2026 Presenters
Logan Walker
Logan Walker is a lecturer of film studies and a curator. He teaches courses on film history and analysis at UC Santa Cruz and San José State University and has programmed film festivals and series for the Santa Cruz Film Festival, Dante Alighieri Society of Santa Cruz film series, and Santa Cruz Pride.
Jay Topping
Jay Topping is the historian of the Scotts Valley Historical Society, and an artist and sign maker based in Scotts Valley, CA. His diverse talents span a broad range of different mediums ranging from acrylic paint on stainless steel to creating sculptures out of driftwood & cement. Jay has a passion for the arts and isn’t afraid to try new ways of expressing himself. Constantly continuing his art education, Jay has recently attended classes in wood carving, concrete sculpture, water color, mural painting, pin-striping and paper mache. Jay is exhibiting his work at local Art and Wine festivals and Local Events in Santa Cruz, Capitola, and Scotts Valley California. Also he currently has permanent Vintage Sign Displays at Mint Cafe in Scotts Valley, King’s Village Ace Hardware, Willow Glen Ace Hardware, Half Moon Bay Ace Hardware, Made in Santa Cruz on the Wharf and in Surf N Shack Capitola.
Tony Lee Moral
Tony Lee Moral is an author, filmmaker, and one of the leading writers on Alfred Hitchcock. He is the author of five books on Hitchcock, including The Young Alfred Hitchcock’s Movie Making Masterclass, Alfred Hitchcock Storyboards, and the forthcoming A century of Hitchcock, which draws on more than three decades of interviews with Hitchcock’s collaborators and contemporaries. Tony also has a personal connection to California, having lived for several years in the Monterey Bay Area, where the landscape and coastal light echo the atmosphere of many of Hitchcock’s most evocative American films. His talks combine deep research, rare insights, and a lifelong passion for cinema, bringing Hitchcock’s work vividly to life for modern audiences.
Rich Karat
Rich Karat is a technical project manager and former San Francisco resident with a passion for film and travel. Rich has set a goal for himself to visit every location that appears in an Alfred Hitchcock-directed film or television episode and he is about 98% complete. Recent Hitchcock trips have taken him to Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Vermont, Quebec City, Marrakesh, Cannes & Nice, Lake Como, Switzerland, Copenhagen, and Germany. Rich used to live in Los Angeles, where he worked in the entertainment industry, served as First Assistant Director on independent films, and studied film, acting, and dance. Rich now lives in Seattle and is writing a book about his Hitchcock travels and research.
Kylan deGhetaldi
Kylan deGhetaldi is a Santa Cruz native and was heavily immersed in the local music community from a young age. Starting piano lessons at 6 and violin at 7, he soon joined the Cabrillo youth string orchestra, eventually becoming concertmaster of the Santa Cruz Youth Symphony. Although classical piano was his main focus, he found himself drawn to ragtime after discovering his dad's collection of Scott Joplin rags. By age 9 he had learned and memorized Joplin's famous Maple Leaf Rag. After studying music at Oberlin, Kylan returned to Santa Cruz to work with local theaters and school music programs. By the 2010's he started performing in ragtime music festivals around the country, and for two years (2016/17) he founded and directed the first ever ragtime festival in Santa Cruz. During this time he mentored under the legendary ragtime pianist Tom Brier and established himself as a foremost authority on the performance of ragtime and early jazz piano styles. After being discovered by the well-known pop jazz band Postmodern Jukebox, he joined the group as keyboardist and embarked on multiple world tours. Today, Kylan is raising his daughter in Santa Cruz, and now dedicates himself to preserving the musical culture of America, and its first uniquely American musical genre, ragtime.
Amy Shiovitz
Local educator and film expert, will present a series of 5-minute films that were created by local students and film makers. Participants have had just 48 hours to create a short film using the directorial techniques of the great Alfred Hitchcock.