August 2010
1 post
1 tag
May 2010
29 posts
Early bird ride with valley geeks
I left my base after a nervous wait for my cab which was 10 min late. For a German like me, who is used to have taxis arrive 10 min early, it was a bit of a challenge. Especially, since I didn’t know how thick Oakland morning rush hour was. It was quite a fast freeway ride to the Amtrak station. The driver was in a jolly good mood and I arrived on time at 6. a.m. Jack London Square.
Along...
Soulfood & Dorothy's Juke Joint
Met up with Annemarie who picked me up. We drove downtown to Jack London Square. Straight into the Soul-food HQ of Everett & Jones. The owner Dorothy was there and served me a pint of tasty beer with some finger licking barbecue chicken, brown beans and sweet yam on the side. Oh, my lord that sauce was thick and creamy. Still got that flavor on my taste buds after 5 hours.
We chilled and...
The bay is grey
After a politicized Sunday afternoon with the rebels and anarchists, it was time to say good bye to Santa Cruz. I sold my last 2 copies at a business breakfast in my friends house on Monday.
Fired up, ready 2 go. A last drive on the beach. A last farewell lunch and ready to hit Oakland. It was a curvy ride through the Lexington hills. I admired the bus driver who had all the coolness in the world...
Hiking with crowds
We went hiking with countless others inside Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. The tallest tree in the park is about 285 feet tall, and about 16 feet wide. The oldest trees in the park are about 1400 to 1800 years old. It feels like some ancient spirit is swallowing up our human ego and splashes it up in those branches and streams. The self-importance that I normally carry in every conversation...
Hangin @ Next Space doin my thing
Mornin coffee by Lulu cafeteria. Wireless by Nextspace. Thinkin by me. I bonded with numerous freelancers at NextSpace on Cooper Street until the afternoon. Funny, that I was introduced as the German, cause that would not cross over much in Germany, where everyone always asks: where you from? The buzz in the lounge area was positive and its exactly that what will make freelancers and entrepreneurs...
Early Morning strolls
Early morning breakfast with the bike freaks in town. Good conversations with home-made cookies and fresh fruits. I decided to pay a visit to Inner Light ministry and catch up with one of the protagonists in my docu: Rev. Johnson. I had a bicycle that only had one (slow) gear and decided to take it on the public city bus. Good idea, cause I encountered the most friendly and happy bus driver in the...
Going organic algae shopping
Hanging out with Taale, a veteran activist and filmmaker who lives here. He told me about the blue green algae, local politics and his films in Burkina Faso. He works on a docu about Alpha Blondy and has tons of footage at home (shot on 16mm). He has an old movieola editing suite in his guest room. I have never seen one and it feels like work from another time when everything was analogue and the...
“Where do you go from here? What is next, darling?”
– (99 year old granny on Mothers day)
Dream on in the Dream Inn
Havin breakfast in the beach hotel called Dream Inn couldn’t be a better set up for my screening at 5.p.m. As I entered and sat down at my table, they played “Road to Zion” from the Abyssinians - a classic reaggae formation from the Seventies. I felt this is a good start of the day as I waited for my scramble egg with goat cheese and spinach. As I turned around and saw this...
9 tags
WatchAn uplifting fly-on-the-wall documentary that portrays the monumental time of change during the Obama campaign that led up to his presidency in 2008. This film interweaves complex cultural questions with the director’s biographical legacy and becomes a source of renewed inspiration reconciling the personal and universal dream for a better world.
9 tags
GO-BAMA (80min) Feature Docu by Satti →
Filmmaker A.R. Satti followed the Obama campaign in 2008. He is currently on festival tour across the US, showcasing the film and finding distribution.
6 tags
take off from berlin
i realise that its been more then 2 years since i have been on the west coast. i am excited and thrilled to see the interaction with a live audience and some of the protagonists of my film again. i hope that annemarie can make it from oakland, since she is a central character it would be great to see her and have her around for q & a.
