Lights,
camera, Cave Creek
Town celebrates anniversary with filmmaking competition
by
Chris Moore
CAVE CREEK - On July 10 the Town of Cave Creek will celebrate 20
years of incorporation and Mayor Vincent Francia has come up with
a cinematic way to celebrate the anniversary.
"This is a community with a great abundance of talent and 20
years of governing itself," Francia said, explaining how he
arrived at the idea for the competition. "I just took a look
around-we have five star restaurants and honky tonks. We're multifaceted.
The rich, diverse nature of Cave Creek deserves to be celebrated
and a day in the life could run a wide spectrum. Let's see what
our citizens can come up with."
Hence the theme for the contest, "A Day in the Life of Cave
Creek."
The rules are simple. Make a short film (three minutes or less)
using that theme, burn it to a DVD and submit it to the town hall.
There is no entry fee.
But don't put your name on it as that will disqualify you. The competition
requires that all entries be "blind," meaning no identification
other than the age category and the official registration number
(assigned by the Town of Cave Creek at the time you submit the registration
form), can appear in the film or on the DVD. Any entries with personal
identifiers will be disqualified.
The short films will be judged in three age categories: Adults (18
and older), Teens (13 to 17 years) and Children (12 years and under).
First, second and third place cash prizes will be awarded in each
age category: $1,000, $500 and $250, respectively.
Trophies will also be presented to the winners.
Suzanne Johnson, who is selecting the jury for the contest, said
that in picking the five person jury she "wanted to get people
who are qualified to judge the merits of these films, not just the
stories." She is in the process of researching local film industry
professionals in a variety of
disciplines to participate on the jury.
Johnson, who will not vote on the jury but is overseeing the process,
is an independent documentary filmmaker who has lived in Cave Creek
for more than 30 years. She made a film which was shown on PBS about
modernist architect Al Beadle, whose historic buildings are popular
in the Valley. Johnson is now at work on a new documentary which
she hopes to have completed in June about renowned photographer
Pedro Guerrero, who in his long career worked closely with architect
Frank Lloyd Wright and artists Alexander Calder and Louise Nevelson.
The jury will meet and select the winning films in the three age
categories between July 1 and 14. On Saturday, July 15, the films
will be screened in Frontier Town on Cave Creek Road. The public
is encouraged to attend.
"It's a very professional effort on the part of the town,"
Johnson said. "And we're hoping for piles of entries."
If enough entries are received, Francia hopes the presentation of
the films will be conducted in a multi location, festival type atmosphere
so citizens can avail themselves of all the different perspectives
reflected in the films. "What we have in common is that we're
all citizens," Francia said, "but we don't all see things
in the same way."
So, on that Saturday in July, when the lights dim in Frontier Town,
the short films will roll and visions of Cave Creek will hit the
screen. And it seems that taking a look at your town through many
different lenses makes for a fitting way to celebrate its anniversary.
Reach the reporter at cmoore@thedesertadvocate.com. |
