Gilroy-based filmmaker revitalized Poppy Jasper International Film Festival

Photo courtesy Mattie Scariot
Mattie Scariot, the director of the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, grew up in Gilroy and came back after a film career in Los Angeles.

By Kelly Barbazette

Kelly Barbazette

Mattie Scariot’s career has come full circle as she lives her dream as the director of the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival. She leads a small army of volunteers putting on the South Valley’s eight-day cinematic arts event, which starts April 12.

“I always wanted to be in movies,” the 56-year-old Gilroyan said. “I didn’t want to be in front of the camera. I wanted to be behind the camera.”

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Scariot about her creative roots and path to her current role heading up the award-winning film festival spanning five different cities from San Juan Bautista and Hollister to Gilroy, San Martin, and Morgan Hill.

Born in San Jose, Scariot and her family moved to Gilroy in 1972 when she was 6. She earned her cosmetology license at Gavilan College before attending the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in LA in 1987.

She remembers always being creative and seeing her first movie poster when she was 10 years old, prompting her to ask her parents what a film producer does.

“All of those positions were held by men. But the costume person was a woman, so that’s what I focused on,” she recalled.

Scariot landed a job finding costumes for “Star Search,” a TV show in which contestants competed in different categories of entertainment. She recalls scouring the city on the lookout for gowns. “It was a lot of schlepping,” she said.

Then her first big break happened when a family friend working on an independent film offered her the role of costumer. That led to a second film doing the same job.

Morgan Hill Life file photo
Mattie Scariot is living her dream job as the director of the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, which runs April 12-19. This year’s event will showcase 260 films from around the world.

“I loved it. The only problem was you didn’t make much money,” Scariot said. “It’s really hard to get into the union films.”

She looked for a more substantial role after getting married and having her first child. She found it in the form of working at the admissions department at the Art College of Design in Pasadena. She enjoyed the new position and took advantage of the added benefit of having access to the school’s full class roster.

“There was so much art going on. I was in heaven in that sense,” she said.

Within six months, she was promoted to office manager, which she did for five years before she, her husband, and their two sons moved to Gilroy in 1998.

A stay-at-home parent, Scariot got involved with all of her sons’ activities, including musical theater, which they participated in for 10 years.

“I was a part of building these huge sets and props,” she said. “That was where my creative outlet was.”

Scariot went on to serve on the Gilroy Arts and Culture Commission for 10 years — four of which she served as the chairperson. She also was on the founding board of the Gilroy Arts Alliance, which worked with the city to use the former Salvation Army Thrift Store site to house the Gilroy Center for the Arts.

In the meantime, 152 West Productions, a video production company Scariot co-founded with Nils Myers, was beginning to take off. The company has worked on commercials, web series, and documentaries for local non-profit groups, including the historical societies for Gilroy and Morgan Hill. When the company became successful enough to hire more people, Scariot turned her attention to the Poppy Jasper Film Festival.

Launched in 2004, it has expanded from a small-scale festival in Morgan Hill to a global cinematic arts event welcoming hundreds of independent filmmakers. But the growth didn’t happen overnight ­— and not without a lot of hard work. A festival volunteer for about six years, Scariot could see the event’s untapped potential. She thought it needed a broader reach and educational programs to sustain itself.

“I actually wanted to be the director, but I was turned down,” she said. “And I thought, ‘You know what? I’m going to make my own film festival in Gilroy.’”

She communicated her idea with the former festival director. Two weeks later she was offered the job in 2017. She immediately set about rebuilding the festival, adding Gilroy, Hollister and San Juan Bautista as host cities, securing the Granada Theater in downtown Morgan Hill, and redesigning the festival’s logo and branding.

“It was risky, but I knew I had to do something big to show everyone what we could accomplish. That changed everything.”

Her efforts paid off when the first festival gala under her leadership in 2018 received four standing ovations. She continued to work to emulate the film festival industry standard and established seven educational programs for aspiring filmmakers.

“I understand the importance in teaching in youth,” she said. “I understand that film is a viable career choice, and I understand that every child isn’t taught that in school.”

Today, the festival offers workshops for filmmakers from youths and millennials, to people 40 and up, senior citizens, and veterans. “There’s no reason for anyone to not make a film anymore,” Scariot said.

This year, the festival will host more than 300 filmmakers from 14 countries and eight states. “It’s really grown. And there are lots of local filmmakers.”

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the festival to pause in 2020. It hosted an online festival in 2021. Last year, Scariot was determined to keep the festival on track. It brought 150 filmmakers from 10 countries and 56 cities, helping the economies of local communities by supporting hotels, restaurants and shops.

“It was just magical,” she said of the astonishing growth of the Poppy Jasper.

The festival received 600 film submissions for this year’s festival. It will show audiences 260 films, the most it’s ever had. Scariot enjoys watching every film submitted and helping the filmmakers network. She finds the educational programs incredibly rewarding.

Photo by Marty Cheek
Poppy Jasper Film Festival Director and Gilroy resident Mattie Scariot and friend Justin Bates, at the Aug. 1 vigil. Bates was wounded in the shooting.

“When you’re doing things that are outside of yourself, it makes all of the hard work worth it,” she said. “It’s not about me, it’s about the filmmakers and the communities. When you have that purpose outside of yourself, it makes it easier to do it.”

Scariot continues to be motivated by striving to make a difference in the film industry for women and minorities.

“It’s all about filling that gap in Hollywood and television. There’s really no excuse anymore for it,” she insisted “We say the table is long; no one is asking white men to leave. We’re just asking them to scoot over and make room.”

A member of the Film Festival Alliance, a collaborative for mission-driven film festivals, the PJIFF promotes inclusion, diversity, and women empowerment. This mission is why it has attracted more women and filmmakers of diverse voices.

When I asked her what she likes to do in her free time, Scariot said she loves to garden, although she’s “pretty obsessed” with the film festival. “I work on it every day,” she said. “It’s pretty much my dream job.”

Dreaming big is really important, for women in particular, she insisted.

“Don’t cut yourself short. And don’t wait. Really push the envelope,” she said. “Anytime you feel nervous or scared that’s a good thing, that’s a growing pain.”

Although Scariot admits she makes mistakes every day, she refuses to dwell on them. And women finding mentors to lift them up and support them is a key to success, she said.

“Step outside of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid,” she said. “No one wanted me to give up on that film festival.”

Scariot added that it takes a village for the festival to succeed, estimating that more than 100 volunteers across the five cities clock 8,000 hours each year.

“I’m not doing it on my own. I’ve really had to push this vision,” she said. “But I’m surrounded by people who believe in what I do. I couldn’t do it without them.”

 

Kelly Barbazette, a former journalist for Bay Area newspapers, is a freelance writer. She lives in Gilroy with her husband and two daughters.