Betsy Kalin, a native of Bloomfield who is now a filmmaker in Los Angeles, is coming home to present her new film at the New Haven International Film Festival.
“East L.A. Interchange” is a documentary about the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. The film is about how it went from a racially mixed, unified community in the early 20th century to a troubled crime center in the present day, and how community activists are trying to lift Boyle Heights up again. Among the movie’s stars is Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am, who grew up in Boyle Heights and is active in efforts to help youth in the area.
“We’re really using Boyle Heights as a microcosm,” Kalin said. “People need to stay vigilant and work together in the best interests of their own communities. Outside forces are not interested in what’s up with communities. That’s the main message.”
Kalin’s father grew up in the north end of Hartford, and she sees parallels. “Things happen to communities over time. They change. They need a strong voice in city hall,” said Kalin, 46, a 1987 graduate of Loomis Chaffee School. “East L.A. Interchange” will be shown Saturday, Nov. 14, at 12:15 p.m. Kalin, who directed and produced the movie, will do a Q&A after the screening.
In addition to feature films, NHIFF also will show shorts blocks. One of the shorts to be shown is “Thom & Gerry,” a drama about two grieving men who meet and bond over a game of chess. It was shot in Newtown and Norwalk. Filmmaker Nate Hapke said the characters were based on his grandfather and himself. “My grandfather lost my grandmother and his life changed forever. Though my actual father is still alive, it felt like for a long time that my relationship with him had died and that it would never be the same again,” Hapke said.
NHIFF screenings are at Gateway Community College, 20 Church St. in New Haven. In addition to film screenings, panel discussions will be held on social issues such as human trafficking, which is the subject of the film “Sold,” which also will be shown. (“Sold” is the only film that will be shown at University of New Haven.)
Among the other films to be shown are “Actor For Hire,” a comedy about a desperate actor; “Agnus Dei,” a drama set during the Kosovo war; “Born to Lead: Jim Calhoun,” a doc about the UConn coach; “Carb-Loaded: A Culture Dying to Eat,” an advocacy doc about food; “The David Dance,” a drama about a gay father figure; “Dog Days of Winter,” a doc about freestyle skiing; “Farewell to Factory Towns?” a doc about factory towns; “Ghosting,” a thriller about a mysterious presence in photos; “Girl Fight: A Muay Thai Story,” a doc about an all-women’s gym; “Good Ol’ Boy.” A drama about an Indian boy in America; “Groundswell Rising,” a fracking doc; “The Incredible Adventures of Jojo (and His Annoying Little Sister Avila),” a comedy about two children; “John Paul II in America: Uniting a Continent,” a doc about the late pope; “A Magic Lantern Life,” a doc on The American Magic-Lantern Theater; “My Father’s Vietnam,” a doc about a Stonington man’s experiences during the war; “Many Rivers Home,” a doc on South Asian senior citizens; “The Passionate Pursuits of Angela Bowen,” a doc on the dancer from New Haven; “Plastic in My Water,” a documentary about plastic pollution; and “The Sum Total of Our Memory: Facing Alzheimer’s Together,” a health doc.
Schedule and ticketing: ctfilmfest.com/newhaven
