Central Coast filmmaker gets "Luck"-y

Film buffs can see the work of a Central Coast native this week in southern California.

"Luck of the Draw," directed by Cambria's own Summer-joy Main, makes its world premiere at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films. Also known as ShortFest, the event runs through Wednesday.

Main filmed "Luck of the Draw," a comedic Western that's just 13 minutes long, in March 2006 in Santa Clarita. It stars James Duval, Chris Mulkey, Kristoffer Winters and Susan Duerden.

The Palm Beach film festival gives this description:
"A 'High Noon'-style showdown between a wanted desperado and two gunslingers who are fighting for the hand of the lady who loves him sets the stage for this wry tale of love and bullets set in the wild, wild west."

The short film will be screened Tuesday as part of the festival's "Show Down" section – featuring a full 90 minutes of footage about opposing sides and their struggles.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Summer-joy Main, who goes by the professional name “S.J. Main,” graduated from Coast Union High School in 1996 before studying at UCLA and Columbia University. Her parents, semi-retired radiologist Gerry Main and teacher Marty Muñoz-Main, still live in Cambria.

The filmmaker formed her own production company, Tica Productions, in 2000.
Her graduate thesis film for Columbia University, “La Cerca” (“The Fence”), was screened at more than 20 film festivals and won a handful of award nominations.

Main made her first trip to the Sundance Film Festival this winter as producer of “Bitch,” a short film about a sour young woman who finally meets her match.

For more information, check out the film festival’s Web site or Tica Productions.

-- Sarah L.