Volume XL, No. 7
September 2016
Our 40th Year
THE NOE VALLEY VOICE Girls Film Fest A Noe Valley Production
School Lot to Provide Parking On Saturdays
Sept. 10 Showcase to Feature 18 Shorts by Young Female Directors
Weekly Farmers Market Offers to Share Costs for Two Months
By Olivia Boler
By Matthew S. Bajko
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hese days, anyone with a camera phone or tablet can be a filmmaker. Just press the video button, and let it roll. That goes for little kids, too. If you’ve ever watched a toddler swiping and navigating a smartphone, they often seem more adept than some adults. Such access has opened up a vast world of creativity to a new generation of gifted young talent. That is certainly the case for two Noe Valley families. Two sets of sisters— Charlotte and Caitlin Kane of 24th Street, and Ella and Maggie Marks of Church Street—have been making movies on their own and as a group for about two years. Charlotte and Ella, both 13, started seventh grade this fall at the Hamlin School. Caitlin, who turns 11 in September, and Maggie, 10, are in the fifth grade at the same school. The younger sisters sometimes star in the older girls’ productions. “We like making films on the weekends a lot,” Charlotte says. They’ve spearheaded several different projects, including one featuring the character of “Annoying Apple,” who goes on adventures with other fruits. They use an iPad for filming and iMovie to edit. They also have a green screen for creating different backgrounds but emphasize that a lot of fancy equipment isn’t necessary when it comes to being inventive. “All you really need is a phone that can make videos,” Charlotte says. The problem is a lack of audience. “It’s satisfying to have a final project to show people,” Charlotte says. “You can show your family, but then it’s over. The idea of putting it in a festival, showing more people, and maybe winning a prize?
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“We wanted to inspire young girls to make films, because there just are not a lot of female filmmakers in the industry,” says Caitlin Kane, who loves acting. “Often women are used as props or beautiful sidekicks in movies. So we wanted to give young girls positive role models, and show them they could be filmmakers too.”
ince the Saturday Noe Valley Farmers Market moved onto a block of 24th Street in early 2016, disrupting traffic flow and taking away parking spaces, some shops along the commercial corridor have seen their sales nosedive. Now local leaders have come up with a solution they hope will attract more shoppers. The organizers of the weekly farmers market are renting the upper yard at James Lick Middle School for use as a temporary parking lot beginning Saturday, Sept. 10. They have hired a professional parking company to oversee the lot, which will cost motorists a flat fee of $5 to park there on Saturdays between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. The farmers market is paying anywhere from $1,000 to $1,200 each Saturday for use of the lot, which is accessible from 25th Street near Castro Street. They will pilot the temporary parking for four Saturdays, and if utilized, will extend it another four through the end of October. By then, construction of the Noe Valley Town Square should be finished, and the market can move off the street and into the newly built public park—if all goes well, on Saturday, Nov. 5. “Right now, [the school lot rental] is not financially self-sustaining. We are doing this to support Noe Valley,” farmers market board member Regina Starr Faustine told the Noe Valley Voice. “This is to see: does the idea work, do people use it, and does it bring shoppers to 24th Street?” If the pilot project proves successful, then the Noe Valley Merchants and Pro-
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Lights. Camera. Action. After a summer of bake sales, festival founders (clockwise from top left) Ella Marks, Charlotte Kane, Caitlin Kane, and Maggie Marks are eager to present the finalists in the Noe Valley Girls Film Festival, premiering Saturday, Sept. 10. Photo by Pamela Gerard
That’s cool.” Last year, the four girls came up with the idea of organizing a film festival based in Noe Valley featuring movies made by young girls. Ella Marks did some research looking for all-girls’ or children’s film festivals in the Bay Area. She didn’t find much. “Some might feature films for kids, but they’re made by adults,” she says.
A Jolly Tea Party Continues at Lovejoy’s Fond Admirers Take Over for Longtime Owners By Steve Steinberg
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fter 16 years of tea and crumpets, Muna Nash and Gillian Briley, the owners of Lovejoy’s Tea Room, the immensely popular teashop at 1351 Church St., have sold the business and served their last scone. But tea lovers take heart, Lovejoy’s will continue with its peerless tea service in the capable hands of three new proprietors. The new owners, Celine O’Driscoll, Donita Murphy, and Cathy Scharetg, had all been loyal Lovejoy’s customers and admirers for many years. So this summer, when the opportunity arose to take over the teashop, they jumped at the chance.
The Passing of the Giant Teacup. From left, Donita Murphy, Cathy Scharetg, and Celine O’Driscoll take over the popular Lovejoy’s on Church Street from Muna Nash and Gillian Briley, owners of the tearoom for 16 years. Photo by Pamela Gerard
The ownership change took place on Aug. 1. “We’re very happy to continue this wonderful tradition and legacy,” said O’Driscoll. “We want to keep it the same.” O’Driscoll, originally from Cork, Ireland, grew up having family tea. “It was always such a warm environment,” she said. O’Driscoll recognized the same warm atmosphere at Lovejoy’s. Donita Murphy, a homemaker who raised three kids in the Mount Davidson area of San Francisco, had always been interested in getting into a business. Coming originally from Nottingham, England, she found Lovejoy’s her perfect cup of tea. “Teashops are much more prevalent in England,” she said, adding, “but the service is not up to the level of Lovejoy’s. It’s a whole experience here.” Besides its inviting atmosphere, the tearoom has an extensive menu, featuring sandwiches, salads, and sausage rolls, as CONTINUED ON PAGE 11