Free ‘Outdoor International Film Series’ celebrates Balboa Park’s centennial

SAN DIEGO — In celebration of Balboa Park’s Centennial, three of San Diego’s most prominent film festivals—the San Diego Asian, Italian, and Latino Film Festivals—have come together in partnership with SDGE and the Pacific Arts Movement to present the Outdoor International Film Series.

This free film series will take place at the Park’s Organ Pavilion every Thursday at 8 p.m. from July 9 to July 30.

Each film festival will curate one evening during the series and all three will come together on the final night, Thursday, July 30, for a special collaboration.

Selected films for the Free Outdoor International Film Series:

July 9

Bollywood: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

Curated by The Pacific Arts Movement’s San Diego Asian Film

Festival

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Jeff Zimbalist, 2011, 77 mins

Bounding with color, energy, and above all, music, Bollywood: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told is an ode to an industry that has for over 70 years gripped the world with its fantasies of family, society, nation, and of course, love. Essentially a string of Bollywood’s “greatest hits” moments, this wondrous documentary is a mesmerizing and delightful introduction to Hindi popular cinema, as well as a trip down memory lane for those who fell in love with the films, and fell in love to the films. Featuring appearances by Bollywood’s kings and queens (Aishwarya Rai, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Katrina Kaif), the musical documentary shimmies, flirts, and lunges to the beat of a nation crystallized on film.

July 16

Messi

Curated by The San Diego Latino Festival

Álex De La Iglesia, 2014, 93 min

What is it that makes Argentina’s Lionel Messi the best player in the world? The answer cannot be summed up by merely listing the value of his achievements. Instead, it is necessary to delve into what it is that has made Messi such a unique footballer, with one of the most sensational careers in the history of football around the world. This endearing documentary/biopic hybrid captures the spirit of the unlikeliest superstar playing in any professional sport today. Iglesia’s brilliant cinematic lens captures Messi’s awe-inspiring prowess of soccer. A truly must-watch film for any supporter of the beautiful game.

July 23

The Italian Character (Il Carattere Italiano)

Curated by The San Diego Italian Film Festival

Angelo Bozzolini, 2013, 100 min

Rome’s Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia may be among the world’s least hyped musical stars. Although it appears on the “10 Best Orchestras in the World” list published by Classic FM magazine—the only Italian orchestra so honored—it lacks the renown of such orchestras as Vienna’s, London’s, or Chicago’s. Nonetheless, to those in the know, and this includes the world’s top musicians and conductors, the Orchestra Nazionale di Santa Cecilia is special. Director Angelo Bozzolini looks into the lives, motivations, anxieties and triumphs of several members of the orchestra and its charismatic and brilliant conductor, Antonio Pappano. The film follows them throughout rehearsal, travel and reflect on what they do and are able to achieve collectively through the transformative act of performance. Guest appearances, both live and in archival footage, include such musical heavyweights as Yuri Temirkanov, Leonard Bernstein, James Conlon and Valery Gergiev.

July 30

Collection of short films

As a joint effort between the San Diego Asian, Latino, and Italian Film Festivals, the last Thursday evening of the free Outdoor International Film Series will be a showcase of short films from each organization.