SF Short FF: 49 Miles Bay Area Stories

Madge and Me

Director: Austin Aviles

Runtime: 5 minutes

An ex-public defendant recants the journey of deciding to become a Milliner and the process of crafting hand made hats.

Jardines

Director: Alfredo Torres

Runtime: 26 minutes

While waiting in limbo, displaced LGBTQ folks hoping to cross into the United States find support and healing with one another, as they process the heartbreak and joy of a queer family on the move.

The Last of the Nightingales

Director: Masha Karpoukhina

Runtime: 33 minutes

In the late 1960’s Bernie Krause was a prolific composer & a foley artist who pioneered synthesizers and worked with industry giants such as Francis Ford Coppola, the Doors, and the Rolling Stones, but after one chance encounter with the sounds of the wilderness, he chose to change his career path in life, setting out to gather wild field recordings to help battle the climate crisis using acoustic information. Over half a century later, his vast archive of captured soundscapes reflects dire habitat devastation in the world, yet also yields urgent stories about the need for immediate change. In October of 2017, Bernie saw the face of global warming and it was on his front porch. As the wildfires completely ravaged his home and recording studio of many years, Bernie and his wife, Kat barely escaped with their lives that night. Struck by the tragic and intimate immediacy of climate change, their message has become ever more urgent, yet still, filled with hope. “The Last of the Nightingales” invites the audience to experience the rich acoustic beauty of the living world through Bernie’s ears, exceptionally attuned over decades and reconnect with that world before it fades right in front of us. Well over half of the ecosystems recorded in Bernie’s immense archive are now completely silent or will never be heard in their original voice again due to the profound effect climate change has had on the stability, biodiversity, and resilience of virtually all ecosystems on Earth. But what happens when nature becomes the teacher and the soundscapes, our Rosetta Stone, in helping us decipher her mysteries and invaluable clues? As more and more soundscapes fall silent, Bernie reminds us that it is not too late to begin listening.

Stories of Culture: Oaxaca in Santa Cruz

Director: Megan Martinez Goltz

Runtime: 12 minutes

While finding ways to recover during the COVID-19 post-pandemic, indigenous elders share how accessing traditional food from their homelands in Oaxaca are a vital tool for healing not only themselves but also their communities in Santa Cruz, CA.Food is the story of our community past, present, and future.Learn the histories of the amazing mole dishes and tejate drink from Doña Lorenza and Maestra Fe Silva Robles. From Santiago Laxopa in northern sierras to Santa Ines Yatzeche in the central valleys of Oaxaca.

You Always See Myself

Director: Christian Bruno, Natalija Vekic

Runtime:15 minutes

A portrait of a group of talented neuro-diverse artists whose daily practice is nurtured and encouraged at Creativity Explored. The CE studio space and art gallery has transformed the personal and professional lives of numerous artists over the decades. When Covid-19 shuts down the beloved studio and threatens their community, they devise a collaborative fashion show that reunites the artists and instructors after 2-years apart.