Glenn Stephens, founder of GlennFest Film Festival, and Hummingbird Meadows.

DOWNEY – The GlennFest is Glenn Stephens’s gift to the citizens of Downey: a week-long celebration of independent films foreign and domestic.

Twenty-nine films ranging from “Dancing Beethoven” to the live Cuban Ballet accompanying “To Dance Like a Man,” to “Monster Island,” to “Between,” to “Cold Skin,” a mystery horror show. All in eight days plus an art exhibit. What more could you ask for?

Four venues: Epic Lounge, Downey United Masonic Lodge No. 220, Studio Movie Grill, and the Downey Theatre, all thanks to the generosity of local businesses, non-profits, the city of Downey and sponsorships. Mission: to bring to the general public quality films of special interest through a week-long film festival.

Just a few years ago, a sweeping arts movement began to trickle through Downey, and one of the results was the Downey Arts Coalition. Before that, art and film enthusiasts were expected to drive for 30 minutes (or longer) into Downtown LA to enjoy the festivities of public art events, including film festivals.

Realizing the importance of introducing art and film to underserved areas, GlennFest founder Glenn Stephens concentrated his resources on incorporating independent and artistic films by way of a film festival. Glenn knew that these films, though excellent works of film making, may not get the opportunity to screen in areas that don’t have art-house theaters, because they lack broad commercial appeal.

And so, in 2012, GlennFest was born. The festival boomed from a small, single weekend event to a multi-day celebration of films in various languages and from various countries. Billed as “movies of special interest,” Glenn approaches his film selections with an eye toward movies that appeal to niche audiences.

“Thank you GlennFest,” said Downey Councilman Alex Saab, “for organizing this for the community.” Alex and wife Giggy caught a special live ballet performance and then the flick, “To Dance Like a Man” at the Downey Masonic Lodge.

“We attended one of today’s films,” Alex said, “about a set of Cuban triplets who are training to be professional ballet dancers and the immense training that goes with it.”

The Los Angeles Cuban Ballet gave a live performance before a screening of “To Dance Like a Man” at the GlennFest Film Festival.

“Amigos,” said Cuban Heritage L.A, "The Los Angeles Cuban Ballet is proud to be a part of the GlennFest Film Festival 2018, our hour long ballet performance before the featured film showing of ‘To Dance Like A Man,’" a great film about ballet dancers, which will help to bring awareness of the arts and Cuban Ballet to a larger audience in L.A.. Thanks to your donations to the arts in our community.”

“Thank you,” responded Glenn,” for a beautiful performance.”

“This morning,” said Glenn, “we had ‘Monster Island’ for special needs children. They love animated films. We had a party for them, with balloons and candy.”

Country Workers Union Local sponsored the film and Maria Burgess of juvenile hall and Yolanda Roybal held forth at a table.

“We work with Glenn on behalf of disabled children,” they said.

Next up that morning: “The Greatest Showman” singalong with Hugh Jackman. At the Epic Lounge patrons enjoyed a great night Wednesday with Broadway star Hummingbird Meadows during the screening for “Hurricane Bianca.”

An added bonus, in the theatre lobby was an art exhibit curated by Pat Gil for sponsor the Downey Arts Coalition. Outstanding artist Emmy Lu, short for Emmanuel Luega, is from Uganda, and his paintings have been acquired by such luminaries such as Princess Diana and Prince Charles, Denzel Washington and Magic Johnson. Emmy Lu has shown at the Museum of African American Art in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.

A musician as well as painter, Emmy is perhaps most known for his jazz pieces.

Emmy Lu at an art exhibit inside the Downey Theatre lobby. Photo by Lorine Parks

“I studied in London at the School of Art in the 70’s,” he said, “which was unusual at the time.” His works in the show were giclée reproductions, vibrant with color and swirling forms. One eye-catching one, of New Orleans Musicians, is called “Southern Composition,” and it reflects the same African cultural style that once inspired Picasso to launch Cubism.

Annie and Debbie, friends of Pat’s from San Pedro, said they have been coming to the GlennFest for several years.

