Category Archives: Local Events

Spotlight on Railtown, a Very Special Event June 9th

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Tuolumne County’s Rotary clubs will host a “Spotlight on Railtown” fundraiser on Saturday evening, June 9, at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park (SHP) in Jamestown, CA. This special fundraising event is one of several that local Rotary clubs are holding in an effort to keep Railtown 1897 SHP open and in continued operation. Tickets are $50 per person and all proceeds will directly benefit the Park and its continued operation.

The festivities will begin at 6 p.m., with local wines and delicious appetizers served in and around the Park’s signature facility, the Historic Jamestown Roundhouse and Shops. As guests tour the facility, they will enjoy live music; turntable demonstrations; historic railcar rides; and “Movie Star” locomotive Sierra No. 3 in operation. Next will be a silent auction, followed by dramatizations and short speeches in the historic Depot. Then, for a relaxing grand finale to the evening, guests will enjoy a ride aboard Railtown 1897’s excursion train, with silent auction results announced as the train arrives back at the Depot.

Rail enthusiasts and the community at large are encouraged to play a supporting role in Railtown 1897’s future.  Tickets for “Spotlight on Railtown” are available from local Rotary club members, at the Park itself during regular hours, or online .

“Spotlight on Railtown” is presented by the Sonora Rotary Club, Sunrise Rotary Club, ‘49er Rotary Club, Twain Harte Rotary Club, and Groveland Rotary Club, and sponsored by the Black Oak Casino, California State Parks, and the California State Railroad Museum Foundation.   Featured wines will include Gianelli Vineyards of Jamestown, Indigeny Reserve Hard Cider and La Bella Rosa Vineyards both of Sonora, and Zucca Mountain Vineyards of Murphys.

Find Your Inner Spielberg This Summer at California Film Workshops

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Find your inner Spielberg this summer at California Film Workshops in Modesto. In just five weeks you’ll get hands-on training with professional motion picture equipment, learn the complete production process from concept to distribution, and be ready to start making your own films. More information at California Film Workshops.

 

ITSA Film Festival workshop lineup finalized

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Sept 30 - Oct 1

The ITSA Film Festival is coming to Sonora & Groveland, CA on Sept 30-Oct 1, featuring short films from around the world and workshops for current and aspiring filmmakers. Workshops are FREE to anyone attending the film festival. Tickets to the festival start at just $25 and can be purchased online, in Downtown Sonora at The Candy Vault and Swank Boutique, or in Groveland at Hotel Charlotte.

Here’s the current lineup of workshops:

Friday, September 30

3:30 PM – 4:45 PM
Documentary Workshop
Instructor: Kevin Fox
This workshop concentrates on how to create a documentary the down and dirty way. For photographers, beginning and intermediate filmmakers.
Location: Historic Sonora Opera Hall

Saturday, October 1

10 AM – 12:30 PM
Kids on Camera! Kids Acting for Television (reservation req’d) 
Workshop A – students pick up tix at door
Instructor: Judy Berlin
Location: Sonora Inn Banquet Room

10 AM – 11:30 PM
Learn How to Maximize Your Film Audition Results!
Instructor: Joie Landeaux
Location: Stage 3 Great Room

12 PM – 1:30 PM
How to Get Your Indie Film Sold
Instructor: Leonard Pirkle and Derek Zemrak
Location: Stage 3 Great Room

1:30 PM – 4 PM
Kids on Camera! Kids Acting for Television (reservation req’d)
Workshop B – students pick up tix at door
Instructor: Judy Berlin
Location: Sonora Inn Banquet Room

4:30 PM– 6:00 PM
Stunts for Movies & Television
Instructor: Mike Martinez
Location: Sonora Inn Banquet Room

Loren Janes to host “Making of ‘How The West Was Won’” at Twain Harte Film Fest

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A late add to the Twain Harte Film Festival: Legendary Stuntman Loren Janes will host a screening of The Making of ‘How The West Was Won’, a classic film with some spectacular stunts by Janes. Join him early Saturday morning at 8:45am at the Twain Harte Golf Course. Tickets and more information at filmfesttwainharte.com!

Legendary Stuntman and Steve McQueen double Loren Janes at Twain Harte Film Festival

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This is a huge deal for me. Loren Janes is one of the great stuntmen in Hollywood history. I’ve seen him speak at the Lone Pine Film Festival and manage stunt demonstrations. He is best known as being Steve McQueen’s body double and performing some of the most demanding stunt scenes in history.

From IMDb: “One of the key figures in the development of modern cinematic stunt design, improved safety procedures and co-founder of the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures & Television, Loren Janes ranks alongside Dar Robinson, Hal Needham and Yakima Canutt for his contributions to movie stunt work. James has lent his athletic skills to many amazing stunt sequences in over 130 feature films, and has doubled for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars including Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Jack Nicholson and even Debbie Reynolds in a career spanning nearly half a century. He has contributed his talents to such spectacular films as The Ten Commandments (1956), Spartacus (1960), The Magnificent Seven (1960), Planet of the Apes (1968), The Towering Inferno (1974) and Beverly Hills Cop (1984). ”

Recently Janes consulted on the Spiderman films. Janes was a big supporter of our past event, the Wild West Film Festival, and even did a stunt demonstration for the Connections Academy kids in recent years.

Find out more about his appearance and see a clip of Janes discussing his good friend Steve McQueen at the Twain Harte Film Festival website

ITSA Film Festival add local favorite Mike Moroff

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Moroff as Pancho Villa in Young Indiana Jones

Mike Moroff has been featured in over 80 films and television series including From Dusk Till Dawn, Desperado, La Bamba and Robocop. He was also a regular at the Wild West Film Festival — if we’re lucky he will even sing La Bamba!

Mike is currently producing 4 major films– and one of them stars Javier Bardem! Come see him in person at the ITSA Film Festival on September 30th – October 1st.

 

Tickets and more information

Mike Moroff’s website and artwork