GGotS Event Review: SF in SF Steampunk Film Festival

By Lizabeth Wineheart

Last night I went to the SF in SF (Science Fiction in San Francisco) Steampunk Film Festival, emceed by the lovely Rina Weisman and held in conjunction with The Nova Albion Exhibition (happening this weekend in Emeryville).

First things first—it was a blast. My friend won a bag of absinthe flavored schwag (candy, toothpicks, dental floss, and more), we saw a creepily awesome Australian cartoon nominated for an Oscar in 2005, “The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello.” We got to watch Joss Whedon’s “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog” on the big screen. I dressed up and wrote the notes for this post down with my fountain pen. I perused Borderlands books’ themed offerings and bought Volume One of Alan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Sadly, I had to leave before the third film, Perfect Creature, (a friggin’ vampire steampunk movie). Jesus, you cannot get more up my alley. Perfect Creature, consider yourself queued. Alas, it was a school night, and I teach for a living. I know, bedtimes are not very punk, steam or otherwise.

But what is “steampunk” you may ask? If you don’t already know, here is a useful way of thinking about it:

As my friend Nicole glibly put it:

“Steampunk is for goths who like sci fi”

…but I tend to think the style has a bit more whimsy than goth. But yes, it’s a style. But… it’s more than a style, it’s a whole sub-genre of sci fi.

The style and sensibility of steampunk posits an alternate reality where gears (often in gorgeous copper or bronze metalwork), valves, and yes, steam, are the technologies that launch the Victorian era into the modern age.

The Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition described “steampunk” like this:

“3 Days in a World That Might Have Been.”

I love getting lost in these books and movies. I wanted to dress up for the film festival, but was not sure where or how to start putting my costume together. My friend Dani suggested I type“steampunk” into Yelp to start. Great idea in theory. Yelp gave me The Five and Diamond on Valencia – which gave me sticker shock! Gorgeous things. Sure, if I were independently wealthy, I’d be there all the time. Since I didn’t have time to wait from something fitting (yet less expensive than from Five and Diamond) to be shipped from Etsy.com, I rummaged through my closet and the bottom of my jewelry boxes and found: the golden broken body of a butterfly brooch, a tiny silver gear pendant on a chain, and the piece de resistance: a black bodice with boning, beading and buttons—a family heirloom from the 1910’s—but sure, it could be Victorian-ish.

I also took a black and red leather wrist cuff and, DIY style, jerryrigged a watch band to it so it would go around my neck. I threaded on an old red and black oval jewelry piece that fell off a necklace (an old gift from our lovely editor Kate Kotler), and voila—choker!

Next stop: Target. I got me a bowler hat, some lacey leggings, and inspired by Firefly, some khaki shorts. Space cowboys are very steampunk. I really wanted a gun holster, but settled for a thick black leather belt with three clasps. Next time I wear this outfit, I’m gonna need some shit-kicking boots. Finishing touches: cut the fingertips off an old pair of gloves, paint my nails black, powder my face, lipstick (no blush), get a bunch of double takes from people at BART (including a leerish kissy face from a random corporate douche) and arrive safely to meet friends and others of my tribe for aforementioned good times. Now that I’ve hung up my bowler and un-choked my choker, I will have to get back to the workaday world. But the beauty of steam punk is I can imagine (with alternate reality string theory): what might my night have been like had I stayed for Perfect Creature?

Well that’s a world that might have been.

**

The Steampunk film festival was an event benefiting the Variety Children’s Charity. SF in SF does various themed film events about once a month. They also host readings from emerging and established scifi/fantasy writers, and have a reading this weekend at the Variety Preview Room Theatre, 582 Market, SF, CA. Again, their website is www.sfinsf.org

Love steampunk? Sad you missed the film festival? Then you should check out:
Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition
12, 13 & 14 March, 2010
Friday – 3:00 to 11:45 p.m. /Saturday & Sunday – 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Hilton Garden Inn – Emeryville
Tickets: $60 in advance, $75 at the door — discount tickets are available
http://www.steampunkexhibition.com/

[Photo by Nicole Wilkins]