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Pacific Rim Film Festival’s 25th Anniversary!

Michael Oppenheimer

FREE Screenings and Filmmaker Discussions Oct. 17-23, 2013

We’ve been inside yurts, on the backs of camels, high on snowy mountain peaks, in the depths of a volcano – all while sitting comfortably in a theater seat. And all for free, thanks to the Pacific Rim Film Festival.

For the last 25 years, this unique festival has introduced our community to hundreds of documentaries and feature films from all over the world, screening the films at locations across the county and inviting us all into places as familiar as California and as foreign as Tibet, Samoa and North Korea.

The 2013 festival, October 17-23, is presented by Ow Family Properties with support from UCSC, as well as with the patronage of many donors and sponsors. With the community’s help, PRFF has remained admission-free since its founding in 1988, with the exception of a special benefit event the last day of the festival.

Twenty films will be screened this year over a record seven days, at four locations: the Rio Theatre, Del Mar Theatre and Riverfront Stadium Twin in Santa Cruz; and Green Valley Cinema in Watsonville. The final benefit event takes place Wednesday, Oct. 23, at the Rio Theatre.

The festival opens Thursday, Oct. 17, with a 1:30 p.m. screening of Comrade Kim Goes Flying at the Del Mar Theatre. This unusual romantic comedy – the first-ever co-production between Belgian, British and North Korean filmmakers – offers a rare and surprising glimpse behind the shuttered walls of North Korea with a tale of a perky young North Korean woman, Comrade Kim, who is a coal miner but longs to be a trapeze star.

As in the past, free question-and-answer sessions will follow select screenings.

Schedule for Q&A sessions and final benefit event:

This year’s feature films, documentaries and short films originate from North Korea, Cambodia, Tibet, China, the Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand/Samoa, Japan, Taiwan, India and the United States.

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, a special benefit event at the Rio Theatre features a screening of UPAJ: Improvise, a unique take on “East meets West,” that explores the creation of Indian Jazz Suites, a true collaboration between two very different artists.

Pandit Chitresh Das grew from a child prodigy into one of today’s most dynamic and influential performers and teachers of kathak classical Indian dance. Jason Samuels Smith is a legend of American tap dance, bringing his unique and inventive brand of style and movement. The combination is riveting and highly entertaining.

A live performance by Pandit Chitresh Das and Jason Samuels Smith will be followed by a Q&A discussion. Proceeds from the benefit support PRFF; benefit tickets are $15 and are available at Bookshop Santa Cruz and online at www.brownpapertickets.com, as well as before and after each film screening.

Presented by Ow Family Properties with support from UC Santa Cruz, the festival is pleased to thank its many sponsors, including: Donald Richards; Santa Cruz Weekly; Ken Carlson; Santa Cruz Host Lions Club; and the Santa Cruz Sentinel. PRFF extends special thanks to Cultural Media Services.

The first Pacific Rim Film Festival took place in 1988 at the Del Mar Theatre, and was inspired by the Hawaii International Film Festival. Films are chosen each year to embody PRFF’s theme, “When Strangers Meet,” and to reflect the significance and value of communication, understanding and compassion across the globe.

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For more information, visit the festival web site: www.pacrimfilmfestival.org.

NOTE: Some films have adult themes and are not suitable for children (not all films are rated). Many screenings play to capacity audiences: seating is first-come, first-seated. Early arrival is recommended

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