Next week: The Interact club will be here, along with our Friendship Exchange guests from India — please consider sponsoring lunch for one or more of these participants.

Prez John Cottle opened our meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance, and a song led by John Porter.

Visiting former Rotarian: Jennifer Bosma, and Honorary Rotarian, Wheatley Allen.

Guests: Michael Fox and Kira Wojak from the Mendocino Film Festival.

Happy Dollars:
– Gary: happily challenges the group to pay $1/win of the Giants team (15 so far) — he’s an A’s fan!
– Donna: happy that Dean sold his bike to Bruce, who in turn sold it to Donna — and she’s been happy to be riding to work several days last week and this week.
– Tom: 30 happy dollars for Harvest Market’s 30th Anniversary!
– Matt: happy that his bee hive is getting some new bees!
– John C: happy that his wife Betty has art on display at the Mendocino Art Center, and some of it has sold!
– Wheatley: happy for Matt O’Halloran and his upkeep of Rotary Park!
– Lindsay: happy dollars for Wheatley, who will have a 20-ft-tall replica of his eagle sculpture unveiled in Palo Alto. Also, the Chocolate, Wine and Ale celebration will be held from 1:00-4:00 p.m. this Saturday!
– Sean: happy to thank Wheatley for donating a sculpture to the very successful Ducks Unlimited dinner this year.
– Michael: happy to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of Film Festival!
– Dean: seconds Donna’s happiness about bike riding this month.

Announcements:
Tom received additional donations totaling $2512 for two more Shelter Boxes for Nepal — for a total of 12 to date. He’s hoping that our club will make up the difference (approx. $500) to donate a 13th!

Rotary Friendship Exchange – 5 couples from India will be here next week. Or Rotary meeting will be hosted by Interact, and the Friends from India will provide the program. Let John C. know if you want to help with lighthouse and Mendocino tours for our Friends. We need a driver to take them north to Fortuna on Friday morning. Dinner will be shared with our Friends on Thursday evening at John C’s house — you must RSVP if you want to attend!

Polio Plus update – there have been only 23 cases reported year to date worldwide. Keep your donations coming!!

Donna announced that Tuesday night’s scholarship award ceremony at the Community School was great – Django won, and is going to Sac State next year. Tonight is the High School awards ceremony at 6pm.

Today’s Program:
Cornelia served as Finemaster and introduced our speakers for today: Michael Fox, Director, and Kira Wojak, Social Media Queen, from the Mendocino Film Festival.

Finemaster knowledge:
– The Great Beauty, The Lady in No. 6,  Music by Prudence, and 20 Feet From Stardom are movies that have been screened at the Mendocino Film Festival (MFF) and have also won Oscars.

– Sidney Pollack was involved in producing the MFF in its first year.

– Famous documentarian Albert Masle (sp?) passed this year, and had been involved in the MFF.

Michael shared a collection of trailers for this year’s MFF, which is taking place May 22 – 31. They are partnering with Rotary of Willits and the Sea Biscuit Foundation for running the film festival activities in Willits. On the coast, Tom Honer and Harvest Market have sponsored the MFF, and Sean Leland is sponsoring this year’s kids’ program. Lindsay and Cornelia from The Mendocino Art Center also partner with the MFF.

Their biggest expense is bringing filmmakers to the festival. This activity keeps film festivals relevant.

Kira handed out press packets: There’s a new Chart Your Course feature in the packets, to help you keep track of which films/themes you’d like to follow throughout the Festival.

There are several late night parties after the Film Festival’s activities next weekend, so check the schedule and don’t miss out on the fun!

There is a children’s animation program this year. Song of the Sea is an animated film that is generating a lot of buzz — Sean is sponsoring a children’s coloring activity and raffle.

There is a track of films about aging, including a film called Alive Inside about how music affects patients with Alzheimer’s; a senior speed dating film called The Age of Love; and a film called Dying to Know about Timothy Leary and his last days with cancer. Next year they’re aiming to provide audio-enhanced screenings.

There is also an environmental track, including Of the Sea, featuring a director and cinematographer from Mendocino! This explores how the California fishing industry has changed, and features a lot of fishing folks from Noyo Harbor. Another film called Racing to Zero shows the possibility of creating Zero Waste communities. Another film is about the Hadron Collider, called Particle Fever, and is close to selling out!

Another popular track is on music, including Lady Be Good: Women in Instrumental Jazz; a film about an unlikely pairing of two blind musicians called Keep on Keepin’ On; and Take Me to the River, which joins the old and new generations of musicians in Memphis.

Reel Mendo will be a series of shorts made by local filmmakers. Get tickets early, it will sell out!

A comment was made that films with subtitles should be noted in the programs, so that hard-of-hearing people can better appreciate the films. Michael said that subtitles can only be shown in auditoriums with stadium seating; next year there will be audio-enhanced screenings that should help with the sound/volume issues.

Today’s Raffle Winners: John C., and Wilma. We are back to red, white or chocolate as prizes. Nice!