Organizers hope to attract South Coast residents to Ojai Film Series

By ZAC ESTRADA – July 29, 2010

Locals looking for a short escape from the Santa Barbara area can drive down to Ojai this summer for their first annual Outdoor Classic Film Series.

The first segment of the three-part event begins at 7:45 p.m. Saturday at the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa with a Q&A session featuring Academy Award-winner Rita Moreno, followed by the film she won the award for, “Westside Story.” Peter Crooks, editor of the Bay Area publication Diablo Magazine, will also be answering questions from the audience.

Two other films, “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Birds,” will be shown in August and October, respectively.

“We’re just thrilled about our guest-stars,” Veronica Cole, public relations and marketing official for the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa.

Cole said the idea came from a similar indoor event featuring classic films held in the Bay Area that Crooks coordinated.

Crooks wanted to do an outdoor event in an area that could accommodate that.

“He said that Ojai was such a beautiful area and you be outside at 9, 10 or 11 at night and it would still be comfortable,” Cole said.

Ojai Valley Inn and Spa is providing the venue but proceeds from the event are going to benefit Share Our Strength and Help of Ojai, nonprofits that Cole says are among the largest in the area.

“The reach out to every demographic,” she said.

Next month the film series will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the highly acclaimed Harper Lee novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by screening the 1962 film adaptation. Mary Badham, who played Scout alongside Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in the big-screen version, will host a Q&A before the showing on Aug. 21.

“All around the country we’re hearing of different events were people are even reenacting some parts from the book,” Cole said.

The final film in the series, “The Birds” will be shown on Oct. 30. A yet-to-be-named actor answering questions from the audience will also accompany the presentation of the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock movie, which starred Tippi Hedren.

Cole said the film series is composed of films that have managed to say relevant over the course of several decades.

“These films are timeless and culturally relevant,” she said. “The same messages are still relevant, even 50 years later.”  

Cole said organizers are expecting “a couple hundred” attendees at each event. She hopes the films attract people not only from Ventura and Southern Santa Barbara counties, but also from as far away as the Bay Area and Los Angeles County.

Tickets for each screening are $25 and can be purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/116454. More information can be found at www.ojairesort.com.

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