Mattie Scariot
Judge of “In time of COVID-19” – A Video Essay Contest to tell the Humanistic Stories of the Current Pandemic
Director of Poppy Jasper International Film Festival
Mattie Scariot’s professional life is devoted to creative film and TV production and has dedicated her adult life to numerous artistic endeavors. With her community spirit she has been supporting the South Valley arts scene for the past two decades that has made an impact on throughout Santa Clara County. In the early 90’s Mattie lived in Los Angeles for over 12 years working in the television and film industry doing wardrobe for numerous productions. In 2006, Mattie and her partner Nils Myers launched 152 WEST Productions, a boutique video production house that now provides content in 4K. Their portfolio includes feature films, corporate videos, documentaries, and entertainment videos.
In 2017 Mattie accepted the role of Director of the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival (PJIFF) and is presently preparing the third year of the event. To Mattie, a Film Festival is an event that brings together members of her diverse community to explore a spectrum of issues in a creative, inclusive way through the power of film. “Film and digital media arts play a central role in society, helping us to share stories that need to be shared, from equity for women to social justice for immigrants and to see the world through the filmmaker’s lens. To independent artists, PJIFF provides encouragement to ‘find your voice through film.’ This year an estimated 3,000 filmmakers, film buffs and community members attended screenings and events in Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill over a five-day period. The Festival also premiered films from all of their educational programs for youth, millennials, adults and seniors. In those five days we had 10 events and screened 105 films from 28 different countries.
“In 2020 we will be building on the success of last year by adding three more days to the festival and expanding to the cities of Hollister, San Juan Bautista. It is our mission and vision to build cultural awareness through film, music and art. The three extra days a include focus on the countries of China and Mexico, and expose our audience, filmmakers and industry professionals to the many wineries in our communities. On the days dedicated China and Mexico, we will be screening films from those two countries and celebrating their culture through film, music, art, filmmakers, dignitaries and community leaders with an Awards Ceremony at the end of each day.”
“The films festival would not be possible without the help and encouragement of our community. It is successful because everyone pulls together to make it happen. Our filmmakers were so happy this year, not only with the way they were treated by the PJIFF organization, but how they were embraced by our communities as a whole. 2019 was our biggest year with filmmakers coming from 8 different countries, nationally and statewide. We pride ourselves in being the nicest film festival around. Our filmmakers don’t want to leave!“
