Toward A Shared Prosperity

Pajaronian Guest View: Susan True, Community Foundation CEO

When everyone has what they need to thrive, we all benefit. That core belief is part of what our group, Rise Together, an initiative of Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, is all about. Our intercultural, multi-generational Rise Together coalition has built bridges and trust as we work to advance racial equity in Santa Cruz County. We’ve honed goals and expanded our circle to 32 community organizers, social justice and arts leaders, journalists, indigenous cultural practitioners, public servants, storytellers, social workers, healthcare professionals, youth mentors and educators, funders and immigrant advocates. 

Local residents have helped shape recent successes to advance our goals through volunteerism, giving, organizing and sharing of expertise. We are excited to share a few highlights of our first two years and invite you to celebrate with us.

Last year we awarded $423,000 for 14 projects rooted in dignity, well-being, joy and racial equity. A few of the success stories include Watsonville Film Festival’s Cine Se Puede Fellowship which empowered emerging filmmakers to get the resources, connections and support to produce their best work and propel their careers. Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative supported Black mental health through arts, community building, youth development and leadership. Aztecas Youth Soccer’s mentorship program provided engaging activities and a safe space for youth to connect and heal. Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County created a more inclusive, diverse workplace that offers opportunities for career advancement. 

We’re now celebrating an additional $400,000 in awards to both sustain work started last year and launch new projects that leaders had dreamed of but not yet had the funding to make come to life. We’re helping volunteer-led organizations grow by hiring paid staff, helping kids develop video and story telling skills, strengthening families as they recover from the impacts of the pandemic, and celebrating arts and culture in our region. These latest grants, made possible by contributions from people from many walks of life, will help Digital NEST youth build skills, pursue careers in multimedia production, and share positive stories of their community. They will contribute to The Amah Mutsun Land Trust in growing and distributing healthy native foods and plants that feed and educate their tribal community. It will support a community archiving project to capture and celebrate hidden stories of our past and more deeply connect the community with the UCSC archives. Campesina Womb Justice will train farmworkers to provide peer and doula support during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Santa Cruz Local will create bilingual news that directly addresses the information needs of Latinos in Santa Cruz County. These are just a few of the many ways Rise Together is spurring progress. 

With joy, we continue building a Santa Cruz County where all people have the opportunities and resources they need to thrive. We will continue to grow the circle and deepen the difference we can make together. We invite the community to join us in taking action to make Santa Cruz County a more just place to call home. Come join our community celebration filled with performances, food, inspiration, ways to get involved, and to meet Rise Together leaders at the Community Foundation on Friday, Oct. 14 from 6-8:30pm. More information at cfscc.org.

Rise Together Santa Cruz County members: Angela Chambers; Ashlyn N. Adams; Brenda Griffin; Carmin Powell, MD; Cat Willis; Chairman Valentin Lopez; Consuelo Alba; DeAndre’ James; Elaine Johnson; Erica Padilla-Chavez; Esabella Bonner; Fe Silva-Robles; Gina Castañeda; Helen Aldana; Jacob Martinez; Jaime Molina; Jennifer Herrera; Jenny Kurzweil; Jorge Savala; Justin Cummings, PhD; Kara Meyberg Guzman; Keisha Browder; Kevin Heuer; Maria Ramos Bracamontes; MariaElena De La Garza; Nereida Robles Vasquez, PhD; Rebecca Hernandez, PhD; Ruby Vasquez; Stacey Marie Garcia, Stephanie Barron Lu; Susan True and Thomas Sage Pedersen. Their opinions are their own and not necessarily those of The Pajaronian.

How to Make An Arts Scene (Editorial opinion)

Watsonville artists and organizations see their hard work pay off

Steve Palopoli, Good Times Editor-in-Chief

September 7, 2022

"In order for this [arts] scene to sustain itself, it needs buy-in from a lot more of us."

EDITOR’S NOTE

An arts community is not built in a day. And even when it is built, through years of networking and mutual support from countless artists and arts organizations, there’s the question of whether anyone will notice.

That’s why I think the time is right for Johanna Miller’s cover story this week about the ascension of Watsonville’s art scene. And also why, I suspect, more than one of her sources makes a point to mention that getting it to this point has been a sustained effort from a lot of people over a long period of time.

I remember some of the people still involved in the South County scene from when I was covering arts and culture at the Register-Pajaronian in the ’90s. And others I’ve seen bring incredible energy to it in the years since—look at the work Consuela Alba and the Watsonville Film Festival group have done over the last decade, for instance. For so many of these central players, the key has been perseverance and innovation, constantly testing what works and what doesn’t in Watsonville. That’s never going to be exactly the same as what works in Santa Cruz—and it shouldn’t be.

You’ll also notice the appeal that these Watsonville artists and organizers are making directly to the rest of the county: in order for this scene to sustain itself, it needs buy-in from a lot more of us. If you haven’t checked out any of the many events and exhibits there, you owe it to yourself to do so. After seeing this unique group of artists and supporters finally break through, I hope they continue to thrive for a long time to come.

Día de Muertos Recap Video by Inspira Studios

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

PHOTOS: Honoring Loved Ones On Day of the Dead

Photos by Tarmo Hamula, The Pajaronian

VIEW PHOTOS HERE

Dia De Los Muertos Celebration Takes over Watsonville City Plaza

KSBW Report by Christian Balderas

WATCH LIVE REPORT HERE

WATSONVILLE, Calif. —

Día de los Muertos festivities kicked off Friday evening at Watsonville City Plaza.

The event had live music and performances, arts and crafts and 15 ofrendas, or alters, to honor Santa Cruz County community members that have died.

The holiday recognizes death as a natural part of the human experience and is usually celebrated on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2.

"We celebrate and honor our loved ones who are no longer with us," said Consuelo Alba, the co-founder of the Watsonville Film Festival. "We don't do it with sadness necessarily. We do it with a lot of love, joy, and color."

Various community partners built ofrendas for coworkers, friends and family that have passed including the California Highway Patrol, the domestic abuse nonprofit Monarch Services, Watsonville High School and the Watsonville Peace and Unity Coalition.

The annual celebration started in 2018 when the Watsonville Film Festival held a screening of the movie CoCo in honor of the holiday.

Since then the Watsonville Día de los Muertos festival has continued to screen the Disney-Pixar film at City Plaza Park every year.

Fifth Annual Dia de Muertos Celebration Returns Friday

WATSONVILLE—This Friday the Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) will present its Fifth Annual Día de Muertos celebration at Watsonville City Plaza. 

The event will feature a screening of the Disney/Pixar animated movie “Coco,” as well as music, dance and artwork inspired by the traditional Mexican holiday, also known as Day of the Dead. 

The centerpiece of the annual celebration are the altars, which are created by local families and nonprofit organizations. The altars, or “ofrendas,” honor ancestors and loved ones who have died. Monarch Services, WHS Hope Club, CASA of Santa Cruz County, Community Life Service and the California Highway Patrol are among the groups creating ofrendas this year.

A free online program, including films, tutorials and podcasts, will coincide with the event.

“We are hosting this beautiful community event in partnership with many local organizations,” said WFF Executive Director Consuelo Alba. “The lively event has brought thousands of people together in previous years. It’s a healing experience. We gather in community to remember and honor those we have loved and lost. Families love coming to the Plaza to see the community altars, watch ‘Coco’ and continue this ancient tradition.”

Things kick off at 4pm with Day of the Dead art activities. Pajaro Valley Arts, Watsonville Brillante, WHS Hope Club, Hospice of Santa Cruz and Arte del Corazón will offer face-painting, paper butterflies, luminarias and colorful mosaic making. 

Performances begin at 5pm, featuring local groups Activities for All / Academia de Música Ilusión, Estrellas de Esperanza, White Hawk Aztec Dancers and the quartet RosaAzul. 

“Coco” will screen in Spanish with English subtitles at 7pm. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and warm clothes. 

In addition, more than 30 local artists and artisans will be showcased at the first Mercado de Día de Muertos marketplace, hosted by local organization Arte del Corazón. The market will be held at Romo Park, across from the Plaza from 3-7pm.

“Arte del Corazón is so happy to collaborate on this year’s Día de Muertos event,” said founder Monica Galván. “We’ve gathered an amazing range of artists, from jewelry makers to illustrators. Bring the family and enjoy our lively downtown while partaking in free arts activities, face painting, and supporting local artists.”

Día de los Muertos 2022 is presented by the WFF in partnership with the the City of Watsonville Parks & Community Services and Santa Cruz County Office of Education. The primary sponsor is Hospice of Santa Cruz County, with support from Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, Arts Council Santa Cruz County, Packard Foundation and community partners Pajaro Valley Arts, Arte del Corazón and Watsonville Farmers Market.

How Watsonville’s Thriving Arts Scene Came Together

By Johanna Miller, Good Times Santa Cruz

September 6, 2022

On Aug. 20, the historic Porter Building in downtown Watsonville came alive for the first time in more than seven years.

Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA), a nonprofit formed in 1984 to promote and host cultural events in South Santa Cruz County, invited the community to visit during the city’s annual Wine, Beer & Art Walk. The organization had finalized its purchase of the building less than three weeks prior.

“This building, it’s stunning,” says PVA’s Judy Stabile. “The artists were looking around going, ‘look at the brick walls, look at all the hanging space, all the light!’ Even without any major modifications to the building, it’s a beautiful space.”

The Porter Building, designed by famed architect William Weeks and constructed in 1903, has been vacant since 2015 after Ceiba College Prep Academy moved out. In 2019, the City of Watsonville released a request for proposals for its sale or long-term lease.

Local artist Ana Muñoz and PV Arts Executive Director Valéria Miranda at Arte del Corozan’s Frida Kahlo-inspired art market in July. PHOTO: Johanna Miller

PVA plans to use the first floor of the building as a visual arts gallery and a small performing venue, and push out one of the walls to create an outdoor patio space. Upstairs will include artist studios, offices and workshop spaces and more.

“Every room has an incredible view of our town, the Fox Theater, the mountains,” Stabile said. “Imagine an artist working in one of these rooms, painting—it’s going to be incredible.”

PVA’s procurement of the Porter Building is one of many ongoing projects contributing to the ever-increasing momentum of art in downtown Watsonville. For decades, artists have been looking for space, funding and general support from the city, county and beyond. Longstanding dance groups had no secure place to practice. Performing venues and exhibition space was limited. And money to fund events was scarce.

But now, after years of work by local advocates, Watsonville is finally making progress. From small, independent art studios to new venues and opportunities for local artists, the arts scene is thriving like never before. 

“This didn’t start now,” says PVA director Valeria Miranda. “It’s important to remember that this is the culmination of many hard-working people over a very long time. And now it’s finally blooming.”

Big Changes

Judy Gittelsohn is a local artist who opened her own gallery, Studio Judy G, on Watsonville’s Main Street last year. She says she’s seen big changes happening in the short time she’s been in the community.

“The energy downtown right now is really good,” says Gittelsohn. “Watsonville is a place with so many creative people doing amazing things.”

Gittelsohn’s gallery has so far presented a handful of small art shows and concerts, and hosts weekly art classes. Gittelsohn says that the growth of PVA and other groups has allowed her to be independent.

Artist Judy Gittelsohn installs watercolor paintings by the late Christopher Arnold at her art studio in Watsonville. PHOTO: Johanna Miller

“I’m in a rare position,” she says. “While PVA is increasingly highlighting more local artists, working with schools, I’m given the freedom to do what I want. I hope this movement continues, with artists seeing more opportunities downtown. This could really become a unique arts district.”

Public events are also increasing. In 2019, local teaching artist Monica Galvan founded Arte del Corazón, a group bringing open-air art markets to various locations throughout the city.

“I’m seeing a lot more happening in Watsonville,” Galvan says. “It’s gone from having something to do once every month to every week. It’s really cool.”

Galvan says she started Arte del Corazón after noticing a lack of diversity in the arts scene. She and other artists joined together to create the first art market at Romo Park across from Watsonville Plaza. The markets continue to gain in popularity, and Arte del Corazón now partners with other local organizations and businesses. 

“There wasn’t a huge representation of artists of color,” she says. “There were a lot of artists here, but we didn’t know each other because there was no way for us to meet. We started the markets in a way to ensure that everyone had access, everyone knew about them. Now, people reach out to us.”

Galvan is also part of Arts Council Santa Cruz County’s (ACSC) Watsonville Stewardship Committee for the Arts (WSCA), a group of nonprofit organizers, artists and more who come together regularly to discuss the state of the arts in Watsonville. 

“At first, it was just about making one big center,” she said. “But why can’t Watsonville as a whole be a center? I don’t even know how many museums, galleries, theaters there are in Santa Cruz. In Watsonville, we barely have any. I for one don’t ever want to leave Watsonville, so I want to make sure it’s a place for people who want to make art.”

Finding a Home

Two blocks north from the Porter Building, another new arts hub is now up and running. Watsonville Center for the Arts (WCA), located on the corner of Main and West Beach streets, opened this summer. The center acts as a home base for a number of longstanding performing arts groups, education programs, Arts Council offices and more. They have also started to rent out the space for events.

“This is part of the movement for the arts that’s been building in momentum for some years now,” said Mireya Gomez-Contreras, deputy director of ACSC, which will manage the space. “The arts in general, especially here, have been way underfunded, and there’s been little by way of resources. So we’re hoping this can be a hub that brings together artists, and makes visible what the arts truly are for this community.”

WCA has started out as a collective of established dance, music and theater groups. Some have been active in the community for decades but never had a permanent practice space.

“We’ve been in the community for over 40 years without a home,” says Janet Johns, founder and director of folklorico group Esperanza de Valle. “It’s time. Thanks to the Arts Council and Mireya’s leadership, it’s happening.” 

Stephanie Dieguez, secretary and board of directors liaison for the White Hawk Indian Council for Children, agrees. The Whitehawk Dancers have also been performing in the community for more than four decades.

“We’ve bounced around town so many times,” Dieguez says. “From school parking lots, cafeterias, the Vets Hall. It’s been tough. When the Arts Council came to us with this idea, it was the biggest blessing ever. To be able to be planted here, in the heart of Watsonville, it’s really exciting.”

Film Fellowship

The Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) organization, while still searching for a permanent space to present its annual festival, is also experiencing major growth. Working with local groups such as Digital NEST and PVA, they have transformed into a year-round organization that not only presents films but also supports local filmmakers and students aspiring to study the craft. 

Last year, WFF launched Cine se Puede, a fellowship that supports cohorts of local up-and-coming filmmakers, assisting with funding of up to $1,000 per project. Participants learn to pitch stories and projects, improve proposals, budgets, marketing and more.

Alba, who now also acts as board chair for the Arts Council, says the fellowship has so far been a success.

Watsonville Film Festival staff (including founder Consuelo Alba, third from left in front row) with the first cohort of Cine Se Puede fellows at the 10th annual festival in March. PHOTO: Courtesy of Watsonville Film Festival

“It’s really been happening organically,” Alba says. “Our cohorts are a tight-knit group of talented people who support each other, personally and professionally.”

Alba says that programs like Cine se Puede are vital to keeping talented artists in the community. Many filmmakers, she says, tend to move to big cities where there are more opportunities.

“My dream is that we realize the full potential we have in Watsonville,” she says. “I have lived here for 25 years and I have always seen it. But I’ve also always seen the obstacles, from access to funding to finding spaces. I see a big shift now. We need to keep working, pushing and supporting the arts for the long term. We’re just at the starting line.”

Funding Search

Convincing local governments, businesses and residents to invest in the arts has always been a challenge, said Miranda, who is also vice chair at ACSC. But things are shifting in Santa Cruz County, especially in its southernmost city. 

“The Arts Council has taken a very thoughtful and serious look at what we need to do to really make sure that we’re being inclusive,” Miranda says. “When we looked at the grant making for the whole county, it had been unfairly heavy with Santa Cruz-based groups, who already have access and connections. This is not only about redistributing money, but also creating resources, like making grant applications less complicated. There are so many barriers we need to address.”

Recently, ACSC invested in an Americans for the Arts survey in order to study the economic impact of nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences, both countywide and in South County specifically. The Arts & Economic Prosperity study is still ongoing, but Alba said they expect the results to be illuminating. 

“This is huge,” Alba says. “Even though Santa Cruz County is a known place for the arts, we haven’t been able to invest in it the way we should.”

Both Alba and Miranda highlighted the importance of treating the arts as a crucial economic sector.

“It’s mind-boggling when you see the amount of money that the arts generate,” Miranda says. “It’s time for governments to stop thinking about the arts as a frill, something nice to have but not necessary. This is why this study is so important.”

Other support in South County includes the City of Watsonville’s Percentage for the Arts, a fee requiring developers to pay 0.75% of their estimated total construction costs, with proceeds going into a Cultural Fund the city will use to create a public art.

The city has also supported PVA for years by leasing the organization its current home on Sudden Street for just $1 per year.

“We’ve been incredibly honored by the partnership with the city,” Miranda says. “It’s a big commitment that’s made a world of difference.” 

Arts on the Ballot

Arts education funding in Watsonville may also be getting support, as a statewide proposition that will be on the ballot this November could have a major effect on arts in public schools.

Proposition 28, or Californians for Arts and Music in Schools, dedicates $1 billion annually from the state’s general fund to arts and music education in public institutions, without raising taxes. 70% of the funding will be allocated to every public school based on enrollment, and the remaining 30% will be given to schools serving economically disadvantaged students and communities, such as Watsonville.

“It’s so exciting that this might go through,” says Sarah Brothers, arts education director at ACSC. “Arts have historically been underfunded in California schools, especially in districts like PVUSD. They typically don’t receive equitable opportunities.”

Brothers says that Prop. 28 is unique in that it has built-in accountability measures to make sure schools use the funding correctly. 

“In the past, schools would be getting a certain amount for the arts, but could still shift things around,” she says. “With this measure, they are required to report how they spend the funding.”

If passed, Prop 28 would be the largest investment in arts education in the country. 

“Studies have shown that students, especially those who are disadvantaged, benefit from arts curriculum,” Brothers says. “They are more likely to graduate, not drop out and pursue a degree. The importance of the arts is extremely apparent.”

Drawing an Audience

While adequate funding and resources are vital to supporting the arts in South County, there is also a simple way that residents can help grow and sustain it for the long term.

“People need to come here,” Miranda says. “We need everybody in the county to participate. That is how we can grow sustainability. A lot of people in this county just don’t visit Watsonville. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that sometimes, it goes along color lines. There is definitely racism in this county. But I also hear people say it’s ‘inconvenient,’ which I don’t understand. They will drive to San Francisco to see an exhibit, but they can’t drive 20 minutes to South County on a Sunday? It makes no sense.”

Miranda encourages residents of all areas of the county to get out of their comfort zone.

“You might go to the ballet every year, so why not check out folklorico?” she says. “Try something you’ve never tried before. I guarantee you’re going to be amazed.”

Watsonville Film Festival to host social at PVA tonight

PROGRAM TO EXPLORE THE ORGANIZATION’S INAUGURAL FILMMAKING COHORT

By Johanna Miller, The Pajaronian

September 9, 2022

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) will host a gathering at Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) tonight to celebrate the organization’s first cohort of Cine se Puede fellows. 

The Cine se Puede fellowship launched last year. It offers support to local up-and-coming filmmakers through a financial stipend, mentorship, peer-to-peer support and connections to industry leaders. 

Friday’s event will give the community an opportunity to meet the fellows and learn about their projects.

“We invited people to come and meet our fellows, and lend them support,” said WFF Executive Director Consuelo Alba. “They are a very talented, hardworking group.”

The event is in advance of a two-day program that WFF will hold for the fellows this weekend. The program will give the cohort the chance to meet with local and regional teachers, groups and company representatives to learn more about making films, as well as film screenings. It will also include a masterclass with an award-winning filmmaker.

“The filmmaker … he is top level, world class,” Alba said. “And they are coming here, to Watsonville, to support and mentor our fellows. It’s incredible.”

Alba said that Cine se Puede is already being recognized by people in the industry.

“Our program is getting a lot of attention,” she said. “I think that shows how there is a need. How very important it is to support independent voices in cinema, especially people of color.”

Tonight’s event will be held at PVA, 37 Sudden St., 6-9pm. It will include food and drinks for purchase, a raffle and a deejay. Entry is $10, or pay what you can. Pre-registration is available at bit.ly/3BmCQgc.

For information about Cine se Puede, visit watsonvillefilmfest.org.

