A picture worth 1,000 words

Former Sacramento Bee columnist Diana Griego Erwin has transformed herself into filmmaker Diana Erwin. Still living in Sacramento, Erwin’s back to doing what she does best: telling slice-of-life stories of everyday Sacramentans—only now she uses a camera.

Erwin, who resigned in May of 2005 while the Bee investigated possible fabrications in her columns (see “Scandal-stung Bee columnist talks to SN&R” SN&R News; May 19, 2005), made a short film called Dad’s Cafe, shot at the actual Southside neighborhood eatery over a June weekend in 2006. The picture won the “Audience” and “Spirit of Sacramento” awards at last October’s A Place Called Sacramento film festival.

A low-budget affair, Cafe is the story of Seth and Zoe, who, along with “Dad,” work at a sandwich shop while entertaining their eccentric customers. “I had no budget,” Erwin told SN&R. “Pay for the sizable cast and crew was margarita and munchy parties at my house after each shoot.”

Erwin shot additional footage for Cafe last July and August and currently is finishing up an extended version of the short, which she intends to submit to other festivals. She’s also working on another short, titled Dine N Dash, which she’ll co-direct with Kris Adams of Code Red Films.

Learn more at the film’s Myspace page, www.myspace.com/dadscafefilm.