Sunscreen Film Fest returns to Hermosa Beach
Hermosa Beach has been at the center of two genres of music which might seem to have nothing to do with one another: jazz and punk. How that came to be, and how much the two actually have in common, is the subject of “Jazz v. Punk: Hermosa Beach” the featured film of this year’s Sunscreen Film Festival West.
The Sunscreen Film Festival, which began in Florida and opened its “west” chapter in the South Bay in 2013, will screen dozens of films at the Hermosa Community Center this weekend. “Jazz v. Punk” director Julie Nunis, who is helping fellow filmmaker Robert Enriquez organize the festival, said a crew of students and alumni from local high schools helped put the movie together. Sunscreen has a tradition of using local talent to focus on locally subjects, Nunis said. In a previous iteration, the festival plumbed the history of the Hermosa Beach Ironman with the documentary “Run Paddle Chug.”
The filmmakers started out at the Lighthouse, which led them to Ozzie Cadena, who brought talent to the venue. Cadena died in 2008, but his wife Gloria still handles booking, and their son, Dez, went on to become a member of Hermosa punk band Black Flag. From there, connections unfold through interviews with Mike Watt, the label-eschewing bassist for punk group Minutemen, and more. “Jazz v. Punk” premiers at 8 p.m. with a gathering at the Hermosa Museum before at 7 p.m.
Some of Sunscreen’s other offerings look farther afield. “And Now Love” is a documentary on Dr. Bernard W. Bail, a Jewish veteran of World War II who was shot down over Germany by the Nazis, only to be rescued following a love affair with his German nurse. He subsequently received a Purple Heart, a Prisoner of War Medal, and the French Legion of Honor. The film screens on Saturday at 4 p.m., and will be followed by a Q&A with director Jill Demby Guest and the 97-year-old Bail himself.
For a schedule of films and to purchase tickets, go to http://ssffwest.com/.