February - March 2014  



HOLA!

If you've not picked up the March edition of San Francisco Magazine... do check it out. Yours truly is featured, photograph and all. What's the article about? GENTRIFICATION. Of course.

Last Street Standing, by Lauren Smiley, presents a kaleidoscope of viewpoints on the subject of the bulldozing of the Mission district. Fair game--everyone has an angle. My position is this: if you have the budget to build an $82 million dollar development project, then you can budget a million or two to help the small businesses you're displacing (Chile Lindo isn't being targeted). Yes, this project displaces small businesses that provide employment; that buy city and state licenses; that pay city, state, and federal taxes, and that contribute to the community in many other ways. In a bad economy--we are still in a recession in spite of the tech bubble--small business is the "top dog" where jobs and keeping the economy afloat are concerned. Economics 101.
The breakdown of the middle class and the disparity in income between rich and poor has made San Francisco a battleground over the issues of eviction and gentrification.
The community is rightfully making demands to lessen the impact that it is facing. This issue is making international news for a reason. Last week, again, I was interviewed by foreign press--this time Dutch T.V. This week I was interviewed by CNN.


My favorite line in the San Francisco article: "In short, Tejeda represents something before which even almighty Maximus must bow: the Community."

Maximus Real Estate Partners--is Maximus a family name or does it allude to their ego?



Thank you Lauren Smiley for your hard work and for a "great read" indeed. Read on...




Al Jazeera America

By the way, my Arab friends think I'm a star because I was interviewed by Al Jazeera. If you want to check out the interview, I'm in part two of Michael Okwu's report:

"For Paula Tejada, (sic) who owns a local empanada shop, it's not just the feel of her neighborhood that's at stake, but her livelihood. Many of her longtime customers are being priced out of the city.

 

"Everybody I know is either fearing to be homeless, homeless or on their way," she told America Tonight".  

 

Check it out... 

 

I have to admit that the notoriety can be taxing... and it's not as if I have a make-up artist on call when the cameras arrive.


Jackson Loo, CNN,
 getting still shots of my kitchen
CNN

Serendipity was in play as CNN showed up--the weather beautiful, the light perfect. Customers all showed up as if on cue--from realtors in suits showing off the charm of the hood (they offered to find me a place) to hipsters, techies, Mexicans, Colombians, Chileans, Salvadoreans, and anti-gentrification activists!

The CNN crew deserves an A+! After getting footage at Chile Lindo, they filmed me riding my new bike (brother's B-Day gift) from Chile Lindo to my house... and  we arrived to find the realtor, inspectors, and prospective buyer there. I introduced the gentlemen to the CNN crew and we just went about our business with the interview. I did notice, however, a slight blush take over the gentlemen... as they stopped discussing the terms of the sale.
Serendipity.


"The Redstone Building: from Red-Light District to Realtors-Ambition District"
By Paula Tejeda


By the way, I did my own bit of reporting on the hood. It was published in "Hidden Gems of San Francisco," in the Westside Observer.

Read on...


THE OSCARS - March is Movie Month
Chilean Films and Filmmakers in the Bay Area

I rarely make it to the movies. I didn't see any of the Oscar nominated films and I don't have a TV (the one in the picture above is too low-tech to function) so I missed the Oscars--again! I'm hoping I get to see "American Hustle" before it leaves the theaters. Fortunately, my friend Joyce Ferman got me away from the computer to see "Gloria." (By the way, Joyce also turned me on to a fabulous website for movie buffs. Check it out: Rotten Tomatoes)

Sebasti�n Lelio's "Gloria" was Chile's submission for nomination to the Oscars. It was not selected as a contender, probably because Pablo Larra�n's NO was selected last year, and it's unlikely that Chile would have nominations in the Best Foreign Film category for two years in a row.

However, it's great to see that it was "playing at select theaters" in NYC and the Bay Area. It's not too often that Chilean films get distribution and are screened outside the film festival circle. Yay!

"NOT TO MISS" is right! "Gloria" is a tour-de-force. Paulina Garc�a... �magnifica! Sebasti�n Leilo... �maestro! This film is high art. However, don't take my word for it, check out the reviews:
Los Angeles Time and New York Times.


Mat�as Bombal's Hollywood
Reviews of the Current Cinema

"Mat�as Bombal's Hollywood" is produced by one very unique and eccentric Chilean doing his thang... in the Golden State.

