Sebastopol’s Fall Doc Nite series will be wrapping up on December 12 at 7 p.m. with a screening of the Operation Santa doc Dear Santa (2020) at 7 p.m. at Rialto Cinemas® Sebastopol, followed by a discussion with director with director Dana Nachman and cinematographer Mike Abela and a casual gathering at Fern Bar. Each year, hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa arrive at Post Offices around the country. Through Operation Santa, USPS makes it possible for the public to safely adopt these letters and make children’s dreams come true. Dear Santa is a heart-warming look at one holiday season in the life of this unique program.
SYNOPSIS
Dear Santa shines a light on the 100 year-old Operation Santa program run by the United States Postal Service. Each year, hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa arrive at Post Offices around the country. Through Operation Santa, the USPS makes it possible for the public to safely adopt these letters and make children’s dreams come true. The film invites audiences along for the magic of this massive endeavor. Traveling the country, much like Santa does on Christmas Eve, the film focuses on select Operation Santa Centers: some in metropolitan areas like the massive operation in New York City and others in small towns where the Post Office is the heart of the community. The film highlights letters where a child is asking for something poignant, something that goes beyond the common wish for a toy. Santa will explain how he enlists kindhearted strangers across the country for these special requests while he concentrates on toy making, and his demanding delivery schedule. This timeless documentary captures the warmth and spirit of Christmastime through the lens of this great American tradition, provoking audiences throughout the world to ask themselves how they can make the world a better place, one gesture at a time. DETAILS
The Doc Night screening of Dear Santa and a post-screening discussion with director Dana Nachman and cinematographer Mike Abela will take place at Rialto Cinemas® on December 12 at 7 p.m., followed by casual drinks and snacks at Fern Bar. Doc Night films are also available to stream during the screening.
Doc Night is a co-presentation of Trim Tab, Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival, and Rialto Cinemas®.
Season 2 – Fall 2022 Program
SEPT 12
Feature Program
Belly of the Beast
When an unlikely duo discovers a pattern of illegal sterilizations in women’s prisons, they wage a near impossible battle against the Department of Corrections. Filmed over seven years in California prisons.
with director Erika Cohn
OCT 10
Feature Program
Kids On Tech
Parents and teachers around the world struggle with their kids’ dependence on devices today. #KidsOnTech looks at the impact on children’s developing bodies and brains, and asks: “How might we better prepare our kids for this digital world?
with director Paul Zehr & editor Eric Ivey
NOV 14
Feature Program
Not Without Us
An all too timely document of the grassroots struggle for significant climate action. In the months leading up to COP21 in Paris, Not Without Us chronicles activists from around the world as they make their voices heard.
with Kontent Films director Mark Decena
DEC 12
Feature Program
Dear Santa
Each year, hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa arrive at Post Offices around the country. Through Operation Santa, the United States Postal Service makes it possible for the public to safely adopt these letters and make children’s dreams come true.
with director Dana Nachman and cinematographer Mike Abela
Season 1 – Spring 2022 Program – Archive
MARCH 14
Work-In-Progress Screening
Finding Forests
with Coriolis Films & Coldwater Collective filmmakers Johanna van de Woestijne, Sashwa Burrous, Justin Lewis, & editor Michelle Olivera
with TrimTab Media co-directors Mischa Hedges, Sonia Luokkala & Jacqueline Cleveland
APRIL 11
Feature Program
The Dawn Wall
Blurring the line between dedication and obsession, Tommy Caldwall and Kevin Jorgeson spend six years meticulously plotting and practicing their route to scale the Dawn Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
with climber Kevin Jorgeson
MAY 9
Feature Program
Symphony of the Soil
Filmed on four continents, Symphony of the Soil is an intriguing presentation that highlights possibilities of healthy soil creating healthy plants creating healthy humans on a healthy planet.
w/ producer Deborah Koons Garcia & editor Vivien Hillgrove
JUNE 6
Feature Program
Reflection: A Walk With Water
Filmmaker Emmett Brennan examines the status quo of Earth’s most precious resource, water, and offers a vision for how to radically redesign our lives around it.
w/ director Emmett Brennan
