SLO film festival enjoyed a banner 2018 with record-breaking attendance
Spring rain storms failed to dampen the 2018 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, which saw record attendance and a huge boost in festival pass sales.
About 12,500 people attended the 2018 festival, which celebrated its 24th year in March, festival director Wendy Eidson said, up nearly 9 percent from 11,500 in 2017. About 30 percent of those film fans came from out of the area, while the rest came from San Luis Obispo County.
Festivalgoers bought $128,267 worth of tickets and multi-event passes in 2018, an 8 percent jump from $118,219 the previous year. Total ticket sales dipped 4 percent to $65,008, while pass sales shot up 25 percent to $63,259.
Meanwhile, revenue from entry fees totaled $28,810, roughly the same as 2017's figure. Out of 1,100 submissions, 68 films were selected for competition, Eidson said.
The film fest, which ran March 13-18, featured movie screenings, red-carpet events and more at venues across San Luis Obispo County.
"Jackie Brown" actress Pam Grier became the first woman of color to win the King Vidor Award for Excellence in Filmmaking, considered the festival's highest honor. Past award recipients include Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin and Morgan Freeman.
Grier wasn't the only woman honored at the 2018 festival.
Screenwriter, director and producer Robin Swicord, whose credits include "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," received the Spotlight Award, which recognizes professionals working behind the scenes in the film industry.
Other festival highlights included the popular Surf Nite in SLO event, which packed San Luis Obispo's Fremont Theater, and a sold-out "Dreaming of Wine" screening at Tolosa Winery in San Luis Obispo.
On April 16, MovieMaker magazine named the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival one of "50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee." (It also made the list in 2014, 2016 and 2017.)
For more information about the festival, which returns March 12-17, 2019, visit slofilmfest.org.
This story was originally published April 26, 2018 at 5:06 PM with the headline "SLO film festival enjoyed a banner 2018 with record-breaking attendance."