SAN DIEGO ARTS WATCH : S.D. FILM FACES STIFF OSCAR COMPETITION

SAN DIEGO —  As far as anyone knows, “In the Name of the People,” a documentary about guerrilla warfare in El Salvador that was nominated last week for an Academy Award, is the first locally produced feature to compete for an Oscar. By itself, that’s a fair feather in the caps of film producers Alex Drehsler and Frank Christopher. But what are the film’s chances of winning?

Hard to say, but by no means could it be considered a favorite. The competition is, in fact, stiffer than usual, what with Maximilian Schell’s much-acclaimed documentary about Marlene Dietrich, “Marlene,” pacing the five-film field. The other three also have reached wider audiences, so far, than Drehsler and Christopher’s film. They are Robert Epstein and Richard Schnieken’s “The Times of Harvey Milk,” which explores the life of San Francisco’s slain homosexual supervisor; Charles Guggenheim and Nancy Sloss’ “High Schools,” and Cheryl McCall’s “Streetwise,” the last two strong portraits of urban American.

According to Christopher, the nomination ends his anxiety that the film’s political volatility and strong identification with the Salvadoran guerrillas would scuttle all hope for Academy recognition. Now he pegs the film’s chances for victory on its ability to stir strong empathy in viewers. Win or lose, his main fear--that the film would fail to find an audience--hasn’t materialized. Successful runs here and in San Francisco are sure to be followed by wider exposure now that “In The Name of the People” bears the stamp of an Oscar contender.

STARLIGHT: Amid last week’s announcements of plans for the Old Globe Theatre’s Festival Stage rebuilding and for the San Diego Symphony Orchestra’s Fox Theatre renovations, it was all too easy to overlook the San Diego Civic Light Opera (Starlight), which broke ground on the first phase of its Starlight Bowl redevelopment project in Balboa Park. Maybe that’s because the ground-breaking ceremony wasn’t widely publicized until after it happened--which is perhaps typical of Starlight’s refreshingly quiet way of going about things. Starlight is the one major local arts group that doesn’t bend over backward mongering publicity. But that has hardly hurt its appeal, as its shows are consistent box-office successes.

For the record, then, phase one will be completed before the June 20 opening of its 40th season (“George M!” is the first show), and the work will include a new entrance area and box office; new concession areas, display walls and control booth; new aisle lighting, banisters; additional handrails, and more restrooms.

COMPUTER DANCE: The Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center in Balboa Park will try anything if it’s high-tech enough--including a bit of modern dance filtered through a computer. Saturday through Monday, the space theater will present dancer Marci Javril hoofing to jazz rhythms while video artist Ed Tannenbaum “paints” her video image with computer graphics, which will be projected onto a large screen sharing the stage with her.

Called “Technological Feets: A Computer-Enhanced Dance Program,” it’s an outgrowth of Tannenbaum’s “chromo-chron system,” a video technique that tapes an image, feeds it through a computer and translates the movement into combinations of line, shape and shadow using more than 4,000 color combinations. The system has been featured in an episode of the TV series “Fame.” Dancer Javril claims the technique enhances her creativity. “I can actually see the present and past at once as my actions are frozen on the screen, and I can use my body as a paintbrush.”

ARTBEATS: The San Diego Symphony Orchestra has yet to name a development director after last month’s sudden dismissal of Carl Ludlow, even though a new appointment was expected quickly. But Thursday could be the day, say symphony sources. Meanwhile, symphony Executive Director Richard Bass has named Ronald G. Johnson as education coordinator and Britt Hebert as artistic administrator . . .

A piece of the “rock” will be given to people and corporations who contribute funds by Friday to the environmental “Urban Mesa” artwork slated for spring construction on a vacant lot on lower Broadway downtown. The “rock” is actually part of the 11-foot veneer of the work, which will consist of layers of native soil topped by Torrey pine trees and other plants. Contributors will get their pieces when the project is dismantled in a few years. Landmark Art Collaborative, the local environmental arts group, must raise $50,000 toward the project to receive an additional $26,533 in funds from the City Council.