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PJIFF’s selected films first-look priority for its distribution services such as priority vetting and expedited film screening opportunities. The company’s founder and CEO, Rebekah Renne, plans to host an information table at PJIFF to connect filmmakers with resources. “It’s a great time to be a filmmaker, but it’s hard to be a first-time filmmaker. We can help them get representation and tap low- or no-cost distribution resources to create a solid distribution strategy before they make the leap.” “South County has a rich heritage in the arts and a lot of local talent that should be nurtured to grow,” Renne added, “and I think PJIFF can be a contender to the Napa Valley Film Festival and Cinequest.” WOODSTOCK NATION Scariot is working with Dan Nelson, David Svec, Albert Sandoval, Maria Davies and Michael Gamin as co-producers of “Woodstock Nation,” a feature-length docu- mentary about the iconic Woodstock Festival. A sneak preview will be shown at the PJIFF. PJIFF AWARDS & RECOGNITION Upon his arrival at the festival, returning guest (and Gilroy native) Randy Spendlove, President of Motion Picture Music at Paramount and a Grammy Award winner, will be presented with a commemorative guitar hand-painted by local artist Terry Gwinn. ICON awards will be presented to Spendlove and to Polo Jones, a world-renowned musician, music director/producer and a Morgan Hill resident, at the Awards Ceremony on April 7th. During the Awards Ceremony, the festival will also recognize local leadership and philanthropy with its Community Achievement Awards. This year’s honorees include Cecelia Ponzini from the Edward Boss Prado Foundation, Karen Seeker from Seeker Winery and David Cox from St. Joseph’s Family Center in Gilroy. A BRIDGE ACROSS CULTURES Last year, “Black Head Cow” was an invited fi lm at PJIFF. Student fi lmmakers from Tanzania spoke with the audience about making their award-winning documentary about child brides. The Q&A discussion was moderated by Chike Nwoffi ah of the Silicon Valley African Film Festival. According to Nwoffiah, “A film festival enriches a city’s brand and opens windows to tourism, trade and cultural diplomacy. This is what Mattie Scariot and her team began last year with the transformation of PJIFF into a destination event.” “Recently, Mattie joined me at the Zuma Film Festival in Nigeria, where she advocated passionately for PJIFF and South Santa Clara Valley as a welcoming place and people, ready to engage with the world.” Among the Nigerian film industry leaders Scariot met was Emmanuel Eyaba, President of Nigeria’s 2 ET Media. He will participate at PJIFF 2019 as a guest speaker and show one of his films in the spirit of a new partnership with the festival. PJIFF 2019 SPECIAL GUESTS Randy Spendlove, Grammy winner, President of Paramount Motion Picture Music Polo Jones, Musician and Music Director/Producer Kevin Rubio, Emmy winner, Writer, Director and Producer Albert Sandoval, Founder & CEO, RadioactiveGiant Gerald T. Olson, Director and Producer Michael Thau, Editor, Director and Producer Dan Nelson, Founder and President, Golden Leaf Pictures Tedd Faraone, Producer Doeri Welch, Director of Recruitment, DreamWorks Animation Chike Nwoffiah, Executive Director, Silicon Valley African Film Festival Consuelo Alba, Director, Watsonville Film Festival Sharon Daniel, Professor, Film and Digital Media, UC Santa Cruz Jan Krawitz, Professor, Documentary Film and Video, Stanford University To learn more or order tickets, visit www.pjiff.org. EARLY BIRD PRICING ENDS FEBRUARY 14th. For festival updates, follow PJIFF on Facebook. 70 GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN february/march 2019 gmhtoday.com