San Antonio Film Festival
For the last 23 years, the San Antonio Film Festival has always done its own thing.
“We’re not the Toronto Film Festival or anywhere close to South by Southwest, and we’re not trying to be,” said Adam Rocha, director and founder of SAFILM, which runs through August 6 at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. “But we are trying to have fun. We are what we are, which is San Antonio. We’re pure San Antonio.”
Representing the city on an international scale, Rocha said, has included fostering relationships with filmmakers, which has kept SAFILM in the minds of people in the movie industry as an event he considers “inviting” compared to other fests.
Bodyslam: Revenge of the Banana! screens at 4pm Sun, Aug. 6
“It’s all about fellowship,” said Rocha. “I think that’s what we do as a film festival. At other film festivals, you don’t have much access and it seems like you’re left out in the cold. We’re trying to do the opposite. We make friends and we keep friends.” Along with six days of screenings, SAFILM will also hold four workshops for filmmakers: “SAG-indie Filmmaking” with Darrien Michele Gipson (9:15am Fri, Aug. 4); “Making a Career in Show Business” with producer Marcia Nasatir (9:30am Sat, Aug. 5); “The Editor’s Cut: Feature Films vs. Docs” with Anne Goursaud (11am Sat, Aug. 5); and “Seal the Deal” with Hollywood agent Harry Ufland (11:30am Sat, Aug. 5).
For a full schedule of features and shorts screening this year, including films that are part of the coinciding San Antonio Children’s Film Festival, visit safilm.com. — Kiko Martinez
Click here for our full preview of this year’s SAFILM.
