Half Moon Bay festival to focus on indie films

The festival is at the Coastal Repertory Theatre at 1167 Main St. in Half Moon Bay, with Mell partnering with the theater to bring the public a downtown festival.

“We are transforming it into a movie venue. Coastal Repertory Theatre has the equipment, and we are enhancing it a little bit to bring great films,” Mell said.

The festival starts Tuesday, Dec. 28, with “Los Hermanos/The Brothers” and “The Comedy Club.” Dec. 29 features “Life on Wheels,” “Girl’s Can’t Surf” and “Knocking Down The Fences,” while Dec. 30 finishes with “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It.” “Los Hermanos” is about two Cuban-born brothers who live in different areas but connect through music. “The Comedy Club” documents rebuilding famed Cobb’s Comedy Club in San Francisco after a fire destroys it. “Life on Wheels” looks at society’s auto-centric transportation system and explores possibilities for change, while Girl’s Can’t Surf examines 1980’s surf culture and how women fought to bring equality to the sport. “Knocking Down The Fences” follows AJ Andrews, the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove. The closing finale will look at the life and work of the famed actress Rita Moreno, who starred in “West Side Story.” Half Moon Bay Distillery will provide drinks for the finale.

Mell was familiar with several of the films chosen for the festival. All had quality and are examples of well-told stories that will captivate audiences. Each independent film touches on different themes of immigration, comedy, transportation, sports and song and dance. The unique stories offer the chance to learn about a new subject in depth that Mell hopes will stay with the audience.

“You can introduce people to new ideas and new subjects and hopefully create thought-provoking stories that they walk away with and think about something other than their normal train of thought. That’s the beauty of independent storytelling,” Mell said.

Mell is a filmmaker by training and schooling and has worked with various film festivals for decades. A coastside resident, she is a volunteer at Windrider Bay Area Film Forum, a Menlo Park film festival featuring award-winning independent films. She recently founded Beach Break Entertainment, which organizes outdoor cinema events like Under the Stars on the coast. The events allow people to safely get out of the house for an evening drive-in cinema experience. Beach Break Entertainment hopes the festival will help local businesses and bring people back to Half Moon Bay after heavy COVID-19 restrictions the last year.

Mell believes the time is right for an annual film festival downtown, as the last one occurred in 1998. She noted the event is between Christmas and New Year’s and offers a great chance to enjoy the holiday season downtown with family and friends. She plans to continue to expand the festival in the coming years and turn it into an annual event.

“Half Moon Bay has so much potential. It’s just a lovely downtown. It’s close to the beach for activities. It’s close to the mountains for hiking,” Mell said.

The festival will follow California state mandates and requires masks indoors. Proof of vaccination is being checked at the door. People can go to beachbreakentertainment.com for more information.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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