16 PASADENA WEEKLY | <strong>06.13.19</strong>
• ARTS • PHOTO: Carlo Gustaff ‘HAWKS WITH GOOD INTENTIONS’ I SEE HAWKS IN LA CELEBRATES NEW COLLABORATIVE ALBUM WITH UK DUO THE GOOD INTENTIONS AT HIGHLAND PARK BOWL P.19 LEMONADE FROM LEMONS PASADENA FILMMAKER MARCOS DURIAN TURNS A TOUGH CHILDHOOD INTO GREAT ART WITH HIS NEW SHORT ‘FISH HEAD’ BY CARL KOZLOWSKI Growing up Filipino-American as the son of a single mother who never knew his father, Marcos Durian was a victim of constant bullying all the way to seventh grade. He finally fought back against his oppressor classmates, but he still had to contend with the frustration of wondering who his father was and if he would ever meet him. The Pasadena-based Durian has taken those two highly emotional sets of memories and woven them together to create the short film “Fish Head,” a “visual poem” that makes its Los Angeles debut this weekend at the Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles. As the veteran cinematographer looks forward to unveiling his first project of his own, he recalled the long journey of taking his life creative vision to the screen. “I originally wrote a feature length version of the script, back in 2006, sent it out and got a little bit of traction,” says Durian, who has built his career working on a slew of commercials and music videos. “I got some meetings and unfortunately some of the people I talked to loved it but wanted me to change the main character’s ethnicity to Caucasian or African-American. “I gave it a try, got about 15, 16 pages in and I just knew it just wasn’t working,” he continues. “All the nuances that go along with the cultural aspects of being Filipino and the language that was happening with the bullying. I shelved it, but in the last few years diversity has made a big step forward so I was inspired to go back to the script and I thought try making it as a short film. I took the first and second part of the feature and turned it into the short.” The 16-minute film tells the touching story of a young Filipino-American boy trying desperately to fit in with his classmates while constantly wondering about his father. As he struggles to get through each day, he finally has had enough and takes a dramatic stand. The style of the film — which was shot in Torrance, Covina and Montrose — is elliptical, replacing a traditional narrative with a series of flashbacks and flash forwards, as well as dreamlike moments designed to show how the CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 FILM | THEATER | BOOKS | MUSIC | COMMUNITY | LISTINGS COOL CREATIONS ICE CREAM MAKER TILLAMOOK OFFERS CASH PRIZES AT 27TH AN- NUAL PASADENA CHALK FESTIVAL P.20 FORGIVE, BUT NEVER FORGET ‘EMANUEL’ RECALLS THE MASS SHOOTING DEATHS AT A SOUTH CAROLINA CHURCH AND THE CONGREGANTS WHO FORGAVE THE KILLER P.23 GET YOUR OWN... BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER FREE MUSIC KCRW Summer Nights features the indie, altrock-infl uenced duo Girlpool starting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at One Colorado, 41 Hugus Alley, Pasadena. KCRW deejay Chris Douridas opens and closes the show. Free. Call (626) 564-1066 or visit onecolorado.com. MASTER’S INSIGHT Free fi lms screen at 1 p.m. on select Fridays at Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St., Pasadena. Friday’s fi lm is “At Eternity’s Gate” (2018), starring Willem Dafoe, on the life of painter Vincent van Gogh during the time he lived in France. Call (626) 795- 4331 or visit pasadenaseniorcenter.org. PACIFIC RIM FUN Shoseian Whispering Pine Teahouse at Brand Park, 1601 W. Mountain St., Glendale, presents a day of international music and martial arts, including Hawaiian hula and guitar performances, African djembe drumming, dancing, Brazilian music, Indian Bollywood dance, and other music from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Free. Call (818) 548-2184 or visit shoseianteahouse.com. GIANT LEAP Charles Fishman discusses and signs “One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission that Flew Us to the Moon” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 449- 5320 or visit vromansbookstore.com. <strong>06.13.19</strong> | PASADENA WEEKLY 17