Back to search

Carmel Short Cinema Festival set for June 10

Orbit(film) explores outer space through storytelling

The Carmel Short Cinema Festival returns on June 10, sponsored by the Forest Theater Guild and CSUMB’s Monterey Bay Film Society.

Attendees will see the Orbit Film Series, a project that uses the art of cinema to inspire the art of science and education. A collaborative, 80-minute omnibus movie about the solar system, Orbit(film) is intended for all ages. Grade-schoolers will have their interest in art and science piqued, and older viewers will have their youthful love of space renewed.

In the series, every planet in the solar system is represented by a short film, each made by a different filmmaker, dealing with the science of outer space through creative and emotional storytelling and visual poetry. Some of the footage came from NASA, and was reinterpreted by each filmmaker to make a portrait of a planet. Films also cover the sun, moon and comets. Two of the shorts were premiered at Sundance.

Mike Plante, creative director of the Film Society and programmer at the Sundance Film Festival, is co-producer for the Orbit Film Series, along with Mark Rosenberg of Rooftop Films.

Brent Hoff, one of the participating filmmakers, will be on hand. His five-minute piece, Look at the Sun, is part of the series; it is a found-footage collage of the sun that pieces together NASA recordings to express the filmmaker's awe of this nearest star. (See trailer below.) Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at the door. The program is expected to start around 8:30 p.m. Spectators are advised to wear warm clothing and may want to bring a blanket. Concessions will be available. The Forest Theater is located at the corner of Mountain View and Santa Rita streets near downtown Carmel. For more information about the festival click here. The Monterey Bay Film Society is the Central Coast’s premiere organization for independent filmmaking, media art and community and is presented by the Teledramatic Arts and Technology Department at CSUMB. Its mission is to promote the cinematic arts with year-round programs and works to develop and support the unique voice of the local communities.

It also provides free media workshops for at-risk and underserved youngsters throughout Monterey County.