Watsonville Film Festival announces scholarship recipient

Staff Report

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) recently announced the 2022 recipient of the organization’s annual Student Scholarship.

Santiago Meza, who graduated from Harbor High School in Santa Cruz this year, is planning to study film at Santa Monica City College. WFF officials said they were impressed with Meza’s short films, which they screened at the 2022 festival in March.

Meza is the third recipient of the $500 scholarship, after Diego Lopez in 2020 and Angie Rockey in 2021.

The award is given by WFF to graduating high school students who show strong abilities in the filming field and plan to continue studying the art in college. Through the scholarship, WFF aims to support these up-and-coming local filmmakers.

For information on the WFF Student Scholarship and to learn about Meza and past winners, go here.

Mariachi Women’s Foundation to host concert in Watsonville

By Johanna Miller, Watsonville Pajaronian

May 13, 2022

Dr. Leonor Xóchitl Pérez was 12 years old when she first played mariachi.

It was 1973, and her school in Southern California had just created the first school-based mariachi program in the state’s history. 

The music stuck with Perez. When she was 18, she was accepted for an internship in Washington D.C., where playing mariachi helped pay her bills. It continued to be part of her life through receiving a Master’s at Harvard, a PhD from UCLA, and years of working in education administration.

“I never stopped playing … I never really let go,” she said. “I have felt firsthand the empowering experience of mariachi. I’ve seen it serve as a catalyst for opportunity.”

Perez is the founder, and current executive and artistic director of the Mariachi Women’s Foundation(MWF), a Los-Angeles based nonprofit aimed at empowering women and girls throughout the world by highlighting their talents in concerts and festivals, and raising awareness of the important contributions women have made to the tradition.

On May 28, MWF will bring two acclaimed mariachi groups to Watsonville for a performance at the Henry J. Mello Center. The concert will feature Mexican, American, traditional and contemporary music by Grammy award-winning band Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea, and the all-female trio Ellas. 

The show is part of MWF’s annual concert series, Mariachi Women Warriors, which will start at the Hammer Theater in San Jose and continue at a theater in Tracy before culminating at the Mello. This is the first time the series is touring Northern California.

“I want to share with other women how important this tradition is,” Perez said. “There are more girls than boys playing mariachi in schools across the country. But after high school they drop out. It becomes only male mariachis … But women have been an important part of the tradition for over 100 years.”

Mariachi Divas was formed in 1999 by Cindy Shea. They are the official mariachi of the Disneyland Resort, have performed at the Mariachi USA Festival, the Hollywood Bowl and have been featured on television, film and radio. 

Ellas began their musical journey as mariachis and evolved by blending it with contemporary music. The trio have earned Grammy nominations and awards in their individual careers. 

Mariachi Women Warriors first began as an exhibit in Southern California and a one-off concert. However, Perez said, it was received so well that she knew she had to continue. 

“Not a lot of people know about women’s place in this tradition,” she said. “A lot of people probably don’t even know what mariachi women groups sound like. One of our goals is to expand the work we’ve been doing. To bring it to new places.”

Perez’s partner, Richard, is originally from Watsonville. After learning more about the community, she decided to include the city on the tour.

“I did research on the status of Latina women in Watsonville,” she said. “I was so shocked and saddened to see the disparities. They’re much greater than Latinas in many other counties. I thought, gosh, I would love to do a concert there. It seemed like a really good place to make an impact.”

Perez was also inspired by the fact that one of the very first women to play in a professional, high-level male mariachi group was from Watsonville: Laura Sobrino. 

“I met her in Southern California … She was an amazing musician, an excellent teacher,” Perez said. “It’s interesting how it’s come together to her hometown.”

MWF has also partnered with Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) to present three films prior to the concert. The films will be available to stream online May 16-25 at watsonvillefilmfest.org, and a virtual conversation with Perez will be held May 24 at 6:30pm.

“Working in tandem with the foundation, we curated a film program that honors generations of women playing this iconic Mexican genre that has been dominated by men,” said WFF Executive Director Consuelo Alba. 

The lineup includes: “Compañeras,” an intimate profile of America’s first all-female “show” mariachi group, Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles; “La Mariachi,” a short documentary about Veronica Robles, singer and founder of Boston’s First All-Women Mariachi band; and “Mariachi Estrella,” which tells the story of Mariachi Estrella of Topeka, the first all-female mariachi band in Kansas who was among the earliest all-female mariachi bands in the U.S.

“It’s been a great experience collaborating with the Foundation to present this special program,” Alba said. “We’re excited and honored to be part of it.”

Perez said she hopes the event will inspire young girls, women and their families.

“I hope they can be encouraged by the fact that a lot of the women who are going to be performing … many of their parents are immigrants, and have gone to public schools,” Perez said. “Some have other careers and still play mariachi, which is amazing. We want them to see, here they are, playing in a male tradition. How they’ve managed to find a space and a way of defining themselves.”

To learn more about the Women’s Mariachi Foundation and to order tickets for the May 28 performance, visit mariachiwomen.org.

Of Curvy Women and Changing Hollywood

Josefina López, featured at the Watsonville Film Festival, speaks about the ups and downs of her career

Interview by Claudia Meléndez Salinas, Voices of Monterey Bay

March 10, 2022

Playwright Josefina López wrote “Real Women Have Curves” in 1992, channeling her inner sage when she was 19. Ten years later, the movie starring America Ferrera took the U.S. by storm by receiving the audience award for best dramatic film and the special jury prize for acting in the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.

The movie has become a classic of women’s empowerment, and heralded a new era in cinema in which more curvy women were cast on the big screen. 

Josefina López

Much happened to López since her iconic play made it to the big screen. Her small theater in Boyle Heights took off, she moved to France, got married, earned a “Diplome de Cuisine” from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris,  wrote more plays and produced others. 

On Saturday, March 12, she will be honored by the Watsonville Film Festival to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of “Real Women.” The celebration will take place at 6 p.m. at the Mello Center, 250 E. Beach St., Watsonville. 

López is a great conversationalist and spoke with Voices co-founder Claudia Meléndez Salinas about a wide range of topics, which included life after “Real Women,” her playhouse in Boyle Heights, Casa 0101, why Latino stereotypes in Hollywood endure, and the advice she gives to other Latino writers. The interview has been edited for clarity and length. 

Voices of Monterey Bay: How did your life change after the movie came out?

Josefina López: After the movie was a huge hit, I thought, oh, wow, my career’s gonna take off. And it didn’t. I had other deals and nothing happened. I had another movie deal with HBO that really didn’t get made. It hasn’t been consistent. 

Last September, it’s been good because I’ve been in what’s called a “mini room,” which is a TV show that hasn’t received a green light yet. But it’s a show that might get made. So I’ve been getting paid consistently. I would say my whole career has been consistent. It hasn’t been like, oh, wow, big bucks. I’ve just been crazy enough to pursue my passion. 

I have a theater. And I started that theater with my student loans from UCLA. It’s never been like, oh, Josefina’s made it, she’s just making a lot of money. It’s never been about money. It’s been about the advocacy. It’s been about representation. 

I’m sure you’re sick and tired of all the narco shows, because that’s all there is, that’s all it gets made, narcos and bikers who sell drugs. It’s sad because I understand why; you know, (producers) need to do that because they need conflict. But then … that’s all that gets made. I’ve tried getting other shows made, including trying to get “Real Women Have Curves,” the TV show, and I still haven’t done that, so hopefully things will change but it’s still ridiculously bad for Latinos and women of color. 

VOMB: Have things changed in Hollywood since the movie came out?

JL: One of the few things that changed is that now there’s more body positivity. There are some (large-size) characters or chunky girls who are sexual who are fun. Having America Ferrera play one on Real Women and having it be a breakout movie for her, that helped create more roles for normal-size women. I would say there’s more body positivity for normal and heavyset women 20 years later as a result of the movie. So I would like to take some credit for that.

VOMB: Tell me about your theater. Why did you start that?

JL: It was just me and a couple friends and I rented a retail space. I didn’t know how to run a theater. I just kind of did it de panzazo. But luckily, when the movie won awards, that’s when a lot of people found out about me and that’s when the theater really took off because then I decided to do the play version.

One of the things that happens is that, when you write a screenplay, the actors and the directors always get the credit, but the writer rarely gets the credit, so I felt like I wanted to do the play to remind people that I wrote the story. I co-wrote the screenplay and it’s based on my life and I love the director and she’s great but why did she get all the credit? And also America got so much credit. I was at Sundance, and nobody wanted to interview me or take my photo. 

VOMB: What other plays have you staged at Casa 0101?

JL: One was called “Trio Los Machos” and it is about three men who are in their 80s, but they met in the Bracero Program. They started a guitar trio and when the Bracero Program ended, they decided to stay and they were undocumented, and then they continue playing. 

They’re always fighting and they hire a young woman in order to revamp themselves, but then one of them has a fling with the young girl, and the other guys can’t believe it. They end up punching the guy who’s always in the middle. And then he has a stroke and they’re gonna have to take care of him. They’re gonna have to change his diapers, become his nurse. 

And these two men, machos who are always fighting, have to basically become mom and dad and take care of this big man. Then they find out that, if they can prove they were braceros, they will get money reimbursed to them because money was taken away from them from their paychecks, supposedly for Social Security. And so they’re looking throughout the whole house, and as they look through the house for the documents, hoping that he has them somewhere. 

They find photographs and  scrapbooks that the guy had of all their concerts and then they start to realize why they’re always fighting, and it was because they were in love with the same woman. There were a lot of wounds that they weren’t willing to talk about as men, as grown ups. 

They also discover that their friend was gay, but they never bothered to think or ask because he was going to become a priest, so they just assumed he wasn’t a mujeriego.  And when they realize that, oh my God, this guy was gay all along and he was their buddy for 50 years, and they realize how if they had known he was gay, they would have kicked his ass and they would have broken up and they had to kind of look within and realize what machos they are and why they’re so afraid of dying. It’s also looking at the wounds of being a bracero.

This play was so successful, we’ve done it like three or four times at my theater. It was so wonderful because a lot of families came and brought their fathers or grandfathers to see this play and there was a scene where the braceros would get naked and they would cover their private parts with their contracts, like in that famous photo, and they would sing a song that I co-wrote called “El Corrido del Bracero”: “Somos más que brazos, somos corazón.”  