I met Mat�as Bombal in Yuba City when the Chilean government placed the Wooster plaque up north in good ol' gold rush country. From the get go he struck me as someone very unique. As we were all waiting for the official installation of the plaque, he appeared in an impeccable 1959 Mercedes Benz, dressed as if he were stepping out of a 1940's film (I know, the dates don't make sense... but you get my drift). Immediately, I was asking him all sorts of questions about his gorgeous vintage car, and he explained that his father shipped it from Germany to Chile, and years later the family shipped it from Chile to Sacramento, CA.

Bombal's story is remarkable. Visit his website and you'll find photographs of days gone by when an enthusiastic young Bombal rubbed elbows with stardom from Hollywood to the Big Band era. (By the way, he's no foreigner to family fame; his cousin is renowned writer Luisa Bombal).

The Sacramento Bee published the following article on his enchanting story:
"At home with ... film critic and showman Matias Bombal."

Presenting: "Your pal, Matias Bombal"

Gloria (Chile) - Review - Matías Bombal's Hollywood
Gloria (Chile) - Review - Mat��as Bombal's Hollywood



Sebasti�n Silva

On a different but related note, the Chilean writer/director Sebasti�n Silva was invited by the San Francisco Film Society to partake in their Artist-in-Residence program. His itinerary included the showing of "Crystal Fairy" (2013), on February 19, at UC Berkeley--a presentation co-sponsored by the San Francisco Film Society and the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS). As always, CLAS Chair Harley Shaiken was the consummate hostess-with the-mostest. Check out the Director's Talk session here !


Oscar Abeliuk

While we are on the subject of Chilean eccentrics linked to film in the Bay Area, I'd like to invite you to view my friend �scar Abeliuk's documentary "Voces de un Tsunami."

�scar Abeliuk, MD is a neurologist and film producer/director. He is the founder of the SFNS Neuro Cinema Festival and founded Abeliuk Productions. His documentaries touch on areas dear to his heart: medicine and Chile.

I suppose we should not be surprised that we can add to our long list of Bay Area film festivals one more group: neurologists. The San Francisco Neurological Society's annual meeting hosts an Annual Neuro-Cinema Film Festival. At the 5th Neuro-Cinema Festival last year, �scar screened "My Recovery: Doctor Robert Fox." I'd like to suggest a sequel, �scar: "Paula's Recovery."

What I'd really like is to join �scar's production team on his present film project: a documentary on Easter Island. Easter Island is dear to my heart, as my father spent his early teenage years there, when my grandfather was governor of the Island in the early 1940s.

Also, �scar is founder of the Strozzi Group. The Strozzi Group is comprised of physicians who graduated from the University of Chile School of Medicine in the 70's. It's goals are cultural and philanthropic.

Following is �scar's documentary about the tsunami that hit Robinson Crusoe Island; it touches on the Island's history and dives into testimonies by the survivors of the dramatic tsunami that hit the Island following Chile's 8.8 earthquake. As an aside, here's a related article you may want to read: "How a 12-year-old girl saved her Chilean island from catastrophe."

Watch this mini-documentary on a mega natural disaster:

"Director Oscar Abeliuk's audiovisual testament of the suffering and resilience of the people of Robinson Crusoe Island in the Juan Fernandez Archipielago off the coast of Chile in the face of one of the worst tsunamis to ever hit the continent."


Voces de un Tsunami
Voces de un Tsunami




Alejandro Jodorowsky
Chile's Numero Uno Eccentric

Have you heard of Alejandro Jodorowsky? He has a long list of titles: shaman-spiritual-guru, Tarot-Zen Buddhist teacher, psychomagia master... mentoring disciples worldwide through live performances and lecturing 926K followers through tweets at @alejodorowsky.

Jodorowsky is a writer, theater director, actor, lecturer, and cartoonist. However, directing "cult" films in the 70's New York City midnight film scene is what gave him celeb status. In fact, his magnum opus achievement, El Topo, caught the attention of John Lennon.

I heard the story first hand from my aunt Juanita Rieloff (the first of my mother's sisters to emigrate from Chile to the US in 1955). Juanita, as anyone that knew her called her, was part of the '60s beatnik scene and owned, for a stint, the famous Greenwich Village Caf�, the Gaslight. She knew (and hired) the likes of Bob Dylan, Bill Cosby, and Peter, Paul and Mary. In fact, Bob Dylan's favorite venue was the Gaslight, because Juanita made everyone listen--highlighting that Dylan was a poet. Anyway, Juanita was present at the release of El Topo in NYC with John Lennon and Yoko Ono in attendance. Lennon was so impressed with El Topo that he offered Jodorowsky $1 million to do whatever he wanted, and thus Jodorowsky went on to direct The Magic Mountain.

