‘Chasing Shadows’ to play Nov 9 and 10 to raise money for PJFF
Published in the Oct. 28 – Nov. 10, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
The Poppy Jasper Film Festival will bring the latest Warren Miller Entertainment skiing film — called “Chasing Shadows” — to the Community Playhouse for special showings Nov. 9 and 10.
This is the 66th annual winter sports film made by the company started by Warren Miller, said Morgan Hill businessman Bill Leaman. The film showings are fundraising events for Morgan Hill’s annual Poppy Jasper Film Festival.
“The showing of a Warren Miller film each year is the start of the skiing season for many skiers and snow borders,” he said. “It is part of skiing community life and pursuit of the extreme snow sport.”
Watching a Warren Miller film is something unique in the world of skiing films, Leaman said.
The documentary films show extreme skiing and snowboarding, unbelievable stunts that are entertaining to watch, and it keeps audiences pinned to their seats as if they were there skiing, he said.
“If you have never seen one of his films, you are in for treat,” he said. “I have gone to about 30 years of his films and every year the film is better then the last year’s film. The filmmakers push the limit to what can be done in skiing film making around the world.”
Retired from filmmaking since 2004, Warren Miller has credits with more than 750 sports films. He once said, “A pair of skis are the ultimate transportation to freedom.”
This year at the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse, audiences will be chasing the world’s biggest names in skiing and snowboarding as they find that very freedom. The film explores what it means to be inspired, and what it is about exotic locations and snow-covered summits that keep ski athletes searching for more. Skiers and snowboarders chase a feeling, a memory, a storm, a turn — they’ve been chasing it their whole lives and they’ll keep chasing it a lifetime more.
The festival showed a Warren Miller film last year, selling out most shows, at the Granada Theater, but because the downtown landmark building was recently purchased and is now being upgraded, the showings were moved to the Playhouse located at the Community and Cultural Center.
“We would have liked to have shown the new film from Warren Miller at the Granada, but the theater is being remodeled. So it wasn’t a option, we had to find another place to show the new film,” Leaman said. “The city of Morgan Hill came through for us to use the Community Playhouse this year. With the help of local businessman Rich Firato and the Chamber of Commerce, they helped make this happen.”
As to the moving the show to the Playhouse, the festival will be using the best projector and sound system to show the film, he said.
“The acoustics are great in that theater,” Leaman said. “We used the theater several years to show films for the Poppy Jasper Film Fest. It takes a lot of money to put on festival each year and this fundraiser helps make it happen. Last year we were in negotiations to show the film for several month because we did a great job last year and brought in almost 400 people. They were very happy to have us show this new film for 2015.”
The date for showing of “Chasing Shadows” by Warren Miller Entertainment is 6 and 9 p.m. Nov 9 and 10, at the Community Playhouse. For more information, visit www.youtube.com/user/WarrenMillerEnt.
