Movies under the stars, Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema, Sept. 2010
Had a very fun and relaxed screening last night that was virtually in my backyard, at the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema festival. This is actually the second time The Oak Park Story has screened at BHOC. Last year we were part of a works-in-progress screening in Four-Star Video’s back space. That screening was most memorable for one of our two audio tracks dropping out. At several points in the show I had to narrate the dialogue, benshi-style, when the soundtrack went mysteriously silent. That’ll teach me for not checking my show dub before trying to screen it.
Anyways, last night’s event went much more smoothly, and it was nice to see the movie again on the big screen after several much more intimate shows. BHOC set up a giant outdoor screen on the leeward side of Bernal Hill, just around the corner from the blackberry patch, and folks brought chairs, blankets, and cushions to sit in the cool night air watching movies by local filmmakers.
I’ve always loved outdoor screenings–they take me back to my childhood watching Old Yeller in my pajamas with my family at the local drive-in (or later, in my wasted youth, sneaking my posse into the Coliseum Drive-in in the trunk of a friend’s car to see Car Wash).
We showed The Oak Park Story a few months ago at the East Bay Bike Coalition’s Bike-In Film Festival in Oakland and that was also quite fun, with the hipster Oaktown audience cruising up after nightfall on their fixies. Last night’s show on Bernal Hill was equally enjoyable. It was great to see our movie as well as several other short docs (including Theo Rigby ‘s excellent Sin Pais) with the stars sparkling above and the San Francisco skyline glittering in the distance. A bunch of my friends showed up to watch as well and we brought a big bag of home-popped popcorn to share. Thanks to BHOC for giving us the chance to sit outside with our homies and watch the movie al fresco in the moonlight.
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