When an Arctic snowy owl took up residence in a small Cypress neighborhood, the mysterious bird from more than 3,000 miles away united people in a mutual love of the majestic creature.
Similarly, a collared mountain lion known as P-22, famous for making Griffith Park his home, bonded wildlife enthusiasts and many Californians with greater awareness of the dangers of urbanization.
Films touching on the communities that sprang from the tales of those two animals, as well as one about the tribe that surfs Newport Beach’s famed Wedge, known for its monstrous and treacherous waves, will debut at the Newport Beach Film Festival that opens its 25th year on Thursday, Oct. 17. Some 115 films ranging from full-length features to short documentaries, will be screened during its week-long run.
Each story is iconic to Southern California, but the fascination with each extends far beyond the area’s geographical boundaries. With their debut at the coveted film fest – created with the idea that film offers new perspectives and possibilities for a changing world – the films’ producers hope their messages resonate not only with those who attend the screenings but spark an interest with broader platforms.
When Steve Winter photographed P-22 in 2013 at the Hollywood sign, the mountain lion became a worldwide sensation. His death on Dec. 22, 2022, when he was euthanized after sustaining severe injuries, led Gov. Gavin Newsom to call the big cat an “icon in California who shows the importance of working with nature rather than against it.”
“Wildlife on the Edge,” produced by Peter von Puttkamer and narrated by Beau Bridges, is about wild animals such as P-22 making their lives near the concrete jungle and suburbs of Los Angeles and encountering danger.
“The shot of P-22 resonated because a big cat was photographed next to the iconic Hollywood sign,” von Puttkamer said of Winters’ photograph. “And then people learned about ‘this amazing cougar that could,’ an animal that survived injuries and diseases beating the odds in a massive, sprawling city park in LA.”
The film incorporates the story of the famed mountain lion, but also photos taken by amateur wildlife photographer Robert Martinez, whose images have attracted a whole new group interested in wildlife in Southern California.
“I’m excited about being in the Newport Film Fest; this is very much a local story about urban wildlife in Los Angeles and I feel it was an opportunity to gain publicity for the plight of these animals and improve the average person‘s perception of wildlife in their midst,” von Puttkamer said, adding that the film was produced by Ecoflix, a nonprofit streaming service centered around wildlife.
The Wedge is a place where surfers, bodyboarders and photographers practice their crafts with skill and respect. When one of the tribe is injured, the Newport Beach spot becomes a testament to the unbreakable bond between surfers and the ocean.
That’s what Brent Welson, a surf photographer from Long Beach who made the film “The Wedge” is focused on.
“The film is about the highs and lows of chasing the perfect wave and the unexpected pursuit of passion in the face of adversity,” said Welson. The story follows the recovery of two of his friends after tragedy struck them in the surf and their effort to rebuild their lives.
Welson, who has been filming at the Wedge since 2013, said he is super excited to have the film he’s been working on for four years shown at the festival right down the road.
“I’m like, ‘OK, it’s game time now,’” he said. “What better place to premiere ‘The Wedge.’ There have been other films about it, but this is about the surfers and Boogie boarders. There’s a community there and it’s a dangerous place.”
The Newport Beach Film Festival, founded in 1999, has become the largest international cinema event in coastal Southern California, attracting more than 56,000 attendees.
“The Newport Beach Film Festival has increased our city’s name positively well beyond Orange County,” Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill said. “We enjoy our ability to share this slice of paradise with the world in many ways, including as a hub for storytelling.”
The festival’s screenings are spread between several local theaters and include a spotlight on student films, action sports, music, fashion, the environment, animations, several North American premiers and an international spotlight.
Simon West’s “Old Guys” opens the festival at Big Newport on Thursday. The film stars Christoph Waltz, who will receive the 2024 Newport Beach Film Festival Icon Award. There will also be an opening night gala at Fashion Island.
Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain,” starring Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, closes the festival at the newly restored Lido Theater on Oct. 24.
