As we begin to program the festival with another great line up of feature and short length documentaries on the built environment, I am also looking back at the beginnings of the fest and some fond memories of not knowing what to expect when we launched this festival.

First off, I remember a lot of people asking me “are there enough new urbanism films to merit a festival?”   Four years later, there is still new films to be seen and shared, that will inspire audiences to invest in their neighborhoods and cities.

I have personally seen over 1000 films on the topics of new urbanism.  And while Clarence Eckerson has undoubtedly made as many films as that, they were not all his work.

This questions particularly comes to mind whenever we have to decide not to accept a submission into the festival.  At one point we didn’t even think enough films existed, and now we are making tough choices between which one is better.

beggars CAN be choosers.

Second, I remember meeting with Joel to discuss a shift in the very nature of our book group.  We had been gathering to read and share stories about new urbanism, but now we were opening it up to a public event: The Pastry Walk.  “Are we really gonna just put it out there and open it up to the public?”  We registered the domain name, printed flyers and passed them out, and we got a decent showing.  We were not just a book group anymore, we were a community organization. Or at least that is what Facebook suggested for our page type.

Now, four years later we have planned a lot of events.  Our film selections have been all over the world: Milan, Toronto, Shenzhen, Stockholm, Venice.

We represented American urban design in the Milano Design Festival Triennale. We represented American architecture in the Venice Architecture Biennale. We were invited to screen films on tactical urbanism at Global Playground in Stockholm.  We’ve spoken to graduate programs on transformational urban leadership, and christian community developers.  We’ve held our own events where we got people to come and present topics for us, mayors and city council members, head architects of major projects all around LA, and local community organizers effecting change in the nooks and crannies of LA.  It really is an honor to participate in others’ events and have people join us to speak at our festival.

I was so inspired I made a complete list of past events:

 

2016

9/29/2016 Filmmaking Challenge 2016 Presentations – Culver City, CA

9/12/2016 Filmmaking Challenge 2015 Films Encore – Los Angeles, CA

9/08/2016   Short Films Screening – Laredo TX

9/01/2016 Short Films at CCDA national conference – Los Angeles, CA

8/23/2016   Short Films Screening – Austin TX

6/22/2106 Three Features Films at Milano Design Festival – Milan, Italy

6/16/2016 LA Design Festival Short Film Screening – Los Angeles, CA

6/09/2016 CNU Short Films Screening – Detroit MI

5/26/2016 Short Films Screening – Toronto, CN

5/26/2016 Biennale on Architecture Short Films Screening – Venice, Italy

4/21/2016 Short Films Screening – Toronto, CN

4/05/2106 Azusa Pacific University Classroom Presentation –   Los Angeles, CA

2/24/2016 Best Of Fest Encore Screening – Santa Monica CA

1/30/2016 Short Film Screenings at CNUCAL charrette – Oxnard CA

1/23/2016 Biennale Festival Encore Screening – ShenZhen, Hong Kong

1/16/2016 Biennale Festival Screening – ShenZhen, Hong Kong

2015

12/27/2105 Short Film Screening – Olympia, WA

10/8-11/2015 Four Day Festival – Los Angeles CA

10/4/2015 Urbanism Filmmaking Challenge KickOff – Los Angeles, CA

10/3/2015 Pastry Walk, West 3rd Street – Los Angeles, CA

NUFF2015 Preview Night Los Angeles, CA

9/23/2015 University of Connecticut Classroom Screening – Storrs, CT

9/12/2015 Urbanism Hike – Los Angeles, CA

8/31/2015 Short Films Screening – Austin, TX

5/19/2015 Short Films on Tactical Urbanism Workshop San Diego, CA

5/1/2015 CNU Short Films Screening – Oak Cliff, TX

5/1/2015 CNU Pastry Walk – Dallas, TX

4/30/2015 CNU Short Films Screening – Dallas, TX

3/31/2015 Azusa Pacific Classroom Screening – Los Angeles, CA

3/11/2015 Short Films Screening at Tactical Urbanism Fest Stockholm, Sweden

3/24/2015 Best of Fest Encore Screening – Los Angeles, CA

2014

11/6-11/9 2014 – Four Day Festival – Los Angeles CA

9/19/2014   Park(ing) Day, La Brea Ave – Los Angeles, CA

8/26/2104 Best of Fest Encore Screening – Los Angeles, CA

8/08/2014 Neighborhood Music Night at Muse on 8th – Los Angeles, CA

6/06/2014 CNU  Screening – Buffalo, NY

5/09/2014 Neighborhood Music Night at Muse on 8th – Los Angeles, CA

2013

11/6-9/2013   Four Day Festival – Los Angeles, CA

10/26/2013 Pastry Walk, La Brea Ave – Los Angeles, CA

10/16/2013 Noodles & New Urbanism Book Group Los Angeles, CA

7/12/2013 Noodles & New Urbanism Book Group Los Angeles, CA

6/14/2013 Neighborhood Poetry Night at Muse on 8th – Los Angeles, CA

5/30/2013 CNU Screening – Salt Lake City, UT

5/19/2013 Noodles & New Urbanism Book Group Los Angeles, CA

2012

10/27/2012 Pastry Walk, La Brea Ave – Los Angeles, CA

7/12/2012 Noodles & New Urbanism Book Group – Los Angeles, CA

2/12/2012 Noodles & New Urbanism Book Group – Los Angeles, CA