SPIFF Opening Night Highlights Cultural Offerings

The San Pedro International Film Festival or SPIFF and Grand Vision Foundation, together with the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce will present Charlie Chaplin’s 1931 tour de force silent film, City Lights, at the historic Warner Grand Theatre on Nov 5. 

This special screening honors three milestones in San Pedro’s cultural offerings. It celebrates the 10th anniversary of SPIFF — on its opening night, as well as Grand Vision Foundation’s 25th Anniversary and the Warner Grand Theatre’s 90th birthday. The event gathers San Pedro’s business and arts community, classic film and film festival fans and art deco enthusiasts. 

“This is a unique way to call attention to the Warner Grand’s 90 years of entertaining the community,” Liz Johnson, executive director of Grand Vision Foundation, said. “City Lights was released in 1931, the same year the theater opened. By screening it alongside SPIFF’s new independent films, we connect the Warner Grand to both the past and the future.”

SPIFF created a hybrid festival that has become the standard since the global pandemic crisis.  SPIFF producer Ziggy Mrkich said the festival gives the local community a place to watch works from local filmmakers and emerging filmmakers from around the world on the big screen — both in a historic movie palace and online. 

“It’s been a landmark year for the festival celebrating our 10th anniversary, and also the 90th for the Warner Grand and then also for the Grand Vision Foundation.” Mrkich said. “Liz Johnson and I thought it would be a fun event to celebrate all these anniversaries together and open the SPIFF with a classic film from that era, Chaplin’s City Lights.” 

In the festival’s inaugural year, Mrkich said they were lucky enough to screen Silver Linings Playbook [2013 Academy Award Best Actress] before the Oscars.

“I remember being so happy about that,” she said. “This year we are excited to be back in the theater after being completely online and virtual last year.”

Feature Film

Charlie Chaplin’s silent romantic comedy, City Lights is considered his masterpiece. It’s been regarded by directors and critics throughout the 20th century as one of the best films ever made.

Famed critic Roger Ebert, in a 1997 review, spoke to Chaplin’s talent and City Lights, which he noted would come the closest to representing all the different notes of Chaplin’s genius. 

“It contains the slapstick, the pathos, the pantomime, the effortless physical coordination, the melodrama, the bawdiness, the grace, and, of course, the Little Tramp … The Tramp is more of a mime, a person for whom body language serves as speech. He exists somehow on a different plane than the other characters; he stands outside their lives and realities, is judged on his appearance, is homeless and without true friends or family, and interacts with the world mostly through his actions.” 

For those who aren’t sure about seeing a silent film, Ebert offered a compelling reason to do so. He observed that Chaplin and other silent filmmakers knew no national boundaries. 

“Their films went everywhere without regard for language, and talkies were like the Tower of Babel, building walls between nations,” Ebert said.

Mrkich said they look forward to screening this classic film at the Warner Grand — SPIFF’s home for the last 10 years. She noted the support from the community has been essential to the festival’s success.

SPIFFest

Also, as customary, SPIFF will participate in the San Pedro First Thursday Art Walk, with a reception at 7 p.m. Nov. 4, with an art exhibition at Backdoor Studios located on 374 W. 7th Street, which houses live/work art lofts including artist’s Cherry Wood, Jeff Allu, Peter Scherre, and Jules Wolfe. 

SPIFF continues with the main film program Nov. 6, with the first Short Takes 1 program, followed by the feature film Wisper and ending the evening with the feature length documentary Raymond Lewis: LA Legend about the extremely talented basketball player blackballed from the NBA in the 1970s.

Closing out the film portion of the festival Nov. 7 is Short Takes 2 and the feature film Amazon Queen, from award winning director Marlin Darrah.

SPIFF will host a tech panel discussion Nov. 7. From VR/AR to Crypto: the State of the Art of Digital Entertainment 2021. Innovators will review the mass movement towards digitization, the latest technologies and explore a range of trending digital applications.

In addition to these screenings, the program will also be available online until Nov. 14.

Film tickets include a pre-screening reception with one complimentary drink ticket. Enjoy generous appetizers, sparkling wine or a vintage specialty cocktail plus a brief, live musical set of 1920s and ’30s tunes by  vintage songstress, Janet Klein.

All Warner Grand attendees are required to wear a mask while not eating or drinking and to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test taken within 72 hours.

City Lights

Time: 5 p.m. Nov. 5

Cost: $20 to $25

Details: 310-833-4813; www.grandvision.org and www.SPIFFest.org  

Venue: The Warner Grand Theater, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro