Fallbrook animator comes home for film festival, which starts Friday, April 5 in Bonsall

Amidst a crowd of well-seasoned producers, directors, and actors at a media party held recently for the upcoming Fallbrook International Film Festival, a young woman stood out. That woman was Tahnee Gehm who grew up in Fallbrook and earned scholarship funds from a local arts organization to attend the California Arts Institute in Valencia. Gehm, who graduated in 2012 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in character animation, with several credits to her name, will present her animated short film, “Can We Be Happy Now” at her hometown festival.

Gehm said while her animated film was in production for 10 weeks, the complete process including all the design work was a six month process.

“I got the idea for this film from taking walks from my home in Fallbrook to a nearby duck pond,” Gehm said. “My main character transforms itself into a duck.”

Gehm described the lighthearted nature of the film as “welcoming the spirits of nature with joy.”

Since many refer to animation as “magic,” Gehm likes to refer to herself as an “animagician.” She also admitted that when she is not doodling, she “loves to tinker with technology and play the violin and piano.”

Gehm’s additional film credits include: Dresden (2013), Once Upon a Line (2012), Unlocked (2011), Who Do Voodoo (2010), and VALUE BLiND (2009). To learn more, visit http://www.tahnee.org.

For youth that enjoy watching movies (or may be interested themselves in a career in the film industry), an opportunity to see seven family-friendly movies for free will be offered Saturday, April 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Digiplex Cinemas in Bonsall’s River Village, the home of the film festival.

During that time frame, children age 12 and under will be admitted free with a paying adult to see Gehm’s film “Can We Be Happy Now,” and six others: “Boom Box Kids,” “Castaways (Naufragos),” “Heroes Together,” “Legend of the Crane,” “The Grand Escape,” and “Angel’s Reach.”

The Fallbrook International Film Festival will take place April 5 through 11. Complete details and a schedule of all screenings and special events, including an awards gala featuring well-known actor David Hasselhoff, can be found at http://www.fallbrookfilmfestival.com.