Several parties and special events with big name stars are planned. Nicolas Cage, Bobby Cannavale, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Sheryl Lee Ralph will each receive the Artist of Distinction Award; Joan Chen will be recognized with the Career Achievement Award, and Colman Domingo will receive the Maverick Award during an honors ceremony on Oct. 20.
Among the nine centerpiece films are Steve McQueen’s “Blitz,” starring Saoirse Ronan and Harris Dickinson; the world premiere of “Lost & Found In Cleveland” directed by Marisa Guterman and Keith Gerchak, starring Martin Sheen, June Squibb, Liza Weil and Dennis Haysbert, and “The Piano Lesson” directed by Malcolm Washington and starring John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler and Samuel L Jackson.
While Irvine-based Walter Josten, who has helped produce 200 films with his company Blue Rider Pictures, will be at Thursday’s premiere of “Old Guy,” which he helped produce and finance, he said he is equally excited for the world debut of “SoCal Snowy Owl,” which opens with a red carpet at the Lido Theater on Friday, Oct. 18.
As a kid growing up in Milwaukee, he had an up-close encounter with a snowy owl on his way home from school, and he has never forgotten seeing the big, white bird with its golden, striking eyes.
“It was a beautiful snowy owl in a neighborhood just like Cypress,” he said. “It was just mesmerizing. We looked at each other and after about half an hour, she flew over me. It was a spiritual moment.”
The experience stayed with him, and the Arctic owl has continued to fascinate him over the decades. So much so that when he came across the story of one that took up temporary residence in a Cypress neighborhood, he not only went to see the bird twice, but was overcome with a compulsion to tell the story he witnessed unfolding around her.
He reached out to Roy Rausch, the Cypress resident who created a Facebook page for the owl after the sighting became a phenomenon. There, Rausch logged the animal’s daily activities and reports of her sightings, including the outpouring of fascination and fanfare from birders across the nation who came to see the unusual spectacle. Before the bird flew off in mid-January, Rausch estimated that at least 500 people visited the owl daily. The sighting was the first-ever record of a snowy owl in Southern California.
“I drove there from Irvine, and within two minutes of turning the corner, there’s about 100 people all standing on sidewalks looking up at the roof,” Josten said, adding that he went back again a few days later. “In that time, I’m thinking this would be an amazing story. We should do a documentary on this and I’m bettin’ there’s probably already 50 people thinking that. I thought Roy is the guy that’s been put forth as the owl whisperer, the fact that he’s going out there every morning. I can’t wait to meet him. There’s a story here.”
After the owl left on Jan. 16, Josten said he finally got a call back from Rausch.
“He was very skeptical because I’m just some Hollywood guy out of the blue calling,” Josten said, adding that he told Rausch that while he does larger films, he had a soft spot for snowy owls.
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Serendipitously, Josten also reached out to director Chris Angel, with whom he’d worked on films before, and mentioned the snowy owl. As it turned out, Angel was familiar with the Cypress owl and had just visited the bird a few days before with his son.
“This was the start of it all,” Justen said. “Chris Angel, myself and Roy met at the El Torito in Cypress.”
The plan was not to make a documentary on snowy owls, but about the people who met because of the owl’s presence in Cypress and how those meetings changed lives.
Josten wrote the story around the impact Rausch had on the community of owl followers, along with a local engineer and wildlife photographer and a woman in the neighborhood who had been sidelined by a stroke, but when the owl landed at her house, her life changed as she went outside and found a whole group of people who shared her joy.
Though skeptical at first, Rausch said it was Josten’s personal owl encounter that won him over.
“That spoke to me,” Rausch said. “It wasn’t just someone trying to make a buck. This was his passion project and has a good message about how people look at nature and their community. It’s about the influence the owl had and the profound effect it had on the lives of people it touched.”
Rausch said later many people, who witnessed the bird, called “Snowy” their “spark bird.”
“I hope Snowy will spark a greater interest in appreciating nature,” he said. “I’d also like people to understand that a lot of people they may see have a lot going on behind the persona and that, hopefully, they are kinder to each other and get to know their neighbors.”
For screening times and dates, go here or newportbeachfilfest.com
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