“Seeing these films has made me more open to other experiences and other ways of life,” Annie said. “I am more receptive and can empathize.”

Jorge Montero who hails from Ecuador was encountered in the Downey Theatre lobby. He was waiting for “Retablo” to start, a Spanish language movie about a boy on his way to a community celebration in the Andes when he accidentally observes a situation that shatters his whole world.

“More people should be coming to the festival,” Jorge said. “This is a fantastic opportunity. And it’s free.”

Alistair Hunter, who directs plays for the Downey Arts Coalition, echoed Jorge’s remarks: “This is the eighth annual GlennFest free film festival in Downey, with movies of all shapes and time lengths.”

This reporter chose Saturday to go to see and hear choreographer Maurice Béjart’s “The Ninth Symphony,” which is a performance of Beethoven’s masterwork with the focus being entirely on the dancers who interpret the music. The Tokyo Ballet company along with the Béjart Ballet Lausanne has dancers reflecting every ethnic make-up, with Aryan features alternating with Asian ones – world harmony in action.

Starting with a bare stage the color of a burnished cello, crisscrossed with white circles and lines, the film is a triumph of the theatrical spectacle maker’s art. Color, lighting, costumes and stagecraft dominate, but the Orchestra and its instruments are never shown.

Not one French horn, not one violin. Instead they glow above the stage like a dark nest from which the dancers may have fallen. Only twice, at the beginning, is the conductor’s face shown, and he is Zubin Mehta, formerly of our L.A. Philharmonic, this time conducting the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra.

The camera focuses on a lone male dancer, clad only in tights and stripped to the waist. Gradually he is joined by more, their buff torsos accentuating their youth. The colors change from movement to movement, starting with a matte gray for the males and a simple bathing suit style in mauve for the females, mostly barefoot, but the ballerinas in toe shoes in the second section.

In succeeding segments the colors change, to white, and then finally a rich tawny orange. Emphasizing the geometric complexity, the overhead point of view shows the dancers whirling in more and more complete harmony. The dancers executed classic ballet moves, jetés, arabesques and beautifully held extensions with absolute elegance and strength.

Beethoven’s music can never be said to take second place to any other art form, but it does seem for a moment in the adagio like a movie music moment for the dancers, movie music that is, if the composer is John Williams and the movie is “Star Wars.”

Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has been interpreted in many ways: embryonic emerging of cooperation; the developing relation between men and women; the idea of world peace and harmony and brotherhood. Beethoven wrote it as a statement of freedom during a repressive political time. Clenched fists, a prominent gesture, become not war-like and aggressive but triumphant exultations of thanksgiving.

There is no doubting the majesty of the final movement when the Freude/ Joy theme is sounded, first like a clarion call from the orchestra, then taken up by a mighty choir three times as numerous as the orchestra, dwarfing it as they stand above the dimmed instruments, and then the corps de ballet appears, expanded to 250.

The premier danceurs and première danceuses from each movement appear, linking arms as they move in a dizzying circle filling the stage. The poem, Shiller’s “Ode to Joy” inspired Beethoven to create this monumental work, and music, song, poetry, dance and stagecraft collaborate to create the kind of moment that changes the viewer, and ultimately, could change the world.

At the final curtain calls, the audience applauded muscular choreographer Maurice Béjart who uncannily resembles Rudolf Nureyev.

“I love this picture,” said Glenn, “I’ve seen it many times. Whenever I’m stressed and want to relax, I put this on. We showed another movie, ‘Dancing Beethoven,’ which explains what the choreographer was doing with each of those moves.”

“Dancing Beethoven” was nominated in the 32nd Goya Awards for Best Documentary Film.

Stella Demasus, right, star of the film, “Between.” Photo by Lorine Parks

In the past, GlennFest’s featured films have ranged from a Dutch comedy, to an award-winning Chinese animated feature, to an awe-inspiring Latin American documentary. GlennFest generally focuses on films of special interest, but also screens musical, comedy, and other types of films. Some of the films selected have gone through the film festival circuit and others are rising from the reel.

Cannes and Sundance, eat your hearts out. Downey’s got GlennFest.

GlennFest Movie Festival wraps after whirlwind week