After a 23-year hiatus from film making, Jodorowsky is back on the film festival scene, screening the release of The Dance of Reality. The US premiere took place last week at SXSW, where Jodorowsky was scheduled to speak, with film critic Drew McWeeny moderating the conversation.

Reviews

Variety

Alejandro Jodorowsky's Dance of Reality Gets U.S. Release (EXCLUSIVE)

 

"The film was shot in Tocopilla, a coastal town on the edge of the Chilean desert where Jodorowsky was born and underwent an unhappy childhood as part of an uprooted family." Read on...



Cannes Film Review: The Dance of Reality



Heads up New Yorkers: MoMA in NY will host a screening and Q&A on March 14.

The Dance of Reality by Alejandro Jodorowsky (Official US Trailer)
The Dance of Reality by Alejandro Jodorowsky (Official US Trailer)


This year Alejandro Jodorowsky's career seems to be coming full circle. Not only because of his comeback film The Dance of Reality, but rather, owing to a project he envisioned years ago that is now the subject of a documentary directed by Frank Pavich.

Check out Peter Debruge's critique on Variety:

"Indulging one of film history's more entertaining 'what might have been' stories, first-timer Frank Pavich delivers his own mind-blowing cult movie."

Jodorowsky's Dune - Sony Pictures Classics
Jodorowsky's Dune - Official Trailer [HD] Alejandro Jodorowsky, Michel Seydoux, H.R. Giger
Jodorowsky's Dune - Official Trailer [HD] Alejandro Jodorowsky, Michel Seydoux, H.R. Giger


NOT-TO-BE-MISSED CONCERTS



Friends, this is one concert that I am not about to miss for anything in the world. Mochi Parra is as true to Chilean folk music, as clay is to pottery. Her preference though is for the Afro sounds of Chile's neighbor to the north, Peru. Regardless, whether singing Chilean folk songs or interpreting Afro-Peruvian music, this singer and multi-instrumentalist is a privilege to hear.

Berkeley Jazz School teacher David Pinto is internationally known for his work as music director and arranger. He is the bass player for Grammy-winner Susana Baca.

Two Concerts Featuring South American Finest Mochi Parra and David Pinto


Sureando; Vozibajo
Mochi Parra
& David Pinto
Rambling through the South; Voice and Bass

Saturday, March 15
7pm. $10-15.
2698 Folson St. SF

Saturday, April 19
8pm
DueStudio
6370 Arlington Blvd
Richmond, CA







I first got hip to rap artist Anita Tijoux, back in 2010, at La Pe�a de Berkeley (a venue that's launched so many careers). At the time she performed with Funky C and local Chilean DJ Juan Data. Since then, her career has rocketed, earning her four Grammy Award nominations. She's now a regular performer at SXSW and regularly plays the Independent in San Francisco.




Anita Tijoux
Grammy and Latin Grammy nominated


"Her shows are a whirlwind trip through hip-hop, jazz, and funk, spiced up with a bit of politics and her great sense of humor that has made audiences around the globe fall in love with her."
 
March 19: San Francisco, CA -  The Independent
628 Divisadero St.
San Francisco, CA
8:30 PM
$15

Featuring: Kumbia Queers (Argentina) and Como Asesinar a Felipes (Chile)

 
Koolarrow Records
An independent record label based in San Francisco, set up by Faith No More's bass guitarist Billy Gould said: "Como Asesinar a Felipes are among the best and brightest from the current musical explosion taking place in Chile, firmly established as one of the country's most popular emerging acts." Read more...
 


SPIN Magazine Premieres
Ana Tijoux's New Single "Vengo"




"Ana Tijoux will perform this year at SXSW, with three additional upcoming shows in California: March 19th in San Francisco, March 21st in Los Angeles and March 23rd in San Diego."

NY Times
raved about Ana Tijoux's show at the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC): "Ms. Tijoux had an even stronger voice, musically and polemically. She sang with a tart, jazzy tinge (reminiscent of Erykah Badu) and rapped with forthright insistence." Her show in Boston earned Tijoux praise from The Globe: "No foreign-language rapper has managed that movement more enticingly in the past few years than Chile's Ana Tijoux."

DELEGATIONS BETWEEN CHILE & CALIFORNIA

SisterCitiesLogo


The Sausalito-Vi�a del Mar 007 Fashion Show fundraiser was a total success! Bravo!

