Viewers can expect to see some polished work at the third annual Solstice Showcase. The evening of films by Alaskans will take place Friday and Saturday, June 19-20, with offerings that range from romantic comedy and animation to CGI-enhanced Vikings fighting Space Orcs.
The showcase evolved from "Open Projector Night" events, which invites local hobbyists to show short films in a format that's as much about networking as presenting an audience with a finished film. "We never had a problem filling seats," said D.K. Johnston of the Alaska filmmakers. "But it had no filter. I was seeing a lot of high-quality things that were running over 10 minutes," the time limit for OPN submissions.
Hence the Solstice event, which organizers Johnston and Josh Lowman of Alaska Film Forum were careful not to call a "festival."
"It's like the comedy circuit," said Lowman. "The OPN was like an open mic where anyone could walk up and try to do stand-up. After a while, a club might take the best of those comedians and arrange a showcase."
The program at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub starts at 10:15 p.m. each night and runs 120 minutes. For the $10 ticket ($12 for a booth seat, but most were claimed as of this writing) you'll see "Northern Catalyst," a motorcycle documentary by G. Logan Dellinger, who also directed the local hit "Moose." The surreal, sepia Alaska landscape seen in that horror spoof makes a reappearance in the documentary. Juggling schedules for the two projects was one of the bigger challenges he faced, Dellinger said, but being able to share material from the same shoots turned out to be a plus. "In the end it worked out," he said.
Shot at Chilkoot Charlie's, Matt Jardin's "The Girl I Should've Ended Up With" features actors Nathan Hall and Andrea Staats. "Matt's one of our OPN success stories," Lowman said. "He showed up the first time with a high 8 mm short and we loved his writing. Now his stuff's getting shown out of state."
Jardin's work has typically been dark comedy, as seen in his "Matt & Megan" series. The new film, about two exes reconnecting, takes a gentler approach. "I don't remember what inspired it," Jardin said, "but the safe bet would be that it's from my last breakup ... that I'm totally over."
"Whenever something happens in Matt's life, the rest of us ask, 'When do we start shooting?' " quipped Johnston.
Another OPN alumnus is Bryant Mainord, whose latest "Paul and Bryant" installment, "PnBSAD" (for "Paul and Bryant Summon a Demon") will be screened.
Johnston's contribution to the showcase is "The Force on Earth: Task of the Apprentice," which he described as "a 'Star Wars' fan film." Shot at UAA, it features the acting of Renee Daw, Steve Wright and Stephanie Wonchala. "We have a pretty good talent base here," Johnston said.
Another well-known local performer, rock violinist Bryson Andres, now working in the Philippines, is in the music video "Counting Stars" by Zayn Roohi and Arslan Malik. Though the producers are from Anchorage, where the footage was shot, both are students at UAF. "I wanted to include Fairbanks," Johnston said.
Two films are by students of the King Career Center, the animated "Mako's Journey" by Kaelan Paulson and a brief poetic short, "Stars," by Mackenzie Stewart.
The organizers are excited to have a Friday-Saturday slot at Beartooth. Previous installments took place on Thursday -- "Everyone called in sick the next day," said Johnston -- and Saturday morning.
"The problem with that Saturday morning was that it coincided with the World Cup," said Lowman. "I went to the theater and saw this long line of people and thought, 'Wow! This is great!' Then I started seeing the sports team logos. They were all waiting 90 minutes for us to get done so they could go in and watch Germany versus the U.S."
The most ambitious offering is "The Fallen," directed by former Alaskan Alex Popov and produced by Bradford Jackson, a swords-and-sci-fi action adventure in which Vikings combat invaders from outer space. The trailer got 10,000 online views within 24 hours of being posted. It was shot in Anchorage with a cast of barbaric Alaskans. How? With computer magic.
"Alex is a gifted (computer generated images) artist," Johnston said. " 'The Fallen' has some amazing CG effects. It's a good example of how far Alaska talent has progressed over the past few years."
Heritage garden opens at gala
The new Anchorage Heritage Garden at the Alaska Botanical Garden will open to the public during ABG's annual Midsummer Night's Gala fundraiser on Thursday, June 25. The garden, researched and designed by artist Ayse Gilbert, reflects the practical and ornamental style one would have seen at a home in Anchorage's early days. Gilbert and the ABG team scoured the state to find old varieties of plants and heirloom seeds to make it as authentic as possible.
The ribbon cutting will take place at 6:15 p.m., toward the beginning of the festivities on the ABG grounds, with a buffet, live and silent auctions, a buffet with wine and the ever-intriguing garden art show and sale. Contributing artists this year include Mark Couch, Rachelle Dowdy, Sheila Wynne, Isolde Gibson and Rick Potter. Advance tickets are $80 at alaskabg.org, or $100 at the door.
The activities continue through the weekend with the Garden and Art Fest, an emporium of garden art and handmade items, with children's activities, music and more scheduled for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28. (Note: 10-11 a.m. Saturday is open to ABG members only; the general public will be admitted after that.) Admission is $10, $5 for children older than 5. Questions? Call 770-3692, ext. 0.