VOLUME 11 ISSUE 20
November 15-28, 2019 Follow us on social media! sdnews.com
Native American activist profile P. 3
Old Town • Mission Hills • Bankers Hill
Hillcrest • University Heights • Normal Heights • North Park • South Park • Golden Hill • Kensington • Talmadge
MOPA partners with San Diego film fests
FASHION P. 4
Printers clothe the future
HISTORY P. 7
The main character in "Heavy Craving" (Courtesy Photo) Zoo’s first female director
FOOD AND DRINK P. 9
Rosie’s to stay open
FEATURE P. 15
Inside the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater at MOPA (Photo by Holly B. Rains)
"The Tower" promotional photo (Courtesy photo)
Arab Film Fest special showing, three Asian Film Fest features at Balboa museum KENDRA SITTON | Uptown News
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Index Opinion
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Calendar
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Puzzles
13
Classifieds
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It has been nearly 20 years since the Museum of Photographic Arts opened a theater inside the museum’s halls. Since then, the theater has drawn San Diegans to its silver screen by showcasing films from around the world. “MOPA’s film programs have been going strong since 2001 when we were able to put in our theater here at the museum,” said Kevin Linde, manager of adult and digital engagement at MOPA. “That’s when our film program began in earnest, but part of our mission is ‘dedicated to the preservation, collection, and exhibition’ of not only photographs, but also film and video. It’s always been baked into our mission, but getting the theater allowed us to do all those things in-house.” When it transitioned to a partnership model with local film fests
a decade ago rather than holding in-house screenings, MOPA became even more integral in bringing acclaimed international films to the heart of San Diego. “By partnering with them, we were able to reach a broader audience,” Linde said. “We don’t work with every film festival in town but we’ll take a very thoughtful approach to who we want to partner with. We’re always looking at making those partnerships a lasting partnership.” MOPA’s flagship partnership is with the Human Rights Watch Film Festival. The New Yorkbased advocacy group comes to San Diego each winter to showcase documentaries and feature films that highlight rights abuses from across the globe and efforts to combat them. In addition, the annual San Diego Italian Film Festival screens many of its films at the museum. “Film is this beautiful medium
materially you can use to communicate an idea, to create a connection with something that might be happening half a world away. Film captivates us and draws us in,” Linde said. Holding a screening at MOPA instead of a typical commercial movie theater does have some advantages. When the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater was built in 2001 during a major renovation of the museum, these events were kept in mind. In front of the screen, there is a stage so filmmakers,
directors, and actors can speak to the audience about a particular film. “There’s always an education component to it. We like to think that seeing a film at MOPA, you get much more than just the experience of watching the film. You get a much broader picture,” Linde explained. Sometimes, the audience is allowed into the galleries at the museum ahead of the film, bringing more people through the museum’s doors.
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see MOPA films, pg 9