Oakland Tribune Outtakes

Stephan Tompkins called The Trib today to voice his opposition to the Night Owl column today about the Oakland International Film Festival opening.  Tompkins said he was THE founding  member, not David Roach who I interviewed for the story (I’ll find out what the story is later). Tompkins called the festival a failure even though it continues every year and said he will be out protesting in front of theater tonight at 5 p.m. Hey, that’s great. A one-man performance piece to entertain the people waiting in line. Not that there are hoardes storming the Grand Lake Theater to see the festival. The marquee doesn’t even have a sign up there is a festival playing. I don’t know what defines a failure. The festival is in its 7th year. I agree that it could slicker and better organized and slough off some of the hot-air blimps hovering on the periphery. But there are some good films included that push the festival’s origins, which sprang from a lack of venues for black filmmakers in the Bay Area. I think the organizers need a PR wizard and someone with a plan. Maybe Tompkins when he’s done picketing?

Martians did not sweep me away in a space ship. But I was sick, tired and uninspired for a good week plus. The highlight of a past week was the So You Think You Can Dance spectacle Sept. 30 at the Oracle Arena (if only the Warriors could sell out the arena!), the Illuminated Corridor expiremental light/media show Oct. 3 and, tonight, the Oakland International Film Festival opening (another story is in Friday’s Tribune) at the Grand Lake Theater. The hit of the first portion of the night (the only portion I was able to stay for) was Traces of the Trade, by Katrina Brown, who retraces the slave trade that her New England — need I say white? — ancestors profited from. The documentary “follows Browne (far left in the photo taken at a previous screening) and nine fellow DeWolf descendents as they travel from Rhode Island to Ghana and Cuba on a trip that brings them face-to-face with history and legacy of New England’s hidden enterprise.”  Even Obama made it into the Q&A discussion as co-producer Juanita Brown talked about how careful the presidential candidate is treading the tightrope of racism. The liveliest moment came when Brown said “If Obama is elected…” and a woman announced, ”When he is elected. This is Oakland,” the woman added for the sake of the San Francisco resident via Chicago. “It’s okay.”  The film is screening again noon Sunday in San Francisco at the Museum of the African Diaspora.
There is much to improve about the festival but one of the highlights for me was meeting the lovely cast of the feature film Equinox. So much hope and creativity. For a full list of the festival’s offerings visit the Web site www.oiff.org.