Reel Mendo

The Mendocino Film Festival hit its 18th anniversary this year, films were screened in both Mendocino Village and Fort Bragg between May 29th and June 1st. The program tells us that this festival “celebrates the art of storytelling through independent film.” Offerings include music, art, social justice and the environment. Visitors are invited to “Come for the movies and stay for the view.” And what a view it is!

Standing at the top of the hill in Mendocino Village and looking out to the waves pounding as the main drag drops over a cliff is probably the most beautiful downtown vista anywhere in the United States. There is a chance to rub elbows with real live filmmakers and even ask them questions about their art. There are parties, great restaurants, music and much merriment. For film buffs it is a three-day slice of heaven on earth. For locals it’s a lively time that boosts business and charges the atmosphere with energy.

There is a chance to see many short films that are not readily available elsewhere. The short film programs fell into four categories this year; “Funny or Die,” showcasing humor that comes with an edge; “Making a Difference,” highlighting heroes who are changing the world for the better; “Reel Mendo” a collection of shorts by Mendocino filmmakers; and “Women Who Dare,” action-packed and bursting with stories of dare-devilry.

I attended “Reel Mendo” an annual pilgrimage for me as I find there is always something new and fascinating to learn from Mendocino filmmakers.

“Shelf Life” — a lighthearted horror film showing one woman’s terrifying encounter with take-out noodles gone bad. A noodle monster creeps from the confines of her refrigerator down the hall and climbs into bed with her. He looks a lot like a cotton work glove covered with spaghetti with two beady marbles for eyes. Even though it’s all for fun, we get the heebie jeebies watching “noodle hand” stealthily slither up her bedspread toward her sleeping head. Spoiler alert: a garbage disposal looms large in resolving her dilemma.

“Art and Healing in Mendocino” took us on a visit with many Mendocino artists who discuss their work with interviewer Sandy Ritter. The Mendocino Art Center is prominent. All the artists are of advanced years highlighting the general graying of Mendocino County. The “youthquake” that brought so many back-to-the-landers to Mendocino County when they were young has ironically turned into an “agingquake.”

“The Crimes of ‘Big Mike’ Nolan” is a very fast paced and humorous run through of the life and times of real historical figure Mike Nolan who was know for his illegal transport of alcohol. Arrested numerous times his irrepressible perseverance as a bootlegger is very amusing in retrospect.

In “High Country Murder” two sisters raised on a Potter Valley ranch come home to investigate the unresolved murder of rancher Richard Drewry in Bell Springs in Humboldt County just over the Mendocino County border. Footage reveals that many people apparently know who did the killing and why but no one is willing to step forward. It is a chilling picture of a culture of silence not uncommon in the Emerald Triangle where many murders go unsolved in that area.

“Father Time and the Maiden” uses the statue on top of the church in downtown Mendocino as a starting place for an experimental student film that was shot in one afternoon and “edited on camera,” according to the filmmaker. An impressionistic live maiden with the same long braid as the statue maiden wanders through a hazy Mendocino montage.

“Art and Architecture” features Anderson Valley Vintner Allan Green of Greenwood Ridge Winery as he takes us on a tour of his striking mid-twentieth century modern home on Greenwood Ridge in Philo. Allan’s father, architect Aaron Green, an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed the home, which was built by local contractor Mark Boudoures.

“More Than One” is a lyrical look at mushroom growing on the Mendocino Coast. Close-up looks at growing mycelium inside tree stumps illustrates the process of mushroom development that helps a forest decompose dead wood.

“Tune of Love” follows three teen-agers as they grapple with love, unrequited and otherwise.

“The Bird Rescue Center” is a documentary that follows workers and the birds they rescue at the Santa Rosa Bird Rescue Center, “people who give wildlife a second chance.”

“The Girl in Kelp” inserts simple but lively and extremely effective line animation into shots of the beautiful Mendocino Coast. The storyline tells of a girl who loses her lover and a wise woman who advises her on how to reunite with him. The price of reunion is high but love compels her. Draping herself in kelp she consigns herself to the frigid waves leaving only a pile of clothing behind.

“A Return to Movement” shows us a “vertical dance” inspired by the largest dam removal project in history, the Klamath River dams in northern California. Two women tethered to the under girders of a high bridge dance and gyrate in thin air and pushing off bridge stanchions. It’s a dizzying ride.

The entire program lasted 114 minutes total and took viewers through many different worlds. Following the program filmmakers spoke briefly and answered questions from the audience. It was a stimulating way to finish out the Festival, which began to fold its chairs and tents at the conclusion of the program.