It’s a very beautiful song about how they have a heart and how they sing because they can’t cry. As men, they are not allowed to cry. So they sing songs. It’s a beautiful play. I’m very proud of it, and that was very, very successful. 

VOMB: What inspired you to write “Trio Los Machos”?

JL: My father told me his story and I realized how much he suffered, how much humiliation and pain and the physical work and the sacrifices he made. He suffered a lot. My father got deported at least six times, and he wouldn’t give up. My dad is a real cowboy … When you look at his life … most people would have given up, but my dad didn’t. 

So for me, “Trio Los Machos” was a love letter to my father saying “I understand.” I understand and I realize how my dad had to shut down a lot of his feelings. Because that was the only way he could survive, going through what he did because if he had to honor his feelings and really be in touch, he just wouldn’t be able to do anything.

VOMB: What advice do you have for Latino and Latina writers?

JL: Well, the first thing would be to never wait to be validated by anybody. All of us are waiting to be told that we are good writers or good artists, but you never wait for anyone to do that because you have to do that for yourself. 

When you say “I can write, I am a poet, I’m an artist because I say so,” that’s when you have the power, that’s when you really are being an artist. To declare yourself an artist is the job of an artist. You could be doing amazing work your whole life like Van Gogh —right? — and you’re just 100 years ahead of your time. And everyone thinks your art is crap. 

So you have to know that, especially if you’re doing it with your corazón, and with your spirit, and you’re doing something that’s really important, but nobody gets it, it doesn’t mean you’re not an artist. It doesn’t mean you’re not good. Sometimes you have to live with that burden.

Opinion: Watsonville Film Festival delivers on its promise

EDITOR’S NOTE

Steve Palopoli, Editor-In-Chief, Good Times Santa Cruz

March 9, 2022

I’m amazed at how Consuelo Alba and her partners have built the Watsonville Film Festival up into such an impressive organization over the last decade. I remember walking around the Fox Theater in Watsonville with her years ago as she told me what she envisioned for the WFF—not just film screenings, but cultural events that would bring the community together. Even as I thought, “It’ll take forever to develop this plan,” I was swept up in her energy and enthusiasm.

Clearly, it didn’t take forever, because their annual Day of the Dead celebration is already one of the county’s most beloved events. I’ve seen some great films at the WFF, but even more important to me are my memories of having a blast at their Frida Fest celebration a few years ago.

So that’s why, despite my relief that the WFF was able to survive and even thrive virtually over the last couple of years of the pandemic, I’m so happy to see them return to an in-person event this year. The WFF really does bring the community together, just like Alba originally promised. I think when you read Johanna Miller’s cover story on the event in this week’s issue, you’ll see that they haven’t lost a step. They can show a Hollywood crowd-pleaser like Real Women Have Curves one night, and then Fruits of Labor—a documentary about a Watsonville teenager trying to figure out her future while doing farm work—on another. The common denominator is heart, and I think that is what’s really at the core of Alba’s vision.

The Watsonville Film Festival Celebrates 10 Years

By Johanna Miller, Register Pajaronian

March 8, 2022

A decade ago, a sold-out crowd gathered at the Henry J. Mello Center in Watsonville to enjoy films, promote filmmakers and celebrate the local arts community.

The first annual Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) was supposed to be a one-time event. But its success ignited interest in both organizers and South County residents who attended.

“Our motivation then was to celebrate local stories, the creativity of our community and bring people together—once,” says WFF executive director Consuelo Alba. “All of us realized, ‘There is something here. We have to continue.’ And we keep saying that every year. There is something very powerful and magical about bringing people together through film.”

The festival’s reach has continued to grow every year; a single festival has transformed into a year-round nonprofit that hosts events and works closely with other organizations, schools and businesses.

“I am incredibly proud, and grateful for our team,” Alba says, “and for everyone who has been involved in this organization for all this time, but all the new faces as well. It’s just a really, really wonderful feeling to get to this point.”

WFF’s 8th annual festival was one of the first in-person events in Santa Cruz County to be canceled when Covid-19 hit in March of 2020. So the group shifted its focus to virtual events, eventually creating its very own streaming channel in 2021.

“[Going virtual] was very hard, we had never done it before,” Alba says. “In 2020 we experimented with different formats, and then we started working with our own platform. We’ve been learning a lot in the process.”

The shift to online has resulted in WFF’s viewership expanding exponentially.

“We are reaching more people than ever,” Alba says. “Beyond Santa Cruz County, beyond Monterey Bay, even beyond California. Our program is attracting a lot of attention.”

Virtual screenings continue to be a part of this year’s festival, which kicked off Friday and runs through March 20. 

Brenda Avila-Hanna, who works for WFF’s Artist Development and is a member of the Programming Team, says she is glad they are keeping some of the programming available online for free.

“We got a lot of feedback that by doing that, we addressed some other issues,” Avila-Hanna says. “Like mobility: Sometimes people cannot attend for different reasons. They might be working, or maybe there isn’t a bus route that can take them there.”

Additionally, going virtual has allowed WFF to make its Q&A sessions and other materials completely bilingual.

“We heard from people who were watching films with different generations within their families,” Avila-Hanna says. “We’re excited to continue that tradition. To have a little bit of what the festival was before, and what is shaping up to be its future.”

More than 30 full-length and short films are now available to watch for free online at watsonvillefilmfest.org. Many are locally made, via places such as Digital NEST, and a handful are set in Watsonville. 

‘Tesoros,’ which will be screened at this year’s event,
tells the story of a group of kids who go searching for pirate loot.

Local ‘Fruits’

One such film, Fruits of Labor, follows a Watsonville teenager named Ashley who is balancing school, applying for college and personal life while also working in local agricultural fields and factories to help support her family.

Directed by Emily Cohen Ibañez, the 2021 documentary had its world premier at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, TX last year, and has impressed audiences and critics alike across the U.S.

“I love coming-of-age stories, but I didn’t see those afforded to women of color, especially working women of color,” Ibañez says. “I wanted Ashley to be her full self as a teenager. This is an unusual film about farm labor. People are used to seeing historical icons, or very issue-driven films that focus on social ills. Sometimes what can happen is that folks of color can become stand-ins for social problems.”

Ibañez called working with Ashley and her family “compelling.”

“The love between them just jumps off the screen,” she says. “She is doing farm and factory labor, but she’s also a teen who has a sense of humor, who falls in love for the first time, going through teenage angst as well as these huge burdens she’s having to manage that no teenager should.”

Ibañez said that Ashley and her family are excited that the film will be featured at WFF.

“She’s overjoyed, it’s just really exciting. WFF is a wonderful festival, but it’s also the hometown of the film,” Ibañez says. “There is so much hometown pride with this festival, and we’re honored and excited to be part of it.” 

Other films include The Mole Agent, an Academy Award-winning documentary from Chile about an elderly person who takes a job as a detective inside an assisted-living facility; and Treasures, a film from Mexico about a family who moves from the city to a small fishing town, where they connect more closely with each other, the community and the environment. 

Short films include the world premiere of Watsonville-based filmmaker Gabriel J. Medina’s Disposable, which tells the story of two undocumented laborers fleeing a civil war in Mexico, who find work in the U.S. during a global pandemic, only to discover they’ve been lured into a frightening situation.

“We have an incredible lineup, the selection of films is very strong this year,” Alba says. “And most of the films are directed by women—which is really exciting, because these are important stories we rarely see.”

BACK TO LIVE

Having an in-person component to the event was also important to organizers, especially after three years without one. On March 12 at 6pm, WFF will host an opening night event at the Mello Center, screening the award-winning film Real Women Have Curves, directed by Patricia Cardoso, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. 

The story follows a young Mexican-American woman (America Ferrera) on the cusp of adulthood. 

“It is a really important American indie film,” Alba says. “It was very influential. It broke ground in 2002 by focusing on a young Latina immigrant in L.A., on her dreams, inspirations and self-love. It challenged all Hollywood conventions at the time. Our hope is to introduce this film to a new generation of Latinas.”

The screening will include a special appearance by playwright and screenwriter Josefina López. 

WFF will also introduce its first cohort of Cine Se Puede fellows at the event. Cine Se Puede, launched last year, is a fellowship aiming to support emerging local filmmakers, assisting with funding of up to $1,000 per project. Participants will learn to pitch stories, improve proposals, budgets, marketing and distribution plans and more. 

Fellows will have the chance to pitch projects to experts at the festival.

“There is an amazing educational pipeline here—Digital NEST, Cabrillo, local universities,” Avila-Hanna says. “But once filmmakers try to make it professionally, they either have to leave our region and we lose all that talent or opportunity. Or they stay, but it can feel very isolating. We’re trying to change that.

Avila-Hanna says she was “very excited” about the first cohort. 

“They are all incredibly talented and resilient,” she says. “Many have been working here for years, some have screened their work at the festival. We have seen them grow from students to this professional stage. They are very intentional about working in the region. They really represent the essence of our festival.”

Alba said that the seven filmmakers will be working closely with WFF and each other for the next 13 months.

“We’ll have more opportunities to support these filmmakers after the festival,” she says. “But this way, people can recognize them as the inaugural fellows.”

Avila-Hanna says that Cine Se Puede, as well as the fact that WFF is free and easily accessible to all, makes it stand out.

“Our hope is that we continue to shift the culture around film festivals,” she says. “Reimagining what they could be, with a different audience who is not traditionally catered to by these events. Reimagining who goes to walk the red carpet, who gets to connect with other filmmakers, experts.”

The festival is also collaborating with PBS’ award-winning documentary series POV, which Alba says will help promote the festival within its networks.

“It’s really exciting,” Alba says. “It’s taking our work and exposure to another level.”

Alba said she is grateful to be back in person, at least for part of the festival, to celebrate 10 years.

​​“We invite people to come to the [March 12] event early to reconnect,” she said. “We haven’t been able to see people in this setting for so long!”

Alba added that WFF will be taking a number of Covid safety protocols at the event.

“We take the safety of our audiences very seriously,” she says. “We have a team dedicated to making sure we know where we stand with Covid and what the health department recommends.” 

Looking ahead, Alba said her hope is that WFF will help make Watsonville become a hub for filmmaking, fostering both seasoned and brand new filmmakers and allowing Latino artists to feel supported and inspired.

“My hope is that we continue our program, that we can celebrate the great stories and artistry of Latino filmmakers for years to come,” she said. “And that our festival brings people to Watsonville. We’ve always been about promoting the talent, the potential, the economic development of Watsonville. We want to put it on the map as a place to watch amazing films.”

