A few months back I got an email from a friend who said she would like to talk to me about the Poppy Jasper Film Festival. I kind of thought, “Poppy Jasper Film Festival”—didn’t that film festival kind of fade away a year or so ago?
<
Well, yes it did take a short break, but it has returned and the word “International” was added to a film festival already known for global participation. So now it’s Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, and it is starting this Thursday, April 5, and runs through Sunday, April 8.
<
For over 12 years, the festival was under the guidance of a dedicated local group that decided that it needed a refresh of the popular local festival.
<
It’s still about movies and moviemaking, but the festival is taking more of a regional approach with events in Morgan Hill and Gilroy. This has gotten some in the two downtowns pretty excited about highlighting the festival with events at Morgan Hill’s Granada Theater and movies shown at the historic Strand Theater in downtown Gilroy. Was there a rumor about freshening up the old Strand’s marquee?
<
Frank Leal in Morgan Hill and Gary Walton in Gilroy are believers in the local movie scene and are investing in the growth of the festival and the thousands of attendees it could bring to the downtowns.
<
The goal for this year is up to 3,000 filmgoers over the four-day festival run. To see a film festival like this take off and bring many more thousands to the region annually would be a boon not only to local businesses, but also the region’s image. Interest in international film festivals is growing, and we are being listed with some of the most prominent and prestigious locales in the US.
<
Wouldn’t it be nice to add (reinforce?) one more thing to be known for that has to do with a finer thing in life?
<
I’ve also been learning that we have quite a bit of local interest in movie making, and this festival is bringing it to the forefront.
<
We have a keynote and guest speaker that are leaving their mark on Hollywood and they’re returning home for the festival.
<
The festival is not only featuring the impact locals have on Hollywood; it is also highlighting and nurturing the future impact we can have on the industry.
<
With the ability to make a movie on everything from your smartphone to your iPad, it’s all about the art of filmmaking now. We all have a movie camera in our hands every day now, and many are taking advantage of that resource.
<
There will be several workshops at the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, for every age group to learn how to script and edit your own movie. I’ve been told that even someone like me could do it.
<
We have an incredible festival of movies and opportunities to learn about movie-making right here in our home town this week, so go out and have some fun watching great movies, and maybe make one of your own on the way home.
<
For more information about the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, visit pjiff.org. John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association. He can be reached at [email protected].
