In reel time

Tacoma welcomes back the Destiny City Film Festival

By Rev. Adam McKinney on August 27, 2015

I was always a fan of movies. My dad, as I reminded him just recently, showed me The Rocky Horror Picture Show when I was just 12 (his response: "Shut up."), and while that isn't cinema at its finest, it did open my eyes to a whole world of the weird and wild movies. Shortly thereafter, I discovered Ebert & Roeper (Gene Siskel had unfortunately already passed), and I began my serious delving into the world of film.

I would read reviews of movies on Roger Ebert's website and proceed to daisy-chain around the site when I saw a name or title that seemed intriguing. I kept a Word document that was a list of movies I needed to see. By the time I was 15, I had seen Warren Beatty drink his beer with a raw egg in McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Ebert having passed away, I never got the chance to thank him for leading me to that image and so many others.

Needless to say, film is an important part of so many of our lives. It's so lucky for us Tacomans to have theaters like The Grand Cinema and the Blue Mouse. It was at The Grand Cinema where I saw Coffee and Cigarettes, when the projectionist forgot to turn down the lights in the small theater, and the audience and I felt like friends watching a strange film in a living room. Films inherently bring people together.

Emily Alm is doing her part to aid in the spreading of movie magic, through her Destiny City Film Festival, now entering its second year. The three-day event covers both movies touring the festival circuit and local movies submitted by Washington folks. In last year's festival, movies screened included Copenhagen and The Tribe, which both went on to receive mainstream reviews, so this is no festival of mere amateurs.

I spoke with Alm about what films most excite her about this year's festival.

"I think this year's fest is highlighted by great documentary storytelling, which is often hard to accomplish," says Alm. "(There's also) a little something for everyone, from families (free family shorts), late night film fans (Uncle John, Invaders), local film supporters (Tomgirl and West of Redemption), and to the moviegoer who just wants to be entertained (A Rising Tide, Night Owls, drama/comedy shorts packages). I'm especially excited to be partnering with Red Hot for a free screening of the craft brewing film, Blood, Sweat & Beer."

Alm was also eager to highlight the Turkish film, Deliha.

"It is a one-of-a-kind slapstick (often over-the-top) comedy from Turkey that totally surprised me," says Alm. "I was laughing out loud from the beginning, feeling pleasantly surprised with its comedic timing, writing and acting."

Regardless of where your tastes lie, there are a plethora of movies on display at the Destiny City Film Festival, and they demand your attention. Movies don't always change lives, but they have the capacity. As Godard said, "Cinema is truth at twenty-four frames a second." Let the Destiny City Film Festival speak to you honestly.

Destiny City Film Festival, The Blue Mouse Theater, Friday-Sunday, Aug. 28-30, 2611 N. Proctor St., Tacoma, $5-$8, 253.752.9500

SCHEDULE
Friday, August 28th        
7 p.m.     A Rising Tide    

Saturday, August 29th        
11 a.m.    FREE Family shorts:
           Butterfly Hunter
           Thundercluck: Chicken of Thor
           Doug
           The Story of Percival Pilts

12:15 p.m. Deliha    
2:30 p.m.  Le Refuge
           I Dream Too Much
    
5 p.m.     The Stories We Tell shorts:
           Interlude
           Melville
           Moths
           Skunk
           Contrapelo
           The Answers
    
7 p.m.     Night Owls    
9 p.m.     Invaders
           Uncle John
    

Sunday, August 30th        
11:30 a.m. Bounce: How the Ball Taught the World to Play
1:15 p.m.  Based on a True Story shorts:
           Tomgirl
           Actor Seeks Role
           Unmappable
           The Karman Line
    
3 p.m.     For Grace    
5 p.m.     West of Redemption    
5 p.m.     Blood, Sweat & Beer
           *FREE screening at The Red Hot!*    
7 p.m.     Very Semi-Serious