Project allows movie fans to join others and receive many Poppy Jasper Film Festival benefits
Published on Page 1 in the August 7, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Robert Airoldi
Morgan Hill Life is teaming with the Poppy Jasper Film Festival in its 10th year of bringing high-quality cinematic art to our community by co-hosting a special Kick-Off Party open to all film lovers at Grinds Vines & Automobilia (GVA) Cafe at 6 p.m. Wednesday Aug. 14.
Festival organizers will officially launch at the celebration party the Poppy Jasper’s new “Fifty Film Friends” project allowing movie fans to join a group of friends of the festivals and receive many benefits. With a donation of $100, each Fifty Film Friends member receives a special Film Friend Pass for this year’s Poppy Jasper that will let them view all movie screenings, attend the keynote address, and enjoy filmmaker workshops and festival parties. Members will also receive additional perks that will be revealed at the Kick-Off Party, said Bob Snow, chair of the 2013 Poppy Jasper Film Festival.
“Our festival provides local residents who are already film fans a great, fun-filled weekend of films to enjoy,” Snow said. “Our festival isn’t just about sitting in a dark theater watching movies, it’s about learning new things, meeting new friends, stretching our minds, and simply put … having a good time.”
Poppy Jasper screenings of short films of 40 minutes or less will take place at the Granada Theater in downtown Morgan Hill Nov. 8 to 10. Special screenings will also be shown on select evenings during the buildup to the festival weekend.
The closed-down Granada was renovated for last year’s festival. It attracted film lovers who wanted to experience cinema art in the nostalgic movie theater.
“One of the things I really love about having our festival in downtown is that it is such a great opportunity for everyone involved with the festival,” Snow said. “The local businesses enjoy the extra weekend traffic as local film fans and the filmmakers visiting from abroad get the chance to meet and become friends in our welcoming hometown environment.”
Joining the new Fifty Film Friends group is a great opportunity to not only support the arts but also be a part of the arts community in Morgan Hill, said Nancy Lowe, a festival volunteer. “Our Fifty Film Friends will help provide the financial boost needed to bring excellent speakers, workshops and events to this year’s festival.”
The group is called Fifty Film Friends because the festival needs to raise a minimum of $5,000 every year to operate, she said. The organizing committee came up with the idea that if 50 festival fans donated $100 each, they could reach that goal.
“If more than 50 people want to support the festival through this project, they would definitely be welcomed into the group,” she said.
Other sponsorship levels are also available for individuals and businesses to participate in, she said.
The Poppy Jasper Film Festival has given the people of Morgan Hill a decade of cinematic art and culture, and it can potentially grow into a significant economic benefit for Morgan Hill’s downtown, said Marty Cheek, publisher of Morgan Hill Life.
The publication wants to help the Poppy Jasper promote the Fifty Film Friends project and support the festival as well as help create a social group for movie lovers.“I’ve been a part of the Poppy Jasper Film Festival family since this great cinema festival started 10 years ago,” Cheek said. “It’s an incredibly fun and friendly festival that draws people from around the Bay Area, the state of California, and even other countries to celebrate the art and craft of making movies. And I would love for our community to generously support our international film festival and see it grow even bigger and better in the next 10 years.”
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