Film fest gluttony

Some people claim everything is best in moderation.

Yet whoever came up with that ridiculous saying was obviously not a fan of film festivals. In fact, an unimaginable plethora of short and feature-length films is good for the soul. This week, there are two film festivals from which to gorge.

The fifth annual Davis Feminist Film Festival will initiate the feast on Friday, April 9, and Saturday, April 10. Many independent films will be featured, including The Molky Way, about a 73-year-old Iranian woman’s long-distance trip to visit friends and family; Whore, portraying the difficulties of female adolescence; and The Breast Cancer Diaries, which chronicles a Davis resident’s journey with breast cancer.

The documentaries, narrative stories and experimental creations discuss women’s social issues using comedy, drama and thought-provoking accounts. A reception with food and wine will begin each night at 5 p.m., and the films will start at 6 p.m.

The Sacramento International Film Festival 2010 will pick up the celebration by honoring the “Digital Odyssey.” Sure, it feels like movies have been going digital forever, but there is always progress to be made.

The festival will begin with a special preview Sunday, April 11, at Sacramento State, featuring student visionaries, Latino cinema and some of the world’s greatest short films. The official showcase will be Saturday, April 17, through Sunday, April 25, at various venues across Sacramento. There will be American Indian films, comedy shorts, romantic stories and more. Featured films include Red Poet: The Story of Jack Hirschman, Claiming the Title: Gay Olympics on Trial, Moonlight Sonata and I Am Somebody.

There also will be a “Digital Odyssey Conference” Saturday, April 24, discussing animation, surreal cinema and technology.

Let’s just hope that if future digital films have awesome effects, they at least have competent scripts. Ahem, James Cameron.