Smaller this year, Glennfest Film Festival still fulfills its mission

“We here at GlennFest Film Festival love movies of all shapes and sizes,” said founder Glenn Stephens. “And we want to share them with the world.”

“All over the world, there are great movies that are maybe not everyone’s cup of tea,” said Glenn. “And that can make it hard to see them—and that’s where we come in. “We’re the only festival around.”

Glenn Stephens, center, and his “assistants,” volunteers from Cerritos College: Roven Matilla and Jazmin Cortez. Roven majors in film and Jazmin in communications. Photo by Lorine Parks

Glennfest’s mission: to bring to the general public quality films of special interest through a week-long film festival. “We look at films that have won awards from previous film festivals,” said Glenn. “If they meet our criteria for movies we try to get our hands on them.”

“This is our eighth year in Downey,” said Glenn, curator and producer of the festival. “Before, you had to go to Pasadena or Beverly Hills to see independent films like ours.”

In 2012, GlennFest was born and Downey has been the beneficiary ever since. The festival boomed from a small, single weekend event to a multi-day celebration of films in various languages and from various countries. Billed as “Movies of Special Interest,” Glenn’s approach is like the Energizer Bunny: he never stops beating the drum for artistic special-niche films.

Tonight we were in the Studio Movie Grill, looking forward to seeing a private screening of “Hors Saison,” a French film (2012) about Louis, an older man, and a budding young Arab writer, Samir, who for politically correct reasons is called Samuel in the resort on the coast of Brittany where he works. But technical problems were holding up our screening.

While we waited for the technicians to get ready, Glenn explained, “They’re only used to digital film, but we get film from all over the world. Once a movie came out on our projector in green and black.”

Half of the fun in a festival is in the interval between productions. For this evening we shared the parking structure with fans of the roof-top Havana Nights, and the Latin beat pervaded the theatre lobby and gave a festive air. Soroptimist had a beer and wine garden up there and they too are like the Energizer Bunny, in that they never stop working to empower women and children.

Glennfest has been extended to October 16, to show “Edie” (UK, 2019), a movie in recent commercial release, with exceptional cinematography, about an 80-year-old woman who decides to climb a mountain in Scotland.

Glenn is dedicating “Edie” to “our dear friend and supporter, Beatrice Platt Romano, who was a dedicated creator and supporter of the arts in Downey. “Join us in celebrating Bea,” said Glenn. “Come out and support Bea and Glennfest,” said Alistair Hunter, Downey’s actor, and theatre director par excellence.

Glenn introduced me to Loida Niño, who is connected with the animated short film “Transcending Borders”, which we got to glimpse before our main feature. Loida had flown here from Mexico, and was wearing a gold-visored director’s cap.

“It’s hard to advertise in Downey,” said Glenn. “But yesterday we got a great boost from Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia. She has a video on Facebook telling people about the festival, and how it fits her message of empower, engage and educate.“

Kids and Young Adults with Special Needs attended the screening of “The Angel in The Clock.” Free popcorn and drinks were provided by SEIU 721 ADA Caucus, with additional support from Pat Gil and the Downey Arts Coalition. Coloring and Activity books provided by District 58 Assemblymember Garcia.

As Alistair pointed out, “Families with kids and young adults with special needs, this is free for you — come on down.”

The short film features a seven-year-old, Amelia, who decides to stop time. Amelia takes the batteries out of clocks, creates chaos and meets an angel. Only a flowered band on her bald head to show she is a girl, clued us that this was an unsentimental treatment of leukemia, a childhood cancer.

Yolanda Touré. Photo by Lorine Parks

I also met Yolanda Touré, Adjunct Professor of Business at L A Trade Tech. Yolanda’s special concern is in being an advocate for those with disabilities and every year Glennfest includes a screening specifically reserved for children and adults with special needs. “Next year I hope to work with Glenn and bring a film that highlights that,” Yolanda said. “Securing the same rights for all is a matter of social justice.”

Yolanda’s husband, Cary Eatmon, has been involved in developing talent in show business and film since his early days in Detroit. A songwriter too, he and Yolanda were just married in June.

After a pleasant wait in the Studio Movie Grill lobby, formerly the Krikorian, we found our ultra-comfortable seat (food and drink can be ordered and served to you here), for our private screening in Theatre #6, of Hors Saison, or Off-Season. An Entre Chien et Loup Production, that French expression refers to the hour of twilight or gloaming, when forms are indistinct, and the domesticated dog might become a wolf. The lighting in the film played on that idea, as coastal fog obscured the shore at a coastal resort in Britany, a place of joy in summer and of melancholy out of season,

A young man revives a recent widower’s flagging interest in life, and he in turn empowers his young a friend by teaching him how to sail a catamaran. Setting the moody film in Plougastel, which is in Finistère, or Land’s End, symbolizes the extremities of life, which is also reflected in the lean and elegant figure of the older man. In subdued color, the film runs about two hours.

Looking at another layer of the film, “Retired people are like prisoners,” said director Didier Soubrier, “resort guides are like guards and the prison (the resort) organizes the activities between them within the walls. The outside world and hope are represented by the sea, so close and so dangerous. I wanted to use the sea’s symbolism for the attraction and fear.” Chien et loup.

Each year Glennfest is aided by sponsors, to keep its admission free. In the past that has included the Downey Arts Coalition, with a grant from the city in 2015 to show a film at the Downey Theatre about the Recycled Orchestra in Paraguay, a youth group. The city grant program was designed to make the theatre accessible to non-profit arts groups in Downey and this was the first recipient of the Downey Theatre financial aid initiative.

SEIU Local 721 American’s with Disabilities Caucus has been a sponsor, as has Bob’s Big Boy, and Running Bear Media. “We also owe a big thanks to our past volunteers,” said Glenn: “Girl Scouts Troop #3431 from Alhambra; Danza Folklorica Amor Eterno dance group; and Celticana, a Celtic music group.”

“This is our ‘small year,” said Glenn. “We have 12 films, less than last year, but we’re doing well.” Every year, Glenn puts together a riveting line-up, supported in part by such organizations as GOTV, a media company helping businesses create their brand. Cerritos Community College and Los Angeles Trade Tech participate when their students see the films and volunteer to help at the screenings.

Watch for Glennfest next year, this same time. Admission to all the showings has always been and remains free, a feature you will not find at any other film festival.