Silvio Caiozzi's retrospective in San Francisco at The Castro Theatre on November 11th was a total hit! I am truly grateful to everyone that attended the event and to all of you that helped make it possible.
Producing this event proved to me that San Francisco has
not
lost its intrinsic character, its noble spirit that makes it such a unique city. San Francisco is a city of passionate people that are inspired by eccentrics and that will find a way to
make
time
to support projects that start out as a vision, turn into a dream, and end up materializing to make our city culturally diverse, a place for artistic expression, a vehicle for social change, and a place of countless film festivals.
San Francisco and Chile share common history that goes back to the Gold Rush. They both have similar geography, both enjoy Mediterranean weather, and both produce fine wines. But what is rarely mentioned is that both share a reverence for poets. Chile and San Francisco share a common soul, the soul of a poet.
The realm of poetry emanates from inspiration and it cannot be tied down by practical concerns. Over and over again, I've proven to myself that when you salute the poetic aspect of life, fearlessly, you allow the universal forces of nature to
work with you
so that creativity flows.
At a time when absolutely everything is about money, it is important to remember that it dignifies one to give generously. Giving, specially giving your time to help others, is the strongest ammunition against the greed that is chocking us at every level of our existence.
Thank you to so many that made a contribution by devoting a bit of your precious time, specially so many of you great women that not only took your time to listen but that also took action.
A special thank you to friends that saved the day: Cecilia Tello, Ricardo y Marci Valdivieso, Laura Fraenza, Francisco Recabarren, Lizzie Brown-Jeremi, Pia Amunátegui, and to the Consul General of Chile in San Francisco, Guillermo Martinez and his wife Eliane Ache.
Again, thank you for the privilege of working towards something that I hope makes a difference by presenting the work of an artist and by building community. Next week, on December 5th, Silvio Caiozzi's film
...And Suddenly the Dawn
will be presented in Los Angeles to the Academy's foreign-language committee and to members of the press. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it gets nominated!
Paula Tejeda
Producer
Chile Lindo
