Stephen Savage — film maker and Idyllwild lover

Hollywood has used Idyllwild as a movie setting for decades. For example, in 1961, Elvis Presley’s “Kid Galahad” walked Idyllwild’s streets and rode around Garner Valley’s ranches. Before expanding to “50” or more in the 21st century, “Shades of Gray” was shot here in 1997. Throughout the first two decades of this century, the Hill has been the background for dozens of features and full-length films.

But how many do you remember? I asked a local actor to recall films where Idyllwild was the location, even if it represented another location. The response was “Can’t think of any other movies [besides ‘Kid Galahad’], sorry.”

One of the more prolific filmmakers who has taken advantage of the small town and bucolic character of Idyllwild is local Stephen Savage. Now an Idyllwild resident.

Savage has used Idyllwild in three of his major films, “Cosmic Radio” (2007), “Legacy” (2010) and “Vertical” (2013), which prominently features Tahquitz Rock, one of the world’s premier climbing destinations, as well as many Idyllwild businesses and locations.

While Savage’s filmmaking has brought actors, gaffers and behind the scenes crews to the Hill for weeks, he has done much more for the community. In 2010, he inaugurated the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema (IIFC).

IIFC is not an ephemeral event, such as shooting a film. IIFC is a recurring celebration and in March, it returns to Idyllwild for the 14th year. While the previous two years were a virtual festival because of COVID restrictions, the live festival returns to town and the Rustic Theatre Tuesday, March 7, and continues for six more days, until the evening of Sunday, March 12. And once again, more than 100 films from a dozen countries will be available for viewing.

While Savage is from Orange County, his family has had property on the Hill since the 1950s. He spent many summers here and eventually moved to Idyllwild in 1995, after time in Los Angeles and England.

From an early age, movies were a passion for him. “Before VCRs and DVDs, I would get up at 1 or 2 a.m. on a school night to watch a special movie.” And “watch” meant study. But these early film analyses took a second place to his initial desire for music.

“I had a musical family. My mother played the piano and sang. My uncle played the piano and guitar,” Savage said, relating his initial desire to follow in their footsteps. At age 17, he was in a junk band.

It traveled a lot and even had a recording contract. After 10 years of traveling around the world, he realized, “It never became what I expected.”

His avocation for film study had waned but not disappeared. So, he decided to try to find a place in the industry — “just get a job and hired.” He was hired and worked until he became a gaffer. But he also matriculated to the Los Angeles Film School as the oldest student.

Then it became “lights, camera, action!” for Savage.

Savage had a grasp on how to help Idyllwild and expand his career. IIFC was his next production. To start and achieve this adventure, which was not a solo performance, he needed reliable, dependable and competent people, such as his friends — Co-founder Trinity Houston, Andrea Charles and Paul Calderone, among many.

But one of the most critical partners, Savage accentuated, were the Stewarts –—Shane, Asley and Christine — who owned the Rustic Theatre in 2010. Being a novice film event producer, Savage had some initial idea of the costs; but he soon realized that having a venue to show the films would be a major expense.

“I wouldn’t have passed year one without Shane. He had the foresight that [IIFC] would be good for the town,” Savage emphasized.

Savage did approach Ashley about the cost for renting the theater for about a week. “Shane called and offered it free for the first year so it could get off the ground,” Savage recalled. “I give Shane and Ashley a lot of credit for stepping up in that first year.”

He was so grateful that he named one of the early festival awards the Stewart Award. “And it will come back this year!” he said proudly.

IIFC has shown films at many other venues. The Caine Learning Center, Town Hall, Silver Pines Lodge, Idyllwild Library, Idyllwild Pines Camp and other sites have been part of IIFC in different years.

“But the Rustic has been the only constant that we can count on,” Savage said. “It attracts visitors new to town.”

The 2023 IIFC will be live again at the Rustic and Town Hall. The two previous IIFCs had to be virtual because of the COVID restrictions. Savage has frequently expressed his dissatisfaction with that limitation. In 2022, he vowed that IIFC 13 would be the last if film aficionados continued to be banned from attending in person.

However, he did acknowledge that streaming films online offered a lesson to learn. The festival staff is considering streaming some films, not only because it increases the number of films in the festival, but its primary benefit is some “real-time” feedback on the movie. “We can livestream commentary during the film’s presentation. We would know how many are watching a film and possible comments while it is playing,” Savage suggested.

Another future addition is likely to be accreditation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for showing Oscar eligible short films at the IIFC. “That will open more doors and more films,” Savage highlighted.

Another door he already opened and that has stayed open since the festival’s inception was “International.” This is not simply a place holder to puff up the name. Every year, the festival’s inventory includes films from more than a dozen countries, such as England, Scotland, Australia, Brazil, France, Iran, Mongolia and many other countries. Also, “Vertical,” which premiered here, was the winner of the Best International Feature Film Award at the London International Film Festival in 2015. Not only does the cinematography, but the grand jury and advisory board have an international composition.