By ALLISON GARCIA | Special to the Santa Cruz Sentinel
PUBLISHED: March 1, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. | UPDATED: March 2, 202
In its 11th year, the Watsonville Film Festival has developed from a grassroots collective into a nonprofit arts organization offering dynamic year-round programming.
The festival will screen scores of full-length and short films in- person at the Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts, at the Watsonville Public Library and online.
Opening night on Friday will pay tribute to iconic Hollywood actor Pepe Serna in the documentary “Life is Art,” and Serna’s newest film, the short “Abuelo,” followed by discussion with Serna and the filmmakers.
Sunday is the opening of the art exhibit, “Resilience: Works of Strength And Dignity Juan Fuentes Retrospective.” The life and art of Fuentes, who grew up in Watsonville and now lives in San Francisco, is featured in the film, “Strawberry Picker.” The public can also participate in an art walk with the artist to see the collaborative work of Fuentes and Kathleen Crocetti.
All films and events are free and open to the public. Watsonville Film Festival runs from March 3 until March 12. For a complete schedule go to watsonvillefilmfest.org.