PAH in the Press

ELKO DAILY FREE PRESS, 01/18/2007

Christopher Coppola: Carrying the torch for electronic expression

by Jared DuBach, Free Press Lifestyles Editor

ELKO – For almost an entire century the Hollywood juggernaut kept its firm grasp on the American box office, leaving little room for alternative ideas. Independent films were relegated to art houses, or, worse yet, never saw the light of day.

And that’s what happened to those that had money.

Things are better for independent cinema, but director Christopher Coppola believes that great productions – whether it’s short films, cell phone art and the like – comes from the everyday man or woman. It’s the stories they want to tell that he finds the most interesting.

A few years ago, Coppola started PAH-Fest (Project Accessible Hollywood) with the idea to fuse up-to-date digital recording technology with the common man or woman’s stories and ideas. The concept is simple: Put a digital video camera, cell phone or Web cam in the hands of someone with an idea, and let them create art.

Coppola has done a previous workshop in New Mexico and recently did a PAH-Fest in Germany. By having festivals in different locations around the globe, Coppola is creating what he refers to as a “PAH Nation.”

The Elko PAH-Fest is holding an orientation meeting for participants at Great Basin College Jan. 28. Those with an idea for a short film or wishing to participate should contact Moon Cho at Coppola’s Ears XXI production company at 323-469-8500. Finished materials will be judged and prizes will be given. Additional information can be found online at www.pahfest.com.

Coppola’s vision not only stems from the concept of artistic expression, but also the embracing of electronic formats, of which Coppola said he was inspired by his uncle, director Francis Ford Coppola during the 80’s.

“He (Francis Ford) always said he would rather see the little, fat girl from Idaho make a film than the Lucases, Spielbergs and Coppolas coming out of film school.”

Coppola said he, quite frankly, finds most of the movies Hollywood cranks out to be unoriginal and often boring. This view shouldn’t come as a surprise to people since Coppola is, after all, the “pirate of the Coppola family.” For him, art is something that everyone should be exposed to.

“Art is like toothpaste,” Coppola said, “It’s important people have this.”

While many people are starting to view electronic media as a device that’s gradually secluding people in some ways, Coppola views the digital realm and new technology as a way for people to reconnect – if not directly then certainly by the use of the medium to create art for the others’ enjoyment or inspiration.

As a part of PAH-Fest, one of the sections will involve using cell phones with camera capability to take individual photos, that when put together tell a story. Web cams will also be used to take images for manipulation and thereby become visual art.

For the entry that really shows daring, ingenuity and even guts to be different, there’s the Bugsy Khan award. According to Coppola, the award is a statuette with a Bugsy Siegel, guns drawn, wearing a Mongolian-style hat in honor of conqueror Genghis Khan. Siegel is represented for his idea of turning a tract of Nevada desert into a bustling gaming automaton, and Khan is represented for his daring to create one of the world’s largest empires.

Coppola said he will be in Elko during the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering to assist as a filming coach and, naturally, to soak up some of Elko’s buckaroo atmosphere that he continues to find refreshing and inspiring 20 years after he first visited the Great Basin.