Photograph courtesy of www.beyondthesummit.com
This publicity photo for 'Beyond the Summit' shows Todd Skinner, part of an intrepid mountain-climbing group that cleaned garbage from Mt. Everest.
Los Gatos Film Festival features an outdoor show
By Shari Kaplan
All the world's a stage, according to William Shakespeare, and according to a local group of community-minded film buffs, the stage is now set in Los Gatos. The first annual Los Gatos Film Festival gets under way Oct. 5 with a free screening of the adventure classic, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," at 7:30 p.m. in Oak Meadow Park.
The park opens an hour before show time so people can stake out space on the grass, set up sleeping bags, blankets or lawn chairs and enjoy movie-style snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, which they can bring from home or purchase at the park from the Los Gatos Police Foundation.
That's just a warm-up. On Oct. 6, the Los Gatos Cinemas, at 41 N. Santa Cruz Ave., will air three films that have not yet been released in theaters: "Beyond the Summit," "Life as a House" and "Mulholland Drive." What theatergoers might not know is what went on behind the scenes to create this festival in the first place.
It began when current Los Gatos Mayor Joe Pirzynski met up with Los Gatos Cinemas co-owners Jack NyBlom and Jim Zuur last year to discuss the issue of downtown parking. Movie lovers all, they ended up getting sidetracked by the idea of a community film festival.
"We eat, breathe and sleep film; we're real film buffs," NyBlom says of himself and Zuur. "But with two screens in Los Gatos, you can't show a whole lot."
"We thought a film festival would be a real asset to the community. Film is one of the most vital art forms, and there's so much out there that most people don't see," NyBlom says.
With Pirzynski's contacts and familiarity with the town, and NyBlom and Zuur's theater ownership, the trio hashed out a tentative proposal, which stayed on the back burner until earlier this year, when they met with the Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce and made their dream a reality.
A 12-member steering committee soon took shape, comprised of Pirzynski, NyBlom, Zuur and members of the Los Gatos Parks Commission, Los Gatos Arts Commission and Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce. Its duties included soliciting locally for sponsorships and donations, obtaining an outdoor venue, creating a parking and security plan with the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department and, of course, selecting movies.
"We wanted to find a film that was attractive to families and that had an outdoor theme," Pirzynski says of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," the first of the Indiana Jones trilogy.
"I think what we were looking for is a model for future film festivals. We chose [the new films] because they were available, they had interesting plots, and they would appeal to different members of the community," he adds.
The first film, "Beyond the Summit," also has a tie to the community--Los Gatan Valerie Cigler was its executive producer. The film, narrated by Sharon Stone, tells of an international team of mountain climbers, scientists and a Sherpa, led by Belmont resident Bob Hoffman, on a mission to clean up all the waste left by previous expeditions to Mt. Everest.
"Life as a House" stars Kevin Kline as an architect with a messy life who discovers he's dying. This inspires him not only to finally build his dream house, but also to reconcile with his estranged teenage son. Oscar-winner Irwin Winkler ("Rocky") is the director; Oscar-nominee Mark Andrus ("As Good as it Gets") is the writer.
The last film, "Mulholland Drive," earned its prolific director, David Lynch, a Best Director award at this year's Cannes Film Festival. It follows two Los Angelans, a femme fatale with amnesia and a bubbly aspiring actress, who team up to untangle the former's past. It is described as "nightmarish, funny, sexy, surreal and mind-twisting."
NyBlom says he and the steering committee are already thinking about films for next year's film fest and eventually would like to extend it to a week-long event.
A pre-screening brunch takes place Oct. 6 at 9:30 a.m. at Willow Street Pizza; cost is $15 per person. Tickets for the Oct. 6 films are $10 each. A VIP package--which must be purchased in advance--is available for $40, which includes brunch and priority seating at all three films. For more information, call 408.354.9300, or stop by the Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce, 349 N. Santa Cruz Ave., or the Los Gatos Cinemas.
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