of Salinas sings and strums his guitar with the sweet ease of a John Mayer or Norah Jones. Guitar phenom Richie Conway (6:30-7:30pm Fri, 4-5pm Sat) can play his Stratocaster upside-down while blindfolded. Morgan St. Jean (4:30-5:30pm Fri, 8:30-9:30pm Sat) a USC student, sings with emotion about the intoxication and the ache of young love.
A perch within earshot of these performers with a drink in hand seems like a perfect stake-out to meet and chat up potential investors or producers.
Sneak previews (the journalism edition)
CIFF is our shot at gaining sneak previews of feature films that will open wide later. Last year that included Force Majeure, Whiplash and Nightcrawler.
This year, keep your eyes on Spotlight (8:30pm Sat, Lighthouse Theater), co-written and directed by Tom McCarthy and starring a stellar cast led by Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams. It’s about the special investigations team of the Boston Globe breaking the story about the Catholic church’s coverup of pedophilia among its priests.
And in breaking news about another feature film about a crucial juncture in journalism, it was announced days ago that the film Truth (8:30pm Thu, Lighthouse Cinemas) starring Robert Redford as Dan Rather and Cate Blanchett as 60 Minutes producer Mary Mapes, is being added to opening night.
It’s based on Mapes’ memoir account of their 2004 news story on President Bush’s service in the Alabama Air National Guard and an allegation of special treatment that allowed him to avoid serving in the Vietnam War.
Red carpet, no velvet rope
It doesn’t take a lot of money or celebrity to walk the red carpet at the festival, complete with a logo backdrop for pictures. It just takes a $10 ticket (if they haven’t sold out to credential holders).
There are three so-called “red-carpet” films. Miss You Already (8:30pm Fri, Lighthouse Cinemas) is a buddy film about two best friends, Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette, helping in each other’s ups and downs. All Things Must Pass (8pm Thu, Sunset Center) is a doc about Tower Records, with folks like Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl reminiscing about the cultural touchstone. James White (8pm Fri, Sunset Center) looks to be an intense profile of a young man (Christopher Abbott) tested by life.
Refreshing new venues
The Sunset Center is the quintessential CIFF venue. But this year the list extends its reach outside Carmel into interesting places.
The documentary The Last Man on the Moon (5:30pm Sat, Middlebury Institute of International Studies ) looks as otherworldly as Ridley Scott’s The Martian. And the steep stadium seating of MIIS’s auditorium, perhaps among idealistic young people from across the globe, seems a swell place to watch it.
Lighthouse Cinemas in Pacific Grove, has been a gracious host of special film events like the Monarch Film Festival, and they’ve got some big CIFF films. Hidden Valley, out in Carmel Valley, is a smart choice for its rustic comfort. The Carl Cherry Center has served as a CIFF satellite in the past, but it’s also the smallest venue (60 precious seats), giving it an intimacy as if the space between performance and audience has shrunk.
Caveat: A safe prediction is unpredictability. Check the website and Twitter for updates. And see you at the movies.
CARMEL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 10am-11pm Thu-Sat; 9am-5pm Sun. Various locations in Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel Valley. $10/film; $50/day passes; $95/all access film pass; $195/essential credential; $495-$5,375/packages. 625-3700, www.CarmelFilmFestival.com