Local Filmmakers SBIFF 2014

Reviewed by Moa Hellenaes. Viewed at Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Before I went to this event I did not know what to expect. The only thing I knew was that there were going to be filmmakers who live in Santa Barbara. The two filmmakers who were there was Annelise Vanderberg and Jeff Rosenberg. I had not seen any of their films so I did not know anything about them. Everything was new information, which is good sometimes. I did not have any thoughts from before that could have made me think in a different way.

Annelise had done a documentary called Tough Bond that she shot in Kenya. She bought a one-way ticket there and was determined to stay there until she finished her movie. It took her three years to make it. The film was about the vanishing tribal villages in Kenya where children are forced to the cities. Most of the children faced starvation.  Before she went there she did not know a lot about film but had graduated from UCSB. She think it is better and easier to learn by doing instead of study from a book. She really admires her editor’s work with the film since he did a great job bringing out the highlights.

Annelise’s film was first released in Berlin, February 2013. She could not bring the children in the film with her to the festivals she went to. The reason for that is because they are not able to get IDs or passports to get out of the country. She said that they are treated like animals.

Jeff did a mockumentary that is called Orenthal: The Musical which is about young artist who tries to make a O.J Simpson version of Othello. He used his own money to make this film and just went with it. It took a year for him to shoot the film and the actors in the film were not the one who were singing, they had other people doing that. The biggest difference for Jeff from now and before is that he can call himself a filmmaker. That makes him very proud and happy about himself. One thing that I noticed with Jeff was that he had a big sense of humor, I can imagine he brings that into the film. At least I hope he did.