By SDCN Staff
Coronado, CA–Coronado Island, a place that has long served as a home away from home to Hollywood’s finest since the golden era of film, continues to uphold and celebrate its chic charm and rich cinematic history even today.
The Coronado Island Film Festival will be a part of the Island’s movie magic legacy and is back for its 7th year with a 5-day event running from November 9 to13.
The festival, returning as a fully in-person event, has curated a slate of immersive programming including studio and independent films, engaging panels, parties, and of course the premiere event, the Leonard Maltin Industry Tribute Awards Gala, hosted in the Hotel del Coronado’s iconic Crown Room, all of which thread together a wonderful celebration of the art and science of cinematic storytelling.
This year, two-time Academy Award winner and screen icon Geena Davis will accept the Legacy Award, honoring her career as an actress and the establishment of the Geena Davis Institute of Gender in Media, whose documented research has affected significant changes within the entertainment industry. The Institute and Geena recently received the Governor’s Award at the 2022 Emmy Awards. A hosted book promotion event taking place at Hotel del Coronado will showcase her new memoir, Dying of Politeness, and a conversation with Davis. The event is sponsored in association with the Coronado Library and Warwick’s Bookstore.
International film star, Academy Award-nominated, and Golden Globe Award winner, Jacqueline Bisset, will be honored with the Cultural Icon Award. “Actress to Icon” Bisset will premiere her new film, “Loren & Rose,” with Director Russell Brown on Friday followed by a Saturday retrospective screening of “Day for Night,” with preeminent film historian, Leonard Maltin where they will discuss her diverse career from a ballet dancer, fashion model to award-winning actress.
Receiving the Humanitarian Award is director, writer, and producer Alejandro Monteverde for his critically acclaimed films that have won numerous awards including “Bella,” which took top prize at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival by winning the “People’s Choice Award. The Smithsonian Latino Center also honored Monteverde with their “Legacy Award” for his efforts on behalf of the Mexican-American community. His film “Sound of Freedom” spotlights the global efforts to stop child trafficking and will screen during the festival.
Opening night kicks off on November 10 with two screenings of Searchlight Pictures’ “Empire of Light” from writer and director Sam Mendes. The film, which stars Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Tom Brooke, Toby Jones, and Colin Firth, is a love story that takes place in an English coastal cinema during the 1980s. The opening night festivities include the screening and afterparty, sponsored by CalPrivate Bank.
The festival’s Red Carpet Films include the centerpiece feature, director and writer Elegance Bratton’s “The Inspection,” an A24 film that follows a young, gay Black man who has been rejected by his mother, with few options for his future, he decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in a system that would cast him aside; as well as this year’s featured closing night film, Universal Picture’s “She Said.” Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan star as New York Times journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, whose investigation broke one of the most important stories of a generation, shattering decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood and altering American culture.
The documentary, “Anxious Nation,” will serve as one of the festival’s social impact films in its ongoing effort to educate through film. San Diego filmmaker and celebrated New York Times bestselling author Laura Morton serves as co-director and creator, with editor and filmmaker Vanessa Roth. The film takes a deep look into the crisis of anxiety and mental health in America, especially its crippling impact on kids and families. Morton will attend the festival and sit on a post-discussion panel alongside professional skateboarder and one of the film’s subjects, Nora Vasconcellos, among others. In the film, Vasconcellos speaks to the hurdles she’s overcome with a lifelong anxiety disorder, and how her personal journey with mental health has shaped her into one of the world’s most celebrated female skateboarders.
The festival will host a first-run screening of Director Alejandro Monteverde’s film, “Sound of Freedom,” the fictionalized story of real-life child trafficking activist Tim Ballard, a former operative who quits his job as a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations to save children from cartels and human traffickers. A post-Q and A discussion with Tim Ballard will follow the screening.
Other notable independent films screening at the festival include IFC Films’ “Four Samosas,” a romantic comedy set in the Little India neighborhood of Los Angeles; “Dealing With Dad” from Director by Tom Huang which tells the story of a woman reluctantly heading back to her hometown to be with her brothers and deal with the sudden depression of their dad; and “River” from Directors Jennifer Peedom and Joseph Nizeti, a breathtaking and musical odyssey that explores the intrinsic relationship between humans and rivers.
Various special engagements will be featured throughout the festival including “Babe and Lloyd Return to Coronado” panel featuring Babe Ruth’s grandson and Babe Ruth historian, Tom Stevens, Suzanne Lloyd, Harold Lloyd’s granddaughter and President of Harold Lloyd Entertainment, TV celebrity, and former announcer for the San Diego Padres, John Weisbarth, and film historian, Tim Reid. Moderated by Leonard Maltin, they’ll discuss Babe Ruth’s pioneering history as a “sports celebrity” acting in Hollywood films, unknown facts, and anecdotes, as well as Babe and Harold’s fun and fascinating connections to Coronado and San Diego.
The festival introduced Masterlabs with great success last year and this year, “Dante’s Inferno,” a Director’s MasterLab hosted by Joe Dante, will focus on his trademark cinema. Parallel Worlds: Art in Film Series will feature Danish Director Andreas Koefoed, who will screen his 2022 critically acclaimed feature documentary, “The Last Leonardo.” Famed Australian digital artist and animator, Kathryn Smith, will feature a unique presentation and exploration using 2D and 3D animation as an art form of expression with themes covering consciousness. Her creative works include “Indefinable Moods: (2001) and “Slippages/Grace (2017), which will both be screened.
Hosted over Veterans Day, it is tradition for the festival to honor veterans with the annual Salute to Veterans performance and musical showcase featuring the Coronado Band, and special guests, Friday morning, November 11 at 11 am – this year’s theme is “The 11th Hour.” This event is free and open to the public, reservations are required and currently open on the festival website.
The All-inclusive Emerald Badge is on sale now and is recommended as the best way to enjoy all the festival offers. Early reservations for badge holders open on October 8. Individual tickets for the Industry Tribute Gala are on sale now. Tickets will open to the general public on October 13. Ticket prices range from $15 to $275.
For more information and updates on this year’s programming slate, visit the festival website at www.coronadofilmfest.com
