Digital Death, and Amplified Sound
Film and Music from Saturation Fest ’16 (with photos)
At the Digital Death Film Fest, a packed audience in the Back to the Grind basement watched over two hours of short films projected on a big banner. The VHS screening featured films less than ten minutes long, with all kinds of styles such as horror, music, comedy, and narratives, and some in multiple languages. Filmmakers and artists included Magnolia Mills who featured a creepy, shadowy stop motion piece. The crowd got grossed out by Anta52’s animated gooey, nose picker short. Desmadre compiled a collection of fast paced and hilarious sketch comedy, mixed in with documentary-style clips. Even with the variety of genres, the films flowed and paced well together.
Like the film features, the art vendors in the back all had different styles. Some showcased visual and graphic art, while others focused on clothing design. Bahula featured triangular, stylized mountain shelves that he designed and constructed. Mostly everyone attending the event were chill, creating a friendly environment. “I’m glad that the filmmakers got to see reactions from the audience. I think that was the ultimate goal, and everyone was really excited in each others’ work,” said organizer and curator Richie Velazquez, “Hopefully next year we can do it again in the same raw style, but in a larger setting so more people can experience it!”
Outside, an array of vinyl record and art vendors lined the block. Live bands played on stage on one end of the block, and Martin Sanchez (Tio’s Tacos) had a live art demo on the other end. I bought a McCoy Tyner record, but didn’t look at any more booths because I didn’t want to be tempted any further. Bands performed all day in the bars, coffee shops, and streets. The 3-day long Saturation Art and Music Festival had multiple events going on at once, and I barely scratched the surface with the highlights in this article. It’s great to see how the fest evolves and grows each year, always with amazing surprises. I’ll be looking forward to the next one.
