It was a jam-packed five days as the Coronado Island Film Festival (CIFF) went all out for its 10th anniversary, with more than 130 films shown at seven venues. The lineup included independent titles, spotlight films, and a ShortsFest Exhibition. The festival opened with Dead Man’s Wire and included revealing international stories; American Solitaire proved to be an intense drama delving into veteran and gun issues; there were an array of documentaries, a special look at costume design with Edith Head, and star-studded movies like Jay Kelly with George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, and Billy Crudup. Closing out the weekend were Sentimental Value and the traditional end of the festival: Some Like It Hot.
A very small sampling of the many films I enjoyed
The Pantone Guy (The King of Color)
Creating a new language is not an easy feat, and although he didn’t set out to accomplish that, Larry Herbert developed the Pantone Matching System®, which is the universal language of color. When The Pantone Guy documentary was made, Herbert was nearly 95 years old and he felt it was time for his legacy to be immortalized. Growing up as a Jewish immigrant in Brooklyn, he set his sights on becoming a doctor, purely as a way to make money. But after obtaining a biochemistry degree, he got sidelined in the Korean War and ended up taking a color matching job at Pantone – at the time both an advertising agency and a commercial printer.
Herbert revolutionized printing by creating a split fountain press which allowed 28 colors to be printed simultaneously. Ultimately, he was able to buy the company from the two brothers that owned it, with money loaned to him by a carpool friend, who said she did it as penance for her German ancestors. He was able to quickly pay her back, but she wouldn’t accept shares in the company or even the Cadillac she coveted.
At the time, there were no standardized color formulas, and people didn’t understand the chemistry of color. Herbert began to create formulas and produced a dictionary of colors that would translate worldwide. His Pantone System showed that with black and white, along with eight basic colors, 500 colors could be created. This was demonstrated in color books that could be widely distributed.
In a unique discovery, Herbert found that his eyes saw colors in a unique way, with one eye seeing how the ink looks wet and the other visualizing the variation in color when it dries. His son and two daughters worked at Pantone also, and he continued inventing and developing ideas, translating his system to the publishing, fashion, design, and digital industries, to name just a few.
The now well-known and influential Color of the Year was announced in 1999 and debuted with Cerulean blue for 2000. Herbert shared that colors evoke emotions and the sky blue was selected to help calm the Y2K fears and light the potential of the new century. Recent colors were peach fuzz in 2024 and mocha mousse for 2025. Herbert sold the company in 2007 for $180 million and became an active philanthropist.
“Color is joy,” stresses Herbert. I thoroughly enjoyed learning this hidden story, which was filmed over two years, including nine hours of interviews with him – he is now 97 and shared that he loves to be the center of attention. Through his involvement with the American Film Institute (AFT), he was able to approach them with funding secured to make a movie about his life.
Color is a universal language, and Herbert is the little-known inventor of creating a shared understanding of color communication that changed the world. During the informative Q&A after the film, Producer H. Nelson Tracy shared that distribution rights have been secured with a new name The King of Color, which will show in limited theater release in December in New York and Los Angeles, then go to Amazon and other streaming platforms.
Culinary Cinema
Launched at CIFF 2018, the Culinary Cinema Series is a fan favorite. I immensely enjoyed the Culinary Savory Shorts which featured three films.
The first highlighted the Culinary Art School in Tijuana, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary and has graduates now working as chefs in 14 countries.
The second documentary was Gus Doesn’t Serve Calamari and is a nod to Chef Gus Trejo of the Jack O’Neill Restaurant in Santa Cruz. He sources food locally from 18 farms to which he pays homage on the menu.
The third in the series featured Lisa Dahl in Blessed by Grace, about her culinary journey changing the food scene in Sedona, Arizona, since relocating there after the tragic loss of her son. With six restaurants of different ethnicities, she gets joy from feeding others. She has launched the Lisa Dahl Foundation, which is twofold with Soup Hope, providing a hearty, protein soup for those in need, and Justin’s Garden, which is an urban garden for those down on their luck. An enlightening Q&A followed the films, followed by a food and wine pairing with Lisa and her husband Rick on hand to greet guests.