The Watsonville Film Festival will be held March 11-20. To register for the March 12 event, find a full schedule or donate to the organization, visit watsonvillefilmfestival.org.

Annual Watsonville Film Fest Launches March 11

Real Women Have Curves screening will take place in-person at the Mello Center

By Hannah Hagemann, Santa Cruz Sentinal

February 24, 2022

WATSONVILLE — Local nonprofit arts organization the Watsonville Film Festival is set to launch its 10th annual festival beginning March 11, which will feature more than 30 award-winning, local and student films.

The festival centers on the theme of “10 Years Cultivating Community Through Film.” It includes both virtual and in-person components. Selected films focus on Latina and Latino art, activism, resistance and community and will be screened online for free at watsonvillefilmfest.org through March 20.

Consuelo Alba, director of the festival, pointed to program highlights such as Academy Award nominee “The Mole Agent” by director Maité Alberdi, double-Sundance winner “Identifying Features” by director Fernanda Valadez and Mexican Ariel Award nominee “Things We Dare Not Do” by director Bruno Santamaría.

Some of the Watsonville Film Festival Selections are featured on this poster. (Contributed graphic — Watsonville Film Festival)

“We are excited and proud to celebrate a decade of the storytelling and artistry of the Latinx community in front of, and behind, the camera,” Alba said in a prepared release. “This year we are presenting an incredibly powerful selection of films, most of them directed by women.”

The film festival will also honor “Real Women Have Curves” at an in-person screening event at the Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts in Watsonville. The 2002 film – which shot Latina actress America Ferrera to fame – continues to make ripples today. It earned a Sundance Audience Award and was recently inducted into the Library of Congress National Film Registry.

Playwright Josefina Lopez based “Real Women Have Curves” on her own life story, and co-produced the film. Lopez will attend the Watsonville Film Festival on March 12 at the Mello Center for the screening, and give remarks there, according to Alba.

At the in-person event, seven emerging Latino and Latina filmmakers from the Santa Cruz County and Pájaro Valley regions chosen for the film festival’s inaugural ‘Cine Se Puede fellowship’ will also be honored.

The virtual program also includes several local films, including fiction shorts “Amor en Cuarentena” and “Disposable,” experimental film “Oda a los Frijoles” and the documentaries “La Perla del Pacifico” and “The Work of Art.” The screening of Disposable will be a world premiere.

“We are proud to present another great program this year. The outpouring of support to celebrate our 10th birthday has been amazing,” Alba said in a prepared release.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: 10th Annual Watsonville Film Festival.

WHEN: March 11-March 20.

WHERE: watsonvillefilmfest.org.

SPECIAL IN-PERSON PROGRAM: 6 p.m. March 12 at the Henry Mello Center, 250 E. Beach St. Watsonville; register online to reserve a seat.

Una fuente de vida para Watsonville

Al celebrar 10 años, el festival latino de cine permanece en línea pero regresa al Centro Mello para una celebración especial.

Por Dennis Taylor, Voices of Monterey Bay. Traduccion: Claudia Meléndez Salinas

En los primeros días de la pandemia del coronavirus, cuando gran parte del mundo comenzó a enclaustrarse, los arquitectos del Festival de Cine de Watsonville archivaron abruptamente un año de intensa planificación y cancelaron su evento programado para marzo de 2020.

Cuarenta días después, comenzaron a innovar su modelo de negocio para adaptarse a las circunstancias de nuestro nuevo y extraño mundo.

“Tuvimos que cancelar 48 horas antes de nuestra noche de apertura”, recordó la directora ejecutiva del festival, Consuelo Alba, quien cofundó el festival hace una década. “Lloré porque habíamos trabajado todo el año para armar ese programa. Fue una decisión muy difícil.

“Pero un mes y medio después, comenzamos a experimentar con la idea de poner nuestras películas en línea, probando múltiples plataformas diferentes. Así somos de creativos y persistentes”.

Una versión drásticamente remoldeada de este apreciado festival comunitario comenzará con una celebración del décimo aniversario a partir del 11 de marzo, con el lanzamiento de un programa de 10 días con 32 películas de temática latina, todas sin costo alguno.

Todas menos una se ofrecerán hasta el 20 de marzo a través del cine virtual del festival, una plataforma en línea a la que se puede acceder en watsonvillefilmfest.org.

La excepción, “Real Women Have Curves”, una película de 2002 protagonizada por America Ferrera, se proyectará ante una audiencia en vivo en el Centro Cultural Henry J. Mello de Watsonville con capacidad para 700 asientos a las 6 p.m. el 12 de marzo. Esa función también es gratuita y contará con la intervención personal de la guionista de la película, Josefina López.

Otra película en persona, “Tesoros”, se proyectará al aire libre, también gratis, a las 7 p.m. el 13 de marzo en Palenke Arts, 1713 Broadway Ave. en Seaside. La película también se puede disfrutar a través del cine virtual.

Otros aspectos destacados del cine virtual de este año incluyen la nominada al Oscar “El Agente Topo”, la ganadora de dos premios Sundance “Sin Señas Particulares” y la nominada al premio mexicano Ariel “Cosas que no Hacemos”.

Determinación y pasión

La metamorfosis del festival en medio de la pandemia de dos años se atribuye a la obstinada determinación y pasión de una directora ejecutiva generosa, según los líderes comunitarios en Watsonville y el Valle de Pájaro.

“Considero que Consuelo Alba es un tesoro de la comunidad”, dijo Shirley Flores-Muñoz, profesora de estudios e historia de la mujer en el Colegio Cabrillo.

“A lo largo de los años, ha traído mucha educación, conciencia política y sensibilidad cultural a nuestra comunidad”, dijo la profesora, cuyos estudiantes reciben crédito adicional por asistir a los eventos del festival. “Consuelo es una persona que ha construido un puente cultural, uniendo todas las partes dispares de Watsonville bajo un mismo techo. Conozco a muy pocas personas que sean capaces de hacer eso”.

A decir verdad, Alba imaginó inicialmente el festival como una oferta de un año cuando cofundó el festival en 2012 con su esposo John Speyer, y su amigo Jacob Martínez. Martinez es director ejecutivo de Digital NEST, un centro de desarrollo de fuerza laboral tecnológica para jóvenes rurales. El evento de 2012 presentó casi exclusivamente películas hechas por estudiantes que contaron historias sobre la comunidad latina local.

“Nos dimos cuenta desde el principio que crear un festival de cine en Watsonville era una idea muy ambiciosa”, dijo Alba. “Cuando comenzamos, no podíamos haber imaginado que todavía estaríamos aquí hoy, compartiendo narrativas enriquecedoras, celebrando el talento de nuestros cineastas.

“Pero cuando lo vimos todo en la pantalla grande en el Mello Center, cuando se agotaron las entradas, nos dimos cuenta de que había algo realmente poderoso aquí”.

Antes de la pandemia, el Festival de Cine de Watsonville era una celebración de tres a cuatro días, que mostraba películas en vivo en varios lugares de Watsonville. Ese mismo formato estaba planeado para marzo de 2020, hasta que los organizadores decidieron cancelar antes de que las autoridades locales emitieran órdenes de aislamiento.

‘Fue desgarrador’

“La primera llamada que tuve que hacer fue a la cineasta que iba a ser nuestra invitada especial ese año”, recordó Alba. “Literalmente estaba empacando sus maletas en la Ciudad de México, lista para volar aquí. Fue desgarrador, porque ese año teníamos un programa increíble”.

Seis semanas después, la directora ejecutiva y su equipo de voluntarios estaban pensando en formas de compartir su programa con una audiencia aún más amplia mediante la transmisión de películas en línea y agregando entrevistas y oportunidades de preguntas y respuestas de la audiencia con los cineastas usando Zoom, una videoconferencia basada en Internet, plataforma que normalmente se utiliza para reuniones, chats y seminarios web.

El nuevo cine virtual permitió al Festival de Cine de Watsonville ofrecer 16 películas de su programación de 2020 y toda su programación de 2021, directamente desde su sitio web, durante todo el año, siempre gratis.

El resultado, dijo Alba, ha sido un aumento del 300 por ciento en la audiencia del festival, con espectadores que acceden a las películas desde lugares tan lejanos como México, América Central y Japón.

Ese triunfo suavizó el golpe de tener que cancelar los eventos en vivo del festival, que a menudo atraían multitudes de 2,500 personas a Watsonville, llenando rutinariamente las salas de cine al máximo.

Esas multitudes en persona proporcionaron un impulso significativo a la economía local.

“El festival definitivamente ha sido un auge económico para nuestra comunidad a lo largo de los años”, dijo Rebecca García, ahora en su octavo año como miembro del consejo municipal de Watsonville. (También se desempeñó como alcaldesa en 2020). “No estoy seguro de cuántos visitantes usan nuestros hoteles, pero puedo asegurarles que nuestra industria de restaurantes se ha beneficiado. Siempre se me acercan personas en el festival que me preguntan: “¿Dónde hay un buen lugar para comer?”

Orgullo Cultural

El impacto económico del Festival de Cine de Watsonville en la pequeña ciudad y el Valle de Pájaro es solo una parte de la contribución. Se ha obtenido un valor aún mayor en forma de orgullo cultural.

“Cuando vivía en la Ciudad de México, teníamos un teatro muy famoso, la Cineteca Nacional, donde podíamos ver el tipo de películas que trae Consuelo para el Festival de Cine de Watsonville”, dijo Victoria Bañales, profesora de inglés en Cabrillo College. “No puedo creer que pueda ver este tipo de películas en Watsonville. Son muy difíciles de conseguir, y somos muy privilegiados de que WFF los traiga aquí para nosotros”.

García dice que el acceso a esas películas, y al festival en general, ha brindado un impulso significativo al orgullo latino dentro de la comunidad, que es 86 por ciento hispano.

“Soy nativa de Watsonville y solía ir a ver películas en español en el Cine del Estado”, dijo sobre su ciudad natal. “Ese cine ya no existe, y hasta que llegó el Festival de Cine de Watsonville no había un solo lugar en la ciudad que ofreciera esas películas”.

Mediante técnicas como los subtítulos o el doblaje, Alba consigue que cada película del festival pueda ser disfrutada tanto por personas que solo hablan español, como por aquellas que solo hablan inglés.