Sausalito city officials and locals exemplified, once again, that only-in-America spirit where getting behind a project is concerned. From Sausalito Mayor Ray Withy, to local CEOs and small businesses owners, to the Chief of Police--they stepped up to the bar and delivered. Then they stepped up to the bar and toasted their success!

Kudos to the Chilean Consul of San Francisco, Rolando Ortega, for his sportsmanship. He joined the effort as one of the "Bond" models, displaying once again his dedication and support for the Sausalito - Vi�a del Mar Sister Cities program. Hats off indeed to all for pulling off a great event! Vi�a del Mar is very lucky to have Sausalito as its sister city.

The funds raised will make it possible for a delegation of
Agep-V women entrepreneurs to travel to Sausalito in June.
www.agepv.cl



Check out photos of the fundraiser here.




As I've learned from working with the Sausalito-Vi�a team in the past, they leave nothing to chance. Especially the women! What a group of go-getters. In fact... a delegation from Sausalito is now in Chile strengthening the partnership and making preparations for the Vi�a del Mar delegation coming to California in June. Go Sister!



IncubaUC & Geek Camp

Chile continues on the road to becoming a South American hub in the tech industry, encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit in its university graduates.

The Pontificia Universidad Cat�lica de Chile has a business incubator program (IncubaUC) that holds an annual contest; those with the most innovative ideas and best business plans are the winners of Geek Camp. The delegation of entrepreneurs get to spend time in Silicon Valley, practicing their elevator pitch and making the venture capitalist networking rounds.

On February 28, with Geek Camp nearly over, it was time to celebrate with lots of Pisco Sour. The mixer was at a SOMA office, and I tell you, geeks, whether Chilean or Californian, party surrounded by laptops and electrical outlets for multiple devices. Except this time there was lots of Pisco Sour.

Check out the Geek Camp start-up companies here.

 Check out the mixer photos here!

IncubaUC Executive Director, Marcelo Diaz (center) and the spirited group from Geek Camp


Wines&Spirits
Magazine

I remember perfectly well when Chilean wine shyly started to work its way into the US market. In 1996 you got the best bang for your buck with a bottle of Chilean wine--$3.99 at Trader Joe's.

Well... you've come a long way baby!

There are beautiful, glossy, ads spotlighting Chilean wine in nearly every page of February's edition of Wine & Spirits (including the outside back cover/inside back cover). I'm talking full page ads here my friends... that's a pretty penny in advertising budget coming from your friends from south of the border.

                         
Required Reading
By Tara Q. Thomas

"Chile is one of the most dynamic wine nations on earth; the sheer pace of change, innovation and advancement is astonishing,"... Check it out



The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)
In search of our Cosmic Origins

I can't help but revel that this observatory based in Chile's northern desert uses radio waves to observe how stars are born--and it is called ALMA.

On March 9th CBS aired an episode titled "ALMA: Peering Into The Universe's Past" on 60 Minutes. Check it out.




Through my friends at Chile Global I learned of this formidable app used to follow ALMA's latest discoveries:
http://www.chilemobileobservatory.com/





Earth Day SF 2014


I'm producing the Chef Zone for Earth Day San Francisco. I will be featuring local chefs that support the organic/raw/sustainable/slow food movement.

The 4th annual Earth Day San Francisco is taking place on Saturday, April 19th, at UN Plaza at Civic Center BART Plaza.

The Chef Zone demonstration stage goes from Noon to 5pm.

Each chef will showcase a recipe that uses organic produce and/or small regional farmers' and ranchers' products.

I have a few surprises in store for Chef Zone... so stay tuned.

www.earthdaysf.org



Here I am in my "Bond Girl" look. Just because I'm getting evicted, that doesn't mean I can't look like a million bucks!

The Sausalito-Vi�a del Mar Sister Cities 007 Fashion Show fundraiser was very successful (see the above story). The great thing about these events is that they manage to raise lots of money, in a short enough time so that you can wear high heels and get them off before your feet hurt.

President Michelle Bachelet was re-elected in Chile. She was the Executive Director of UN Women for two years, traveling world-wide and building relationships with top leaders.

As per her election, I posted the following on my facebook page:

"I do not think that Chileans locked in the political hatred brought about during the 70's--to the right or to the left--understand the magnitude of this election, nor the extraordinary opportunity at hand to become a bona fide twenty-first century country." 

Progressive Prospects for Michelle Bachelet's Second Term Chile's Student Movement Leads the Way
Written by Benjamin Dangl  

Remember you heard it here first folks!

Signing off,

Paula Tejeda
Chile Lindo


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Every writer needs an editor.

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