San Francisco Underground Short Film Fest brings mayhem, creativity, fierce looks to Victoria Theatre, Fri/17.
By Marke B.
SCREEN GRABS You’ll smile. You’ll scream. You just might throw up (in a good way). One of the most deliciously oddball events of the city is once again upon us: The Underground Short Film Fest from our very own drag doyenne of cinematic mayhem, Peaches Christ (and co-producer Sam Sharkey).
Part of the Bay Area’s decades-long tradition of DIY filmmaking, the USFF is an ever-evolving evening of weirdo hilarity, strange feelings, and tons of local flavor. Plus, you get to spend an entire evening hooting at the Victoria Theatre screen with a roomfull of fellow art-loving freaks and cinemaniacs. This is a film fest put on by an eight-foot-plus evil drag queen, after all.
This year’s USFF comes in three parts: “The Twilight Zone” with house band Zbörnak providing entertainment at 7:30; “Girls! Girls! Girls!” with special musical guest Carletta Sue Kay at 9:30; and at 11:30 the premiere of feature-length monster-centric mockumentary Digging Up the Marrow.
That’s a full plate o’ shorts! They range from ridiculously self-conscious zero-budget horror flicks and surreal drag escapades to coups de cinema like “A Girl and a Gun” by Jamie DeWolf, which brings to life Godard’s succinct maxim “All you need for a movie is a girl and gun” in its own particular way.
We talked to Peaches Christ in her Lair of Unspeakable Evil + Great Wigs to ask a few questions about the upcoming fest.
48 HILLSÂ This is the 12th Underground Short Film Fest you’ve put on — that’s more than a decade of filth and fun. Can you fill us in on some of the history?
PEACHES CHRIST The first SFUSFF happened in 2003 and was part of my Midnight Mass movie series at the Bridge [RIP]. We’ve probably done 16 or more of them because some years we did two in one year.
In 2003, my friend and creative collaborator Vinsantos and I were getting more serious about making short films and screening them for audiences but felt like there wasn’t a local festival representing the kind of local work we were interested in. I remember saying to Vince “Well, I already have an audience of sick and twisted weirdos at Midnight Mass so why don’t we just create our own film festival and show the stuff we want to show there?”
Our goal really was about showcasing Bay Area filmmaking to a local and appreciative audience in the flamboyant tradition of Midnight Mass. We’ve never charged an entry fee so that anyone and everyone can submit a movie to the festival and we’ve always presented our screenings with live performances, interactive components, and audience participation.
Vinsantos moved away to New Orleans three years ago and my longtime film programming friend and Midnight Mass stage-manager Sam Sharkey became my SFUSFF partner. Sam and I are hoping to keep this thing going for as long as possible.
48 HILLS What are some of the developments you’ve noticed over the years, perhaps in terms of technology and subject matter? Do you feel the underground film movement is alive and well (and healthily undead)?
PEACHES CHRIST We’ve seen loads of changes over the years and I think the biggest change has been the rise of the online audience for this kind of content. Filmmakers can now put their stuff online and get a bunch of eyes on it. When we began, many of the movies we’d screen had never been seen outside of a filmmaker’s own living room.
Unfortunately the internet explosion has made it much more challenging for us to draw an audience to the event itself. People feel like they can access this content already. But I really believe in the public big-screen experience and feel like this is the way movies are truly best enjoyed so I’m going to fight to keep this thing going for as long as we can. At this point the festival is a labor of love for everyone involved, but we really believe in it.
I’d say that the subject matter changes from year to year and it’s interesting to see that there’s often something in the zeitgeist where we’ll get a bunch of submissions dealing with the same ideas, fears, or style of comedy. I think the underground film movement is evolving because of the internet and unfortunately I find myself becoming a Bitter Betty about it because I fear for the future of cinematic experience and public screenings.
I want the underground film and music scene to continue to be a real-life experience for people who gather and discover things together, versus finding stuff solely online.
48 HILLS You have a really intriguing program this year, with the three acts — I especially love the Girls Girls Girls program. Can you tell me a little bit about how you structured the festival this year, and the different themes?
PEACHES CHRIST We really love to showcase a myriad of styles and shorts and so the first program is our classic array of insane, wild, all over the map content that defies description. It will make you smile, scream, and perhaps even… nauseous. The show will open with our traditional rock number courtesy of the fantastic local band Zbornak. I love this part! Peaches gets to be a rock star for five minutes every year.
The second program is usually a place for us to pay tribute to a local underground performer we admire. Last year it was the legendary Phatima and this year it’s the incredible Carletta Sue Kay. There will be CSK films, interactive music, and a live set by the Carletta Sue Kay band. And for anyone who hasn’t experienced this band live – you are missing out on something truly remarkable and special.
We’ve filled out the program with a Cousin Wonderlette movie premiere and performance which will be “special” in a different way, as well as a performance by Michael Phillis in collaboration with a screening of his hilarious short film “Mini Supreme.”
48 HILLS And finally, What do you recommend one wear to the festival?
PEACHES CHRIST Good question! I love it when the filmmakers dress up and the audience gets as creative as possible. Because this is such a celebration of Bay Area artists, I think the best advice is to come as you are, anything goes, from wild outrageous drag to skater chic.
