Fall - 2022

SHORT CUTS NEIGHBORS Joanne Storkan (right) with Honest Engine Films staff members, Andre Sitolini, Francesca Dysart and Chris Carpenter in the Foam Street studio in Monterey. T hree golden Emmy Award statuettes grace Joanne Storkan’s editing studio in Monterey. Her production company, Honest Engine Films, pro- duces feature films and documentary films explor - ing topics such as “The Real Bedford Falls,” about the small town that inspired “It’s a Wonderful Life” (Best Feature Documentary); “Miracle on 42nd Street,” narrated by Chaz Palminteri, which chronicles the history of Manhattan Plaza, a Hell’s Kitchen apartment complex Best (ocumentary and “Roots of Lacrosse,” featuring narration by hockey icon and lacrosse buff Wayne Gretzky (Best Sports Documentary). Storkan began her career as a journalist and English teacher, but a screenplay she’d written for a class project attracted Hollywood interest and she found herself on a journey as a screen writer, then a film producer and director specializing in telling real-life tales. “- like nonfiction stories,” she says. “I’ve always loved documentaries.” Though no longer an educator, Storkan remains commit- ted to the realm. The long-time Pebble Beach res- ident was one of the founders of the International School of Monterey, has sat on the board of the Stevenson School and on the Site Council of Pacific Grove Middle School. With ,onest )ngine Films, she works with and supports the CSUMB Department of Cinematic Arts and Technology, through hiring students and graduates and by sup- porting the work of Professor )nid Baxter Ryce in her numerous nonprofit projects. Together, they helped to found the Monterey Bay Film Society, a nonprofit that connects local teens with mentors at CSUMB, providing an opportunity for under- served youth to learn the art of filmmaking. *or more inJo visit www.Lonestengine½lms.com . Honest Engine Films, The Little Engine That Did B Y M I CHA E L CHAT F I E LD 76 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 2 Photo: Kelli Uldall