Page 19 - Sonoma County Gazette 3-19
P. 19

Creating the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival
By Cynthi Stefenoni, Co-Director, Producer
   The Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival is a unique festival:
First, it is a program of an Arts Center.
Second, it honors filmmakers and craft above celebrity.
Third, it is known among the documentary community as a great festival; a
place where you will see extraordinary and important films that might not be seen on the regular ‘Festival Circuit’.
Fourth, it has lasted for 12 years and, in that time, has been noted by MovieMaker Magazine as ‘one of the 25 coolest Film Festivals’ and won ‘Best Festival’ in the Bohemian and the Press Democrat.
Last, and certainly not least, it was founded by volunteers and continues to be almost completely staffed and managed by volunteers.
Box Office volunteers begin to sell tickets at Sebastopol Center for the Arts the week prior to the fest (on sale online for the month prior)...and then comes Festival Weekend, when 60-75 well trained volunteers take on all aspects of running a successful festival... all are volunteers and all play an integral part in making the Festival hum.
A multitude of screeners begins watching films in June while the Steering Committee, a group of volunteers that works year round, takes on producing the Best of
the Fest. Once the film screeners are done and the programmers have locked in the program, it’s time for another small army of volunteers to begin the task of ‘selling the Festival’ to businesses and individuals inclined to support such an endeavor.
  (March 28, 8pm at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 High St, Sebastopol). Catalogs designed, created, printed, and distributed. Signage hung.
In-kind donations are garnered for the Opening Night Reception
 Like a circus in times gone by, SDFF comes into town once a year. Volunteers raise tents, welcome guests, answer questions and are the face of the Festival for four glorious days. And then, it’s over. Red carpets roll up, tents get sent back, banners are furled...and SDFF, the little engine that could, gets ready for the next year to unfold.
Enjoy our pick of exceptional documentaries at these venues: 1. Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High St. Sebastopol, 707-829-4797 2. Rialto Cinemas®, 6868 McKinley St. Sebastopol, 707-525-4840
67 films from 18 countries on 8 screens in downtown Sebastopol.
  In addition, special programs highlighting the work of composers, audio engineers and editors will be part of the weekend. An event that is certain to sell out is the panel discussion on investigative journalism lead by journalist Lowell Bergman after a screening of the film ‘Factory of Lies’ which deals with journalists in Russia and Russian troll farms.
From women chefs (The Heat) and women who fish for their families in Syria (Waterfolk) to women who find community on skates (Derby Crazy Love) and
at the Israeli-Palestinian border (Naila and the Uprising), SDFF 2019 celebrates women’s stories across the world.
While documentaries continue to shine a light on the plight of the voiceless
(I’m Leaving Now, From Baghdad to the Bay) and underserved populations (Dodging Bullets, Dawnland, Leitus In Waiting), they also highlight lives and situations that show the best of humanity (The Cat Rescuers, The Woman Who Loves Giraffes, Elephant Path/Njaia Njoku) as well as entertain (Bathtubs Over Broadway, Conf luence).
 Filmmakers will be on site to converse with patrons. Tickets to the Opening Night film (Harvest Season) include an invitation to attend the after party.
Tickets and passes are on sale NOW at sebdocs.org.
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