Another highlight of the festival was the Beatles special engagement on Saturday afternoon with more than 350 attendees. All participants are encouraged to scan the QR code on their program or visit coronadofilmfest.com to vote for their favorite films. Kudos to the CIFF staff and many volunteers who pulled off another cinematic feat, which this year saw an audience of approximately 10,000 reservations and ticket bookings. Everyone I talked to cannot wait to see what enlightening stories will be on the screens next year when the curtains open.
2025 Jury Award Winners
Additionally, CIFF has announced its 2025 Jury Award Winners, honoring outstanding achievements in filmmaking and screenwriting. This year’s honorees represent a powerful blend of creativity, originality, and cinematic vision, from emerging student filmmakers to established storytellers whose work continues to inspire audiences.
“Celebrating the 2025 Jury Award winners is more than honoring individual achievements—it’s a testament to creativity, vision, and the enduring power of story,” said Merridee Book, CEO & Artistic Director of the Coronado Island Film Festival. “Their stories reflect courage, imagination, and the kind of cinematic voice we’re thrilled to champion. This cohort of winners demonstrates the incredible range of talent and passion that defines CIFF, showcasing the power of storytelling to connect and inspire audiences around the world. We’re honored to celebrate their achievements and excited to see how they continue to shape the future of independent film.”
2025 Jury Award Winners – Film Categories
The Emerald Award
Film: Wild Hope: Significant Otters and Building for Birds
Winner: Sarah Arnoff
Prize: $3,000
Dr. George M. Sanger Student Award – Jury Grand Prize for Student Film
Film: You & Me (& Chaz & Rodney)
Winner: Lilly Lion
Prize: $1,500
Dr. George M. Sanger Student Award – Jury Prize Advanced Student
Film: We’re Not the Same
Winner: Claire Elyse de Vries
Prize: $750
Dr. George M. Sanger Student Award – Jury Prize High School Student
Film: Where We Left Off
Winner: Hunter Nickless
Prize: $750
The Dale St. Denis Female Filmmaker Award – Mary Pickford Award
Film: Magic Hour
Winner: Jacqueline Christy
Prize: $1,500
The Dale St. Denis Female Filmmaker Award – Fearless Female Filmmaker Award
Film: Seems Like Love
Winner: Yana Klimova-Yusupova
Prize: $1,000
The Dale St. Denis Female Filmmaker Award – Frances Marion Award
Film: We’re Not the Same
Winner: Claire Elyse de Vries
Prize: $1,000
The Bardin Animation Award – Jury Grand Prize
Film: Forevergreen
Winners: Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears
Prize: $3,000
The Bardin Animation Award – Jury Special Recognition
Film: The Little Ancestor
Winner: Alexa Tremblay-Francoeur
Prize: $2,000
Best Documentary Short Jury Award
Film: Inside, The Valley Sings
Winner: Nathan Fagan
Best Narrative Short Jury Award
Film: A Guest in My Country
Winner: John Gray
Best Narrative Feature Jury Award
Film: Charliebird
Winner: Libby Ewing
Best Documentary Feature Jury Award
Film: Building on the Edge
Winners: Mike Scalisi, Bruce Borowsky
Best International Short Jury Award
Film: A Good Day Will Come
Winner: Amir Zargara
Best International Feature Jury Award
Film: Seems Like Love
Winner: Yana Klimova-Yusupova
2025 Jury Award Winners – Screenwriting Categories
Screenwriting Award – Limited Series Jury Grand Prize
Winner: Kelly Blackard for Crate Diggers
Prize: $2,000
Limited Series Pilot – Top Finalist
Winner: Bixby Elliot for Weeki Wachee
Prize: $500
Feature Script – Jury Grand Prize
Winner: Michael Graf for The Last Indian War
Prize: $2,000
Feature Script – Top Finalist
Winner: Jamie Campbell for Kirby in Limbo
Prize: $500