“El festival no solo es un recurso para el orgullo latino, para la diversidad cultural y para nuestra comunidad artística”, dijo Flores-Muñoz. “Estoy acostumbrado a ver películas como estas en las universidades, pero ahora podemos verlas aquí en Watsonville”.

Los festivales de cine latino se organizan en San Francisco, Los Ángeles y San Diego, pero el WFF es el único de su tipo fuera de las principales ciudades de California.

Joven y audaz

Las películas estudiantiles producidas localmente también han sido una parte tradicional del programa, generando una subcultura creciente de jóvenes cineastas a nivel local.

“No nos alejamos de las películas que invitan a la reflexión: queremos películas que muestren la complejidad y la riqueza de la comunidad latina. Queremos tener esas conversaciones”, dijo Alba.

“Hemos recibido mucho cariño por lo que hacemos”, dijo. “Todos nos sentimos muy orgullosos cuando la gente nos dice cómo les conmovieron las películas que hemos ofrecido a lo largo de los años, y cómo les conmovió a sus hijos y nietos. Muchos de esos niños salen del cine diciendo: ‘¡Quiero ser cineasta!’”.

Uno de los cineastas juveniles originales del festival, el ex alumno de la Universidad de California en Los Ángeles Gabriel Medina, actualmente está cursando una maestría en producción cinematográfica en la Universidad del Sur de California. Medina es parte del equipo de producción y administración del festival. Como gerente general de Digital NEST, trabaja con adultos jóvenes en la producción de películas en el área de Watsonville.

“Mucho de lo que Gabe ha logrado es gracias al apoyo y el aliento que ha recibido de Consuelo a lo largo de los años”, dijo García. “Y ahora hay un montón de jóvenes en Digital NEST que van en la misma dirección”.

“Lo que Consuelo realmente necesita es un hogar permanente para el festival, un edificio físico donde pueda hacer estas cosas los 365 días del año, en lugar de tener que alquilar sus lugares en la ciudad, Cabrillo o donde sea. Si tuviera una varita mágica, eso es lo que le daría”, dijo Flores-Muñoz.

“Me preocupa que podamos perderla algún día… que el festival pueda mudarse a algún lugar como San José. Eso sería muy triste”, dijo. “Este no es solo un festival de cine: sustenta la alegría, la cultura y el espíritu de nuestra comunidad. Es una fuente de vida para Watsonville”.

Puede encontrar información adicional sobre el festival, incluido el calendario de 10 días de películas en línea, en watsonvillefilmfest.org.

A life source for Watsonville

As it turns 10, Latino film festival remains mostly online but returns to the Mello Center for a special celebration.

By Dennis Taylor, Voices of Monterey Bay

By Dennis Taylor

March 3, 2022

In the earliest days of the coronavirus pandemic, when much of the world began to cloister, architects of the Watsonville Film Festival abruptly shelved a year’s worth of relentless planning and called off their March 2020 event.

Forty days later, they began innovating their entire business model to adjust to the circumstances of our strange new world.

“We had to cancel 48 hours before our opening night,” remembered WFF executive director Consuelo Alba, who co-founded the festival a decade ago. “Yes, I cried, because we had worked all year to put together that program. It was a very hard decision.

“But a month and a half later, we began experimenting with the idea of putting our films online, testing multiple different platforms. That’s just how creative and persistent we are.”

A drastically remodeled version of that crowd-pleasing community jamboree will begin  with a 10th anniversary celebration beginning March 11, launching a 10-day program featuring 32 Latino-themed films, all at no charge.

All but one will be offered through March 20 via the festival’s virtual theater, an online platform that can be accessed at watsonvillefilmfest.org.

The exception, “Real Women Have Curves,” a 2002 film starring America Ferrera, will be screened before a live audience at Watsonville’s 700-seat Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts at 6 p.m. March 12. That showing is also free and will feature a personal appearance by the film’s screenwriter, Josefina Lopez.

One other in-person film, “Tesoros” (“Treasures”), will be shown outdoors — also free — at 7 p.m. March 13 at Palenke Arts, 1713 Broadway Ave. in Seaside. The movie also can be enjoyed via the Virtual Cinema.

Other highlights of this year’s Virtual Cinema include Oscar-nominated “The Mole Agent,” double-Sundance winner “Identifying Features,” and Mexican Ariel Award nominee “Things We Dare Not Do.”

Determination and passion

The metamorphosis of the festival amid the two-year pandemic is attributable to the dogged determination and passion of a selfless executive director, according to community leaders in Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley.

“I consider Consuelo Alba to be a community treasure,” said Shirley Flores-Munoz, a professor of Women’s Studies and History at Cabrillo College.

“Over the years, she has brought so much education, political awareness, and cultural sensitivity to our community,” said the professor, whose students receive extra credit for attending WFF events. “Consuelo is a person who has built a cultural bridge, weaving all of the disparate parts of Watsonville together under one umbrella. I know very few people who are capable of doing that.”

Truth be told, Alba initially envisioned WFF as a one-year offering when she co-founded the festival in 2012 with her husband, John Speyer, and their friend Jacob Martinez. Martinez is executive director of Digital NEST, a technology workforce development hub for rural youth. The 2012 event  featured almost exclusively student-made films that told stories about the local Latino community.

“We realized from the beginning that creating a film festival in Watsonville was a very ambitious idea,” Alba said. “When we started, we couldn’t possibly have imagined that we would still be here today, sharing empowering narratives, celebrating the talent of our filmmakers.

“But when we saw it all on the big screen at the Mello Center — which we sold out — we realized there was something really powerful here.”

Latino film festivals are staged in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, but WFF is the only one of its kind outside of a major California city.

Pre-pandemic, WFF was a three- to four-day celebration, showing films to live audiences at various Watsonville venues. That same format was in place in March 2020, until organizers decided to cancel even before local authorities issued shelter-in-place recommendations.

‘It was heartbreaking’

“The first call I had to make was to the filmmaker who was scheduled to be our special guest that year,” Alba remembered. “She was literally packing her suitcases in Mexico City, ready to fly here. It was heartbreaking, because we had an incredible program lined up that year.”

Six weeks later, the executive director and her all-volunteer team were brainstorming ways to share their program to an even broader audience by streaming the films online, and adding interviews and audience Q&A opportunities with the filmmakers using Zoom, an Internet-based video conferencing platform typically used for meetings, chats, and webinars.

The new Virtual Cinema enabled WFF to offer 16 films from its 2020 lineup, and its entire 2021 program, directly from its website, all year long, always free.

The result, said Alba, has been a 300 percent increase in the festival’s audience, with viewers accessing the movies from as far away as Mexico, Central America and Japan.

That triumph softened the blow of having to cancel WFF’s live events, which often attracted crowds of 2,500 to Watsonville, routinely filling film venues to capacity.

Those in-person crowds provided a significant boost to the local economy.

“The festival definitely has been an economic boom for our community over the years,” said Rebecca Garcia, who served as Watsonville mayor in 2020 and is now in her eighth year as a member of the  City Council. “I’m not sure how many visitors are using our hotels, but I can tell you for sure that our restaurant industry has benefited. I’m always approached at the festival by people asking, ‘Where’s a good place to eat?’”

Cultural pride

The economic impact of WFF on Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley is only part of the contribution. Even greater value has been gleaned in the form of cultural pride.

“When I lived in Mexico City, we had a very famous theater, Cinteca National, where we could watch the kind of films Consuelo brings in for the Watsonville Film Festival,” said Victoria Bañales, a professor of English at Cabrillo College. “I cannot believe I get to see these kinds of films in Watsonville. They’re very difficult to come by, and we are so privileged that WFF brings them here for us.”

Garcia says access to those films and the festival as a whole has provided a significant lift to Latino pride within the community, which is 86 percent Hispanic.  

“I’m a Watsonville native, and I used to go watch (Spanish-language) movies at the State Theater,” she said of her hometown. “That theater no longer exists, and until Watsonville Film Festival came along, there wasn’t a single place in town that offered those movies.”

Through techniques such as subtitles or dubbing, Alba ensures that every film at WFF can be enjoyed by people who speak only Spanish as well as those who only speak English.

“The festival not only is a resource for Latino pride, for cultural diversity, and for our art community,” said Flores-Munoz. “I’m used to watching films like these at universities, but now we get to see them here in Watsonville.”

Young and bold

Locally-produced student films also have been a traditional part of the program, spawning a growing subculture of young filmmakers locally.

“We don’t shy away from thought-provoking films — we want films that show the complexity and richness of the Latino community. We want to have those conversations,” Alba said.

“We’ve received a lot of love for what we do,” she said. “We all feel very proud when people tell us how they were touched by the films we’ve offered through the years, and how their kids and grandkids were touched. A lot of those kids come out of the theater saying, ‘I want to be a filmmaker!’”

One of the WFF’s original youth filmmakers, UCLA alumnus Gabriel Medina, is currently pursuing his master’s degree in Film Production at the University of Southern California. Medina is part of WFF’s production and administration team, and is senior manager at Digital NEST, working with young adults on film production in the Watsonville area.

“A lot of what Gabe has accomplished is thanks to the support and encouragement he’s received over the years from Consuelo,” Garcia said. “And now there are a whole bunch of young people at Digital NEST who are going in the same direction.”

“What Consuelo really needs is a permanent home for the festival — a physical building where she can do these things 365 days a year, rather than always having to rent her venues from the city, or Cabrillo, or wherever. If I could wave a magic wand, that’s what I’d give her,” Flores-Munoz said.

“I worry that we could lose her someday … that the festival could move somewhere like San José. That would be so sad,” she said. “This isn’t just a film festival – it sustains joy, culture, and spirit for our community. It’s a life source for Watsonville.”

Additional information about the festival, including the 10-day schedule of online films, can be found at watsonvillefilmfest.org.

Watsonville Film Festival celebrates 10th Anniversary with expanded hybrid program

The Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) will come full circle as it celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a special in-person event at the Mello Center for the Performing Arts, where it all started in 2012. The Festival will also present an outstanding virtual film program for free, from March 11-20. The 2022 Cine Se Puede Fellowship, which offers support and mentorship to local emerging filmmakers, will also be a featured activity of the festival.

“We are excited and proud to celebrate a decade of the storytelling and artistry of the Latinx community in front of, and behind, the camera. This year we are presenting an incredibly powerful selection of films, most of them directed by women. We will also honor Josefina Lopez, a trailblazer Latina and playwright and screenwriter based in Los Angeles.”

