The tides had already started turning on the second day. But, SDFF 2007 fulfilled its promise on the third and fourth days. It did, however, take a little searching before the mission was completed. Being a San Diego festival, San Diegan efforts were showcased. The Pacific and Eddy (written and directed by Matthew Nourse) is the story of a return to San Diego. In the past, there was an accident (but that’s all we know). Eddy (played by Ryan Donowho) was the one who ran away to escape the memories. The rest of the cast, played by Dominique Swain, James Duval, Nikki Sudden, Susan Highsmith, and Mark Gregg, stayed behind and managed to change and grow (and we’ll probably be seeing more of them). Though well shot in locations in San Diego and well acted, the movie never answered the question of “why?” What happened that caused the implosion in the group and why should the audience care about the characters?

Along the same lines, local filmmakers squandered opportunity when it came to the shorts. San Diego Shorts (Program # 2) yielded good films but not exceptional. Two films did stand out. Coffee Thief (by Lance Dickinson) is an interesting take on one of our favorite drinks—coffee. The story started off weak, but the concept carried it though to the end. Super Powers (by Chris Bresky and Mike Olsen) is dialogue and concept at their finest. It was very funny and the technical values were very good.

And then, the tide continued to turn in favor of serious and excellent fare. Though hard to watch, Taxi to the Darkside (written and directed by Alex Gibney) was a fearless documentary that made us think about our role in Iraq and how its changing America. The central character is a taxi driver who picked up three fares, but never made it home. Our soldiers killed him in an American prison in Afghanistan—in our name… And it is maintained that he was innocent—another casualty on our “war on terror.” This is a film about torture.

This pattern was repeated in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay and is still going on today. Many audience members chose not to see this documentary directed by the winner of Writer’s Guild of America “Best Documentary Screenplay” and Independent Spirit Award for “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.” Yes, artists have an obligation to show humanity in its entirety, but where else are we to see images of this nature if not in such film festivals? Our self-censored media refuses to show us the true picture of what is going on outside our borders.

On the lighter side, Intervention (written and directed by Mary McGukian) brought us two celebrities from Hollywood who were candid and funny—Jennifer Tilly and Donna D’Errico. They made their way to San Diego in order to indulge fans in a Q & A session after the Saturday screening. Asked how come Jennifer Tilly was not the usual “bimbo and sex symbol,” she replied that as in The Blue Iguana, the actors were allowed to choose and develop their roles. Since the movie was “largely improvised,” surprises emerged that had not been accounted for. The 944 Actors Ball & Awards Ceremony followed at The House of Blues.

Sunday was the sobering day. In continuation of the themes explored on Saturday, The Devil Came on Horseback (directed by Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern), showed some shocking scenes about the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle did not start out as a pacifist (nor did he become one in the process). But instead of a gun, he ends up in a peacekeeping mission with a camera. Being used to the act of shooting, you can sense his frustration and helplessness at the situation in Sudan where crimes are being committed and the world is looking away. In fact, most of the world refuses to call it genocide—this after half a million have been killed and 2.5 million have been displaced.

The very best was saved for last. Soldiers of Conscience (directed by Catherine Ryan and Gary Weimberg) is the story of what we ask our soldiers to do on our behalf—not only in this, but every war… What if you enlist for a war but at the time of action, you decide not to shoot? It might surprise you to know that 25% of combat personnel actually shot to kill in WWII. In order to counter that, the military has been pushing for “reflexive killing.” Now, we are approaching 100% kill ratios. However, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is on the rise.

More surprising, the military gave permission to the producers of this film. That’s a testament to the objectivity of the filmmakers but also a certain degree of fairness and honor in American military circles. That doesn’t answer the question of individual responsibility and conscience. Former soldiers answer that question in a thoughtful and candid way. Conscientious objectors including Kevin Bederman, Joshua Casteel, Aidan Delgado, MAJ Peter Kilner, And Camilo Mejia listened to their conscience after having served tours of duty. These are not cowards—they are everyday heroes. This film will fascinate and prod discussions when it is released in Seattle later this year.

Originally, The Fifth Patient was meant to screen as the closing night film. But, the filmmakers pulled it. Instead, we were treated to a deliciously sly and subversive movie—The Walker (directed by Paul Schrader). Woody Harrelson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lauren Bacall, Ned Beatty, Moritz Bleibtreu and Lily Tomlin give powerful performances in this movie about a man who likes the company of Washington socialite women. He thinks they are his friends. A murder puts everything into question. This isn’t only a murder drama—it is political satire at its best. Like The Queen at last year’s festival and All The Kings Men in the past few years, The Walker proves that political films can be very entertaining.

The Wrap Party was held at The Keating in the busy Gaslamp Quarter. It was a good place to say our “goodbyes and thank yous” and celebrate the end of a successful festival. Thanks to Robin MacKenzie for making some brave artistic/political choices. Thanks to the volunteers for doing a great job.