UP CLOSE AND CINEMATICAL: It's a film fest for the ladies created by ladies

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla presented the Fourth Annual Cinefemme festival on Thursday. Cinefemme is a nonprofit organization based out of Los Angeles and San Francisco that presents female filmmakers who strive to push the envelope through cinema. Michelle Kantor is the director of two of the featured films, as well as the leader of the organization.

Kantor’s own work, “The Redemption,” is an experimental exploration using several different genres of film. It takes the viewer through cinematic generations, beginning with silent film, moving into upgraded sound and ending with the brilliant color of modern film. The story remains constant through each changing of genre, all leading up to the main character’s redemption of past sins. Though the concept is experimental and original, sadly, the viewer was left confused and needed many additional explanations to fully grasp the film’s message.

Kantor’s second film, “Antipodiste” chronicles three French brothers who don the name “Les Castors.” These brothers are unique because they are fifth-generation circus performers and feet jugglers. The three men made the trek to San Francisco to work with a seasonal circus and charm the pants off of Northern California circus goers.

Charismatic and amusing, “Les Castors” was worth viewing. It was pure entertainment watching them use their feet to juggle barrels, beds, and even each other. Specifically trained in body juggling, they throw around a grown man using their feet as if he were a beach ball. Michael Jordan has nothing on them.

Then there is Robyn Dettman’s big-screen adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ famous short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Though the plot is riveting in itself, Oates’ famous story has been done before — in fact, it’s been done too many times. There is no doubt Dettman is a talented director but she leaves a certain Daily Aztec writer wanting more. This film is one of many versions and the need for an original tweak on a classic story is needed in her case.

The film that stole the evening was Mariam Jobrani’s award-winning documentary about Bolivian female wrestlers aptly titled, “The Fighting Cholitas.”

Jobrani’s documentary took first prize at the NYC Short Film Festival in 2006 for Best Documentary  Short and received honorable mention at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. These awards are well-deserved. Jobrani paints the picture of women different from the rest of the population in Bolivia. Cholitas wear the traditional dress of aboriginal Native Indians, consisting of layered skirts and shawls as opposed to the señoritas who wear pants.
Some of them also happen to kick some major kiester.

They perform and train in the Lucha Libre-style wrestling popular in Latin American culture. The main treat of the evening was watching pious-appearing women doing acrobatic wrestling moves and beating each other into a bloody mess. It was a truly original story meant to awaken interest in an unknown sport.

For more information on upcoming events in La Jolla at San Diego’s Museum of Contemporary Art visit its Web site at www.mcasd.org or for more information regarding Cinefemme head to www.myspace.com/cinefemme.

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