— Consuelo Alba, Director of Watsonville Film Festival

Under the theme 10 Years Cultivating Community Through Film, the WFF will present a virtual program featuring more than 30 award-winning, local and student films from March 11-20 via its streaming channel at watsonvillefilmfest.org.

This year’s films shine a light on Latinx art, activism, resistance and community. Highlights include Academy Award nominee The Mole Agent by director Maité Alberdi; double-Sundance winner Identifying Features by director Fernanda Valadez, and Mexican Ariel Award nominee Things We Dare Not Do by director Bruno Santamaría.

The Festival is collaborating for the first time with POV, the award-winning independent non-fiction film series on PBS, by presenting seven documentary films, including Fruits of Labor, a documentary by director Emily Cohen Ibañez following the life, dreams and challenges of a teenager and her family in Watsonville.

Read on to learn more about the expansive roster of amazing short films being shown at this year’s festival.

SHORT FILMS

Águilas / Eagles

Directed by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan & Maite Zubiaurre

Along the scorching desert border in Arizona, it is estimated that only one out of every five missing migrants are ever found. Águilas is the story of one group of searchers, the Águilas del Desierto. In these hostile and treacherous lands, every bone has a story. Presented in collaboration with POV, PBS’ award-winning nonfiction film series.

Lupita: Que retiemble la tierra

Directed by Mónica Wise Robles

In a country where indigenous people are increasingly displaced, their land stolen, where students disappear without trace following police arrest, and journalists are murdered at an alarming rate, a courageous new voice emerges. Lupita, a Tzotzil Maya massacre survivor, is at the forefront of a new movement of indigenous women.

Amor en Cuarentena

Directed by Eugenia Rentería

During the pandemic, Emi feels stuck in a box, and from boredom or desperation, she starts looking for love… virtually. What can go wrong? ➤ A local film.

Disposable

Directed by Marcus Cisneros | Produced by Gabriel J. Medina

After fleeing a civil war in Mexico, two undocumented laborers find work during a global pandemic in the US, only to discover they’ve been lured into a frightening situation. ➤ The world premiere, created in collaboration local film makers and Digital Nest

Death and Deathability (A Period Piece)

Directed by Maria Victoria Ponce

Mystified by the unexpected arrival of her first period, Ceci (Blanca Ordaz) concludes she must be dying. She prepares a bucket list to accomplish on her final day, including her first real kiss and her own funeral, because death should be an art.

Dial Home

Directed by Cesar Martinez Barba

Within the walls of a Tijuana call center, a feeling of being in limbo pervades. Homesickness floods the telephone line as call center personnel deported from the United States engage in conversations from across the US-Mexico border.

Abuelos

Directed by Rodrigo Reyes | Produced by Andrew Houchens

Separated by years of immigration policy, a young girl dreams of meeting her grandmother for the first time. Thanks to the bi-national cooperation of governments on both sides of the US/Mexico border, her grandmother embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to reunite with her undocumented loved ones.

First Time Home

Co-directed by Heriberto Ventura, Noemi Librado Sanchez, Esmirna Librado & Esmeralda Ventura

When they learn their grandfather is ill, four cousins travel from their Indigenous Triqui immigrant community in California to their ancestral village in Mexico for the first time. The teens record videos to share with their family members, who are farmworkers in the U.S. Through a mixture of Spanish, Triqui, and English, they get to know their grandparents, aunts and uncles. The group of cousins forge a link across thousands of miles, with a newfound pride in their indigenous identity. ➤ A local film

Keeper of the Fire: Alejandro Murguía

Directed by David L. Brown and Louis F. Dematteis

Following the life and work of activist, author and San Francisco Poet Laureate Alejandro Murguia, Keeper of the Fire explores the roles this outspoken poet has played in the fight for a more just and equitable world. ➤ A local film

La Perla Del Pacifico

Directed by Carlos Campos

Gambino and Anna set out to create a restaurant that would support their family; little did they know of the impact it would have on the small rural community of Watsonville. ➤ A local film

Oda a los Frijoles

Co-created by Karolina Esqueda & Brenda Avila-Hanna

A literary and visual rendition of beans, Oda a los Frijoles merges a cooking recipe with archival footage of immigrants and fieldworkers, creating a parallel between tradition & immigration. ➤ A local film

Painter of Dreams

Directed by Gabriel J. Medina

A short documentary about artist Guillermo “Yermo” Aranda and his effort to repaint his iconic “Dreams” mural at Watsonville High School after it was covered up. Named 2022 Santa Cruz Artist of the Year, Aranda creates his murals through an inclusive community process that involves mentoring young children and adults who want to learn and assist with painting. Aranda’s murals act as a mirror and a vibrant visual archive of collective dreams and memories, reminding us where we are and where we’ve been. ➤ A local film

To the Future with Love

Directed by Shaleece Haas

Hunter “Pixel” Jiménez is a nonbinary teenager caught between the expectations of his Guatemalan immigrant family and his dreams of living happily ever after with his long-distance boyfriend. Presented in collaboration with POV, PBS’ award-winning nonfiction film series.

Tony’s Cakes

Directed by Tony Holman & Vida deKayla

A man with a troubled past finds redemption in building his own bakery in the East Bay.

25 Texans in the Land of Lincoln

Directed by Ellen Brodsky

Join the quest with 25 intrepid history students – mostly Mexican American – who drive 2,000 miles from the Alamo in Texas to a Springfield, Illinois museum. Their mission? Asking to repatriate General Santa Anna’s prosthetic leg to Mexico and honoring Abraham Lincoln with a Day of the Dead altar. With humor, humility, animation, the film raises questions of identity, borders, museum ethics, and collective memory.

In addition, various short films by local students...

10th Annual Watsonville Film Festival

Presenting 30+ award-winning and local films online from March 11-20, this year’s festival will also feature a special in-person program celebrating 10th anniversary of WFF with “Real Women Have Curves” at the Mello Center on Saturday, March 12 from 6:00 - 8:30 PM.

Watsonville Film Festival celebrates 10th Anniversary

By Johanna Miller, Watsonville Pajaronian

March 3, 2022

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) returns March 11-20, with virtual and in-person events to celebrate its 10th anniversary. 

Consuelo Alba, executive director of WFF, said it felt “unreal” to be reaching such a milestone.

“We are incredibly happy to be celebrating 10 years because when we started, we didn’t think we’d be here today,” Alba said. “Our motivation then was to celebrate local stories, the creativity of our community and bring people together—once.”

The festival has evolved into an annual event, also holding smaller events year-round and working closely with other local organizations, school districts, businesses and more.

“I am incredibly proud and grateful for our team, “Alba said, “and for everyone who has been involved in this organization for all this time … but also the new faces as well. It’s just a really, really wonderful feeling to get to this point.”

During the pandemic, WFF launched its own streaming channel, which has allowed the organization to reach an even wider audience.

“[Going virtual] was very hard, we had never done it before,” Alba said. “In 2020 we experimented with different formats, and then we started working with our own platform. We’ve been learning a lot in the process.”

Also last year, WFF created Cine Se Puede, a fellowship aiming to support emerging local filmmakers. The first seven fellows will be introduced at the festival’s in-person event on March 12.

“We have an incredible first cohort of filmmakers,” Alba said. “We will be working with them for 13 months. We’ll have more opportunities to support these filmmakers after the festival … But this way, people can recognize them as the inaugural fellows.”

More than 30 films will be available to watch for free online during this year’s festival. Many of them are locally made by filmmakers from hubs such as Digital NEST, and the majority of them are made by women.

One of these films, “Fruits of Labor,” takes place in Watsonville. The acclaimed documentary directed by Emily Cohen Ibañez follows a teenager named Ashley who is balancing school, applying for college, and personal life while also working in the fields and local factories to help support her family.

Other films include “The Mole Agent,” an Academy Award-winning documentary from Chile about an elderly person who takes a job as a detective inside an assisted-living facility; and “Treasures,” a film from Mexico about a family who moves from the city to a small fishing town, where they connect more closely with each other, the community and the environment.  

For the first time, the festival is collaborating with PBS’ award-winning documentary series “POV,” which Alba said will help promote the festival within its networks.

On March 12 at 6pm, WFF will host an opening night event at the Henry J. Mello Center—the location of the inaugural festival 10 years ago. A screening of the award-winning film “Real Women Have Curves,” which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, will be held. Playwright and screenwriter Josefina López will be the guest of honor.

Alba said she is grateful to be back in person, at least for part of the festival, to celebrate 10 years.

“We invite people to come to the event early to reconnect,” she said. “We haven’t been able to see people in this setting for so long.”

Looking ahead, Alba said her hope is that WFF will help make Watsonville become a hub for filmmaking.

“My hope is that we continue our program, that we can celebrate the great stories and artistry of Latino filmmakers for years to come,” she said. “And that our festival brings people to Watsonville. We’ve always been about promoting the talent, the potential, the economic development of Watsonville. We want to put it on the map as a place to watch amazing films.”

The Watsonville Film Festival will be held March 11-20. To register for the March 12 event, view a full schedule or donate visit watsonvillefilmfestival.org.

2022 Watsonville Film Festival honors landmark American film

Get ready to uplift local talent as Watsonville prepares to launch their 10th Annual Film Festival. The event will feature over 30 local and student films from March 11 - 20, available for free on their streaming channel. In addition, this year’s festival will include a special in-person event at the Mello Center for Performing Arts to showcase the incredible work of one outstanding film & filmmaker.

This year, WFF is honoring Real Women Have Curves, a landmark American independent film on its 20th Anniversary, with an in-person screening at the Mello Center Saturday March 12 at 6PM.

Josefina Lopez, who based the story on her own life as a child of immigrants in Los Angeles, will be the special guest. The film stars America Ferrera in her first feature film, which launched her career. It won the Sundance Audience Award, and was recently inducted into the Library of Congress National Film Registry. The event is free of charge, but people are encouraged to register on the WFF website.

Seven local emerging Latinx filmmakers who were selected to the inaugural WFF Cine Se Puede Fellowship will also be recognized at the March 12 event. Through this new program, the fellows will receive funding, tailored mentorship and ongoing support for 13 months.

“Our goal is to support early career filmmakers at a critical point in their professional journey, who are looking for sustainability to continue working and thriving in our region.”

