EC talks with Lisa Franek, Curator of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
March 11th, 2010 by Scott Marks
While it may not be our town’s longest running film festival (that honor goes to the Jewish Film Festival), the San Diego Latino Film Festival (SDLFF) is easily the most ambitious.
Included in the 185 shorts and features to be screened at the 17th annual fest are programs dedicated to animation, gay cinema, women directors, documentaries and experimental shorts harvested from media centers and schools throughout the country.
But the movies don’t stop with the eleven-day festival, which runs from March 11-21 at UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas at Hazard Center. Throughout the year the Media Arts Center, the nonprofit parent company of SDLFF, holds special screenings. They include fall’s Cinema en tu Idioma series that features workshops, parties and celebrity meet-and-greets in addition to six movies.
The festival’s curator is Lisa Franek, who works closely with founder/executive director Ethan van Thillo.
Franek, a 34-year-old Colorado native, moved to San Diego to attend grad school at SDSU, where she received a master’s degree in film. Before joining the festival three years ago, she taught classes at San Diego State, City College and Platt College.
Though busy with the Latino Fest, Franek didn’t sound the least bit frantic during a recent interview.
Scott Marks: What is it about movies that caught your attention in the first place?
Lisa Franek: I started out as an undergrad in music and I also studied dance and theater. Movies are really the only art form where you get to combine all the other art forms. Once you hear a movie camera and the film running through it, it’s magical to the point where it becomes an addiction. I love movies.
How did you get your job as festival curator?
I started out by volunteering and they called me and said, “Hey, you weren’t bad. Why don’t you come back and help us out some more?”
How many movies did you watch in order to whittle it down to 185 selections?
This year it was over 600.
That includes features and shorts?
Yes.
Do you remember the first film you ever saw?
In my life?
Yes.
(Laughing) No. I do remember my very first favorite film when I was a kid and that was “The Black Stallion.” It remains one of my favorites to this day.
Do you have an all-time favorite movie?
Wow, that’s a tough one. It kind of changes.
Continue reading EC talks with Lisa Franek, Curator of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
Tags: Carlos Saura, Cinco Días Sin Nora, ethan van thillo, Io Don Giovanni, Lisa Franek, Media Arts Center, Nevando Voy, San Diego film festivals, San Diego Latino Film Festival, Scott Marks, SDLFF, SDNN, UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas at Hazard CenterFiled Under Interviews
KPBS Film Club reviews “Shutter Island,” “Red Riding Trilogy,” “Une Prophet,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Ghost Writer” and Oscar
March 10th, 2010 by Scott Marks
I don’t think the bookworm liked me.
Jerry Griswold, the director of SDSU’s National Center for the Study of Children’s Literature, was on to talk about the differences between Lewis Carroll and Tim Burton. Instead of giving me a vacation, Griswold came out swinging all because I nice things to say about the 3-D version of “Alice in Wonderland!” Made for grate radio!
My favorite shows are when Beth and I disagree on everything and today was one such example. Beth didn’t even like the Oscars and her thoughts on “Shutter Island” made me shudder!
If I seem more hurried than usual you have Marty to thank. Wanting to ensure that we didn’t go over and bump the “Shutter Island” review, I tried my best to be brief. So did our producer Angela Carone who kept the segments flying at a brisk pace in order to allow time to pay my respects to Him. The three listeners who actually put stock in my opinions needed to hear them.
Filed Under KPBS Radio Shows
keep looking »