SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Wednesday marked the opening night of the 2024 edition of the San Diego International Film Festival. This year’s theme is the "power of cinema."
There were 3,500 submissions from 85 countries this year. As ABC 10News anchor Kimberly Hunt explains, the films, documentaries and shorts cast a wide net of subjects, but there’s a clear thread among those which made the cut: Film can be a catalyst for positive change.
The opening night screening of "Conclave" follows one of the world's most secretive and ancient events: selecting a new pope.
The film features actors Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow as they tell a story about how the Vatican's walls hold deep secrets.
Another major movie the festival will screen early is "Emelia Pérez," which follows the journey of four remarkable women in Mexico, each of whom is pursuing their own happiness.
"September 5" unveils a moment that forever changed media coverage: The 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. Israeli athletes were taken hostage, and spots broadcasters became the team to bring us life and death breaking news.
Tonya Mantooth is the CEO and artistic director of the San Diego International Film Festival. She says social issues and events that shape our world can bring together through film.
"I think film is the medium where you can literally walk in someone else’s shoes and get a sense of what they’re experiencing, and I think until you do that, you really can’t develop a sense of empathy," Mantooth says. "That’s why it’s important for us to program these films."
This year's festival will honor the mountain queen, Lhaka Sherpa. She is a Nepalese woman who holds the record for reaching the summit of Mt. Everest the most; her life story is now on Netflix.
Sherpa did not get to go to school. She survived abuse, and with all the odds against her, she made it to the U.S. with her two daughters with a dream to do what she knows best: Mountain climbing.
Sherpa will receive an award at the festival, and she says it's another moment in her life she'll never forget.
"I feel so happy... Very exciting — my god gives me energy, and energy is a special happiness," she says.
The San Diego International Film Festival runs from Oct. 16 through Oct. 20. Its "Night of the Stars" is back this year and Culinary Cinema will close the festival Sunday. You can find more information on the official festival website here.