— Brenda Avila-Hanna, WFF Cine Se Puede Fellowship Coordinator and Documentary Filmmaker

WFF will also screen several local films, including fiction shorts Amor en Cuarentena and Disposable, experimental film Oda a los Frijoles and the documentaries Painter of Dreams, La Perla del Pacifico and The Work of Art (El Oficio del Arte). The screening of Disposable will be a world premiere.

“We are proud to present another great program this year. The outpouring of support to celebrate our 10th birthday has been amazing. We are very grateful to the filmmakers, sponsors, donors, Amigos del Festival and our wonderful audience.”

— Consuelo Alba, Director of Watsonville Film Festival

Since 2012, the WFF has made a name for itself by programming thoughtful and provocative films, celebrating Latinx filmmakers and stories, supporting local storytellers, and opening spaces for Latinx audiences. The arts non-profit organization presents an annual festival, plus year-round programs, including the beloved Día de Muertos celebration at the Watsonville Plaza.

Read on to learn more about the expansive roster of amazing feature films being shown at this year’s festival.

Real Women Have Curves (Special 20th Anniversary Presentation)

Directed by Patricia Cardoso

A coming-of-age story about a young Mexican-American woman (America Ferrera) on the cusp of adulthood, Real Women Have Curves was co-written – and based on the stage play – by Josefina López who wrote about her own life as a child of immigrants in Los Angeles.

The film was recently inducted into the Library of Congress National Film Registry, and Director Patricia Cardoso is is the first Latina to have a film receive this honor. The film received two Sundance awards when it premiered in 2002. It is featured in the opening exhibition of the Motion Picture Academy Museum.

El Agente Topo/The Mole Agent

Directed by Maite Alberdi

When 83-year-old Sergio is sent as an undercover spy to a Chilean retirement home to track suspected elder abuse, he learns a deeper lesson about human connection. Through the lens of the hidden camera in his decoy glasses, viewers watch as Sergio struggles to balance his assignment with his increasing involvement in the lives of several residents. Presented in collaboration with POV, PBS’ award-winning nonfiction film series. ➤Academy Award Nominee, 2021

Fruits of Labor

Directed by Emily Cohen Ibañez

Fruits of Labor follows the day-in-a-life of Ashley, a young farm and factory worker in Watsonville, who dreams of being the first in her family to graduate from high school and go to college. Fruits of Labor is a lyrical, coming-of-age documentary feature about adolescence, labor, nature and the ancestors. Presented in collaboration with POV, PBS’ award-winning nonfiction film series. ➤ A local film

Sin Señas Particulares / Identifying Features

Directed by Fernanda Valadez & Astrid Rondero

A mother travels from Guanajuato to the border in search of her son, whom authorities say died while trying to cross the borders into the United States. Desperate to find out what happened to him—and to know whether or not he’s even alive—she embarks on an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous journey to discover the truth. Premiered at Sundance Film Festival, winning the Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic and the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Screenplay.

➤ For mature audiences.

Tesoros / Treasures

Directed by María Novaro

In the town of Barra de Potosí, a small fishing community on the Mexican Pacific coast, a group of children are certain that together - and with the right map - they will find a pirate’s treasure that has been hiding nearby for centuries. But what they are about to find is something far more valuable than a treasure. A film for children, their parents and their grandparents. ➤ Great for all ages.

Los Hermanos / The Brothers

Directed by Marcia Jarmel & Ken Schneider

Ilmar and Aldo are virtuoso Cuban-born brothers living on opposite sides of a geopolitical chasm a half century wide. Tracking their parallel lives, poignant reunion, and momentous first performances together, Los Hermanos / The Brothers offers a nuanced view of estranged nations through the lens of music and family. ➤For Music Lovers

Cosas que no hacemos / Things We Dare Not Do

Directed by Bruno Santamaría

In the small Mexican coastal village of El Roblito, 16-year-old Ñoño lives what seems to be an idyllic existence with his loving family. But he holds a secret. Defying gender norms, Ñoño works up the courage to tell his family he wants to live his life as a woman, a fraught decision in a country shrouded in machismo and transphobia. Presented in collaboration with POV, PBS’ award-winning nonfiction film series. Nominated to the Ariel Award from the Mexican Film Academy.

El Canto de las Mariposas / The Song of the Butterflies

Directed by Núria Frigola Torrent

Rember Yahuarcani, an indigenous artist from an almost-extinguished nation, returns to his grandmother’s land looking for inspiration and discovers why the stories of his ancestors cannot be forgotten. Presented in collaboration with POV, PBS’ award-winning nonfiction film series.

Siqueiros: Walls of Passion

Directed by Lorena Manriquez & Miguel Picker

Siqueiros: Walls of Passion profiles the great Mexican muralist and activist David Alfaro Siqueiros and the resurrection of his Los Angeles mural América Tropical, located at the birthplace of Los Angeles and later championed by the Chicano movement as a symbol of its oppressed culture.

Landfall

Directed by Cecilia Aldarondo

When Hurricane María made landfall in Puerto Rico in 2017, the US territory was already 72 billion dollars in debt. Landfall examines the kinship of these two storms—one environmental, the other economic—juxtaposing competing visions of recovery. Featuring intimate encounters with Puerto Ricans as well as with newcomers motivated by “disaster capitalism” flooding the island, Landfall reflects on a question of contemporary global relevance: When the world falls apart, who do we become? Presented in collaboration with POV, PBS’ award-winning nonfiction film series.

Oaxacalifornia: The Return

Directed by Trisha Ziff

An intimate portrait of three generations of a Mexican-American family in California, Oaxacalifornia: The Return revisits the Mejía family twenty-five years after they were first portrayed negotiating their place in a new environment. The film digs deep into the complexities of multigenerational immigrant identities and the nuances of both belonging and otherness to become a moving epic about the fabric of this nation.

El Oficio del Arte / The Work of Art

Directed by Shelly Errington & José Luis Reza

This captivating documentary takes us into the homes, minds, and hearts of folk artists in Mexico, who reveal their craft practices and family life in their own words. Social and economic issues emerge discreetly as we follow their work processes and efforts to gain recognition for their art. Settings range from intimate locales in workshops and family homes to panoramic mountain vistas and festive markets.

La Casa de Mama Icha

Directed by Oscar Molina

Decades earlier, Mama Icha moved to the US to help her daughter with her children’s care. However, she never lost sight of her hometown in Colombia. Now, at the end of her life, Mama Icha boards a plane back home, finding joy and heartbreak. Presented in collaboration with POV, PBS’ award-winning nonfiction film series.

Five Years North

Directed by Zach Ingrasci & Chris Temple

Five Years North is the coming-of-age story of Luis, an undocumented Guatemalan boy who has just arrived alone in New York City. He struggles to work, study, and evade officer Judy - the Cuban-American ICE officer patrolling his neighborhood.

➤ Presented in collaboration with America Reframed.

Mariposas del Campo

Directed by Bill Yahraus & Robin Rosenthal

Indigenous teenagers from Mexico strive to change their families’ destinies in the strawberry fields of Oxnard, California. Through a stormy year of sanctioned racism and anti-immigrant policies, their journeys are captured—with help from their own videos—as they navigate school, cultural identity, parental expectations, economic challenges, and the justice needs of their migrant farmworker community.

Sponsors of the 2022 Watsonville Film Festival include University of California Santa Cruz / Arts Division, Ow Family Properties, Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, California Arts Council, Packard Foundation, Santa Cruz Community Credit Union, Annieglass, Arts Council Santa Cruz County and others.

Watsonville Film Festival launches fellowship for local filmmakers

APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH DEC. 22

By Johanna Miller, Watsonville Pajaronian

December 8, 2021

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) will soon celebrate its 10th anniversary, and to commemorate the occasion it has launched a fellowship to support local up-and-coming Latinx filmmakers. 

The Cine Se Puede fellowship will support five emerging filmmakers from Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley in producing short film projects. It will assist with funding of up to $1,000 per project. Selected participants will learn to pitch stories and projects, improve film proposals, budgets, marketing and distribution plans. 

Fellows will also have a chance to pitch their projects to industry experts at the 10th annual festival on March 11-20, 2022. 

“For almost 10 years we have been supporting local filmmakers by providing them a platform to share their work,” said Consuelo Alba, co-founder and executive director of WFF.  “This fellowship is the next step in that mission.”

The fellowship, Alba said, is meant for artists who are currently creating work (producers, directors). It is an opportunity for them to connect with the industry and help bring their art to “the next level.”  

“WFF has cultivated numerous contacts with filmmakers, distributors, editors,” she said. “Through this fellowship we are providing a network of support.”

Brenda Avila, who screened her first film with WFF in 2013, has been volunteering and working part-time with the organization for eight years. She emphasized the importance of having this kind of support when getting started in the industry. 

“Sometimes you have to pay fees. If you’re lucky you’ll be invited to a festival, someone will pay your way,” Avila said. “But often that’s not an option. Filmmaking is about love and talent, but it’s also about connections. You’re not guaranteed to get a paycheck or be successful. Not everyone is going to understand your vision. We wanted to be mindful about that disconnect.”

Alba said that WFF had been looking into creating the fellowship for years, but there was a lack of funding and resources. Now, the organization is finally in a position to take on such an ambitious project.

Funding for the fellowship comes from Rise Together, a Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County initiative aiming to advance racial equity throughout the county. 

“This project involves a lot of people,” Alba said. “It has been a long, complex process. But we are beyond excited to provide this opportunity.”

She added that giving opportunities to Latinx filmmakers, in particular, is vital to their success.

“We do not have enough representation,” she said. “Our stories are not told and seen as much as others. So we are super excited that this [fellowship] is now a reality. It is a commitment from us to keep promoting these stories.”

Added Avila: “I’m excited about the relationships that will be formed, or strengthened through this. It’s really important for us filmmakers to get to know each other and our work.”

Filmmakers must submit their applications online through Dec. 22.  Avila encouraged interested filmmakers to send in their applications, and not be discouraged if they are not chosen. 

“It really is important to us that people give it a shot,” she said. “Get your feet wet. Test it out, and stay tuned—even if you don’t get into the fellowship, there will still be community events related to it happening throughout the year.”

An informational webinar about Cine Se Puede will be held Dec. 15 at 6pm. To register, and for more information about the fellowship and WFF visit watsonvillefilmfest.org.