Santa Cruz is a beautiful city in northern California. I hadn't been there since 1978! Some things have changed but still the city retained it's charm. Mike and I had a great time at the festival. Jane Sullivan, the festival director, made us feel welcomed right away. She and her staff were so warm, friendly and a lot of fun. I can imagine that running a festival must be a high stress time, but you wouldn't have known it by the way Jane and her volunteers acted. They seemed to be having a ball. It put everyone at ease. We had a good time meeting some of the other filmmakers too.

The screening went off well at the historic Del Mar theater, a beautiful old movie palace. We saw some great shorts in the program with Red Lion. A very diverse group. It was a testament to Jane and her staff that the films were of such a high quality. I would like to point out two of them especially. One was called "Most People Only Dream of Flying" which was an incredible journey with a group of sky divers and base jumpers. Amazing footage of humans and their joy of flying! The other was called "Rumble" which was about a young woman who goes every day to a nearby train crossing to enjoy the rush of the train roaring past her. It was an arresting film and beautifully done. I hope we get the chance to go back to the Santa Cruz Film Festival next year.
                                                                  Cheers!   Jesse