San Luis Obispo Film Festival

San Luis Obispo International Film Festival 2023 Announces Filmmaker Awards and wraps winner of a fest

By John Wildman 3 years ago

Ellie Foumbi’s Our Father, the Devil (Best Narrative Feature) and Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb’s Butterfly in the Sky (Best Documentary Feature) led the jury awards. Audience Award winners were topped by Nardeep Khurmi’s Land of Gold, chosen as Best Narrative Feature, Jesse Rudoy’s Dusty and Stones, Best Documentary Feature, with Matt Johnson’s BlackBerry taking the Audience Best of Fest award.

San Luis Obispo International Film Festival announces films and events for 29th edition

By John Wildman 3 years ago

San Luis Obispo Film Festival Director Skye McLennan said, “This year, the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival is focused on programming films and creating fun and exciting film events that are not available to our film fans every weekend at the multiplex. Film festivals give us an opportunity to immerse ourselves in the love of cinema and filmmaking and to see something unique or rare or inspired that can’t easily be found on our television screens or laptops at home. Seeing great films, meeting, and rubbing elbows with the filmmakers and actors responsible for them, and going to fun events built around all of it is what we promise to bring to SLO this year.”

San Luis Obispo International Film Festival 2022 celebrates its Central Coast filmmakers on the red carpet

By John Wildman 4 years ago

The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival celebrated Central Coast filmmakers before an exclusive screening of Jessica Hester and Derek Schweikart’s COAST. Local music legends PANCHO & THE WIZARDS, DOG PARTY & BLACK MATCH, performed live as part of the big event. Prior to that, the COAST team dominated the red carpet with the filmmakers, cast members, band members and more, joining other filmmakers in the Fremont Theater lobby.

San Luis Obispo International Film Festival 2022: film lineup and return to theaters for April fest

By John Wildman 4 years ago

San Luis Obispo Film Festival Director Skye McLennan said, “Returning to the theater is something all of us at the film festival have looked forward to for some time now, so we can hardly believe that moment is almost here. Because we knew there would be such anticipation by San Luis Obispo film lovers, we took special care to not simply program the best films available to us, but to also make sure we brought back the signature events like Surf Nite that SLO Film Fest built its reputation on. Now, we cannot wait to welcome everyone back and start screening our movies!”

Skye McLennan takes over for SLO Film Fest, announces 2022 dates and Call For Entries

By John Wildman 5 years ago

Paul Metchik, president of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival Board of Directors, credited Eidson with many individual achievements, such as holding the first Surf Nite at the Fremont Theater featuring Riding Giants, initiating the Filmmakers of Tomorrow youth competition, staging “Hollywood and Vine’’ events that paid homage to the Festival’s beginnings as a classic film festival, and screening Citizen Kane in 2015 at the Hearst Castle private screening room, garnering worldwide attention.

Jo Anna Edmison, Allison Rich, Lisa Gold and more SLO FILM FEST 2021 INTERVIEWS: Shorts #2 – 7 filmmakers with truly great shorts

By John Wildman 5 years ago

In the interview, we talk about why these filmmakers went through the effort it takes to make any film – feature or short – in the service of something that they, in all blunt likelihood, will never make a dime for their toil. Allison and Keith talk about the challenges and benefits of directing themselves. Finally, I ask each filmmaker to give a name check or shout out to a crew or cast member who was a true lifesaver to either getting the film made or having it turn out as well as it did.

Loretta Todd’s MONKEY BEACH: SLO FILM FEST 2021 INTERVIEWS: taking the novel to the screen and what it meant to the indigenous cast and crew members

By John Wildman 5 years ago

In the interview, we talk about the challenges of adapting a popular novel and finding the Zen of accepting the thanklessness of that effort. Todd also discusses the importance of shooting the film in the village where the book’s story was set and what that meant to the production costs, etc. We also talk about the amazing cast of indigenous actors and the rarity of having so many get to come together for a project like this and her efforts to create a safe place for them to bring those characters to life.

Aimee Long’s A SHOT THROUGH THE WALL: SLO FILM FEST 2021 INTERVIEWS: distilling the real life inspiration into the film

By John Wildman 5 years ago

In the interview, we talk about the real life inspiration for the project, and how she worked to achieve a nuance with the approach to the issues interweaved within the plot of the film. Aimee also talks about how she went about the research to get the details right – even the mundane police processing and inter office workings – and where she departed from that to take artistic liberties. We also talk about capturing the realness of the Asian American family dynamic, like the authenticity of expressing love with food.

Program Director Skye McLennan: Regional Film Fests killing it (versus being killed) during the year of COVID: San Luis Obispo International Film Festival

By John Wildman 5 years ago

Skye: Our virtual festival was just a webpage we designed very quickly. At the point of our cancellation we had very little time and funds to use a proper platform and there was not a lot out there that fit our model. I was surprised by the level of support and feedback from our audience who were just so appreciative for the opportunity to still see the films. It was a reminder that our organization is an important staple of our community and something patrons were really going to miss.