Film festival got its start as a fundraiser for Morgan Hill Access TV in 2004
Published in the October 30, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Photo courtesy PJFF
A screen shot from this year’s Best Comedy “Broken Up.” The Poppy Jasper Film Festival will be held Nov. 8 to 10 at the Granada Theater in downtown Morgan Hill. Visit www.poppyjasperfilmfest.org for more information.
The Poppy Jasper Film Festival will welcome filmmakers from around the world to downtown Morgan Hill for its 10-year celebration Nov. 8 to 10. The festival will return for a second consecutive year to the Granada Theater where it will showcase short films (40 minutes or less) from nearly 40 independent cinematic artists.
For a decade, the Poppy Jasper has given South Valley residents the opportunity to “mix and mingle” with celebrated and award-winning professionals who craft some of today’s top-rated movies, said Jay Jaso, a festival founder and organizer for this year’s festival.
“I believe local residents will find themselves caught up not just in the magic of short films that capture how people around the world view life around them, but also in the personal stories of dedicated filmmakers themselves who seek to inspire, inform, and captivate us through the pursuit of their art and craft,” he said.
The Poppy Jasper got its start in 2004 when local businessman Bill Leaman suggested hosting a cinema-themed fundraising event for the Morgan Hill Access TV (MHAT) community television station. None of the original organizers had ever put on a film festival before, Jaso said, but their passion for cinema helped them overcome obstacles for the festival.
That first year, Oscar-winning special effects artist John Bruno (“Terminator,” “True Lies,” “Titanic” and “The Abyss”) was the keynote speaker. Since then, a number of notable people involved in professional filmmaking have participated in the Poppy Jasper.
Unlike other film festivals, the Poppy Jasper centers it attention on the filmmaker and the art of filmmaking, not the celebrity factor that usually accompanies film festivals, said Kim Bush, a 2013 festival organizer and a founder.
“The festival is in its 10th year because filmmakers truly appreciate that this is a festival that focuses on them,” she said. “The festival brings to Morgan Hill the opportunity to see through film how similar we all are and that we share the same human experiences.”
Victor Miller, the Emmy-winning screenwriter who wrote the original “Friday the 13th” film, was the keynote speaker in 2005 and was so taken by the spirit of the festival that he decided to become actively involved on its board of directors.
“Several things make the Poppy Jasper different from other festivals,” Miller said. “The people who run the festival are experienced and driven solely by a love of film and filmmakers. The attendees and filmmakers are eager, passionate and dedicated. The place is Morgan Hill, idyllic, intimate and hospitable with world class food and drink. And the program combines film viewing with workshops, panel discussion, socializing and networking of the very best sort.”
The festival will feature a total of 39 juried films as well as a special showing set of two locally-made films, “The Pirates of Morgan’s Cove” and a dcoumentary about a local music band called Sad Boys Sinister.
This year’s festival winners are: “Broken Up” (best comedy film winner), “Do-Si-Do” (best documentary film winner), “Goldfield” (best drama film winner), “RosyMaryTime” (best science fiction film winner) and “Light Me Up” (best overall film).
The three-day festival will also have a number of workshops for filmmakers and film fans to learn the process of making movies as well as several social events where local residents can get to meet the filmmakers.
The reason festival organizers chose poppy jasper, the semi-precious gemstone unique to Morgan Hill, as the name for the festival was so that its guests could walk away with “a piece of the festival,” Jaso said. “The film festival isn’t just an event. It’s part of Morgan Hill’s heritage,” he said. “It’s as homegrown as the poppy jasper gemstone.”
To find out more about the festival, visit www.poppyjasperfilmfest.org
