The Coyote Film Festival will present more animation shorts and main features, Friday, Aug. 25 and Saturday, Aug. 26 at Langtry Estate and Vineyards. Proceeds support EcoArts of Lake County.
Middletown High School graduate Eric Clow was the guest filmmaker at the July screening, which featured three of his documentaries: “It”s Just Us, Taking a Stand While Sitting Down,” “Go Howl on the Road” and “Thunder and Wolves.” The films combined recorded interviews with archival footage to document influential activists of the disability rights movement, Beat poetry and its context in American cultural history and the impact of European settlement on northern California Indians.
Lake County history took center stage in “Thunder and Wolves,” with the Bloody Island massacre identified as a precedent-setting incident for further atrocities by the U.S. government against American Indian tribes.
Clow has produced a book of poetry, “Life of Greenway,” and plans to pursue writing at college. He described film making as “another way to tell a story” during a question-and-answer session that followed the screening of his films. Visit Clow”s Web site, www.ec-tv.com, for information about his work.
The screenings began at dusk on the lawn outside the tasting room, with popcorn, wine and other beverages available for purchase. Chairs were arranged on the lawn and attendees also had the option of bringing blankets for picnic-style viewing.
Animated shorts by Aaron Hughes, “Fred”s Box” and “Petunia;” led off the evening”s entertainment, followed by Clow”s documentaries and a “Meet the Filmmaker” session. The feature presentation was “How to Draw A Bunny,” which examined the strange circumstances of artist Ray Johnson”s death.
Coming up Aug. 25 and 26, filmgoers will have the opportunity to meet Kelseyville resident Bill Groody, whose Groody River Films created “Dying to Live,” the story of challenges faced by immigrants crossing the southern U.S. border. Sept. 22 and 23 will bring a screening of “Hobart”s World,” which highlights kinetic sculpture races.
Doors open at 7 p.m. for general admission. Tickets cost $12 per person and can be purchased until dusk when film screenings begin. Mosquito repellents are available for the use of guests, who are advised to bring sweaters for when after-dark temperatures begin to drop.
EcoArts of Lake County is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting visual art, visual art education and ecologic stewardship to the residents and visitors of Lake County. For more information about EcoArts of Lake County and the Coyote Film Festival, visit www.EcoArtsofLakeCounty.org.
Langtry Estate and Vineyards (formerly Guenoc Winery) is located at 21000 Butts Canyon Road in Middletown. The tasting room and gift shop is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Contact Cynthia Parkhill at cparkhill@clearlakeobserver.com.
