Comm Cinema rallies in support of the 2010 Topanga Film Festival and a story of Stone Soup

As the global economy continues to sputter and cash sponsorships to fund the 2010 Topanga Film Festival fractionally meet formal levels — a grassroots movement in support of the festival is brewing — in the form of unprecedented in-kind donations, pledges of support in labor, goods, services, as a battery of volunteers come on board to work the 4-day festival.

The latest addition to the Topanga Film Festival stone soup family is a former top executive with Hollywood Cinemas, David Lyons, a Malibu resident who traded his corporate gig for his own shingle, Comm Cinema, an event company that stages outdoor events throughout Southern California, Arizona and Nevada. His company has come on board with a donation of certain goods and services relating to the screenings at Trust Ranch, the Mountain Mermaid and the screening tent in Pine Tree Circle.

This 6th interation of the Topanga Film Festival is David’s fourth year with the festival. David said his company’s clients include film festivals, municipalities, movie studios, homeowner associations, schools and religious organizations, primarily located in the Southern California region.

“I have a soft spot in my heart for local film festivals and know how important they are to the cultural health of the community,” David said.

For those of you not familiar with the parable contained in the Stone Soup story, it is likely the best analogy of how this year’s festival continues to come together.

The Story (as told by me, certainly missing quite a few details): Once upon a time, a weary traveler came upon a small village nestled between an over-populated valley and the ocean. Down to his last bit of change due to a unending recession fueled by an eight-year Republican administration, he began pounding on some doors looking for locals who would sell him some of their food real cheap. The locals, pretty beat up economically themselves, simply turned him away.

Not knowing what to do, the man sat down in the middle of the town square contemplating what to do. He wrung his hands, looked up at the sky, called on invisible forces to give him a sign. Any sign. As he looked down at his tattered tennis shoes and picked up a stone that he passed from hand to hand for a while, an idea took form.

He boldly announced, “let’s do a film festival right here in the center of town at Pine Tree Circle!” . . . no that is not what he said, I just threw that in for color. What he really said is, “How can you hide behind your walls, starving when you have beautiful stones like this everywhere . . . near the creek, at the side of the road, just about anywhere you look?!”

His plea for a kettle fell on the ears of a local woman who listened — but didn’t believe — his promise that if he would lend her the kettle that he would feed her entire family. As she was down to her last provisions she saw no harm in lending him her kettle. Word got around the canyon pretty quickly and since so many people had a lot of free time on their hands, they came to watch the crazy guy put a fire under the kettle.

He chanted an incantation of sorts (or possibly said something to the effect of “what the heck am I doing” in Swiss German, but no one understood) and walked around the pot three times. He then tasted the boiling water. Hmmmmmm. Bland, he announced, asking if anyone had any salt. Magic was in the air. He tasted it again and proclaimed that it was too sweet, asking if anyone had a turnip, kale . . . anything. All of the sudden villagers appeared with beans, parsnips, onions and all kinds of things in small quantities already chopped and ready for the Stone Soup.

An hour later the kettle was full with enough soup to feed the village and as everyone came around to feed on the Stone Soup and everyone had a great time and hung out with neighbors and other villagers they hadn’t seen in ages because of the unexpected gathering. They all went home happy and well fed.

The magic ingredient? Community.