SLO Film Festival is back in person with a full lineup of events. Here’s what to expect
This spring, the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival is getting up close and personal.
After two years of virtual-only events, the festival is returning to an in-person format complete with movie screenings, filmmaker talks and red carpet galas. The face-to-face portion of the festival runs Tuesday through Sunday at venues throughout the Central Coast, followed by a week of online screenings Sunday through May 8.
“People have been missing out on the cinematic experience,” said Skye McLennan, the festival’s executive director. “People have forgotten what that’s like to be fully immersed in a film and transported. ... I’m encouraging a lot of people to come out to experience that.”
What’s happening at SLO Film Festival?
The festival kicks off Tuesday at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo with an opening night screening of the documentary “Fire of Love,” which had a buzz-worthy premiere at Sundance Film Festival in January. It follows a pair of dating French scientists who eventually die in a volcanic explosion.
“It’s just an incredible film,” McLennan said. “I’ve never seen a documentary like it.”
An opening night reception will be held at Luna Red restaurant in San Luis Obispo, featuring wine, beer, appetizers and live music from local band The Taproots.
Other highlights include the popular Surf Nite in SLO event, returning to the Sunset Drive-In in San Luis Obispo on Thursday.
In addition to classic cars and live music from the Boomer Surf Band, the outdoor event will feature a screening of the documentary “The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez,” about the legendary surfer nicknamed “Mr. Pipeline.” The film was written and directed by professional skateboarder and filmmaker Stacy Peralta, who calls Cayucos home.
According to the executive director, music is the theme of two marquee events.
“Coast,” a coming-of-age movie about a teenage girl who falls for the singer of a touring rock band, will be screened Wednesday at the Fremont Theater. The film was shot entirely in Oceano, Santa Maria and Guadalupe.
Local music acts featured in “Coast” — Pancho & the Wizards, Dog Party and Hannah Kenny — will perform at the event.
Friday’s Music Video Showcase, returning for a second year, will feature a curated collection of music videos plus live music by alt-jazz quintet Raccoon Dog and alternative rock act Swede and Skogen at the Fremont Theater.
Saturday evening’s Awards Night Gala will be held at the Fremont Theater. The George Sidney Independent Film Awards will be followed by two awards presentations honoring movie industry veterans and an after-party at Hotel San Luis Obispo.
Seasoned character actor Dale Dickey, whose credits include “Winter’s Bone” and “Hell or High Water,” will receive this year’s King Vidor Award, named after the Oscar-winning director of “War and Peace.” Past recipients include Morgan Freeman, Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges.
“We usually for the King Vidor Award honor someone like Dale who has a really prolific and long career,” explained McLennan, adding that Dickey is “having a moment” as the star of the drama “A Love Song,” which will be screened at the festival. “We’re really excited to be spotlighting her and the amazing work she’s done.”
Receiving the festival’s Spotlight Award is Michael Showalter, the acclaimed writer and director behind “Wet Hot American Summer,” “The Big Sick” and “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” McLennan praised his “really interesting characters and storytelling,” adding that he’s “just an incredible filmmaker as well.”
The festival pays tribute to movie history Sunday afternoon with a Fremont Theater screening of Mexican classic “La Perla,” based on the novel “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck. Pedro Armendáriz, who graduated from Cal Poly in 1932, stars as a poor fisherman who finds the perfect pearl; he’ll receive a posthumous award from the Mexican consulate after the showing.
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Sunday’s closing night festivities include a presentation of the Audience Award winners and a screening of Sundance standout “MIJA.” The documentary follows a Latinx music talent manager who becomes the breadwinner for her undocumented family.
According to McLennan, most of those big-ticket movie screenings are paired with filmmaker question-and-answer sessions.
“We have a lot of great filmmakers coming out,” she said. “They are really eager to talk to people about their films.”
McLennan said she was reminded of the potency of live cinema at a recent event for festival sponsors.
As audience members watched movie trailers, “There was tension. There was tears. There was laughter,” she said. “It’s like an unspeakable magic … that’s really unique and really special.”
Changes in store for 2022 event
Although many aspects of the 2022 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival feel familiar, not everything has returned to pre-coronavirus pandemic norms.
For instance, organizers moved the festival, traditionally held in March, to a new set of dates in 2022.
“Due to safety concerns regarding the winter spread of the omicron variant (of COVID-19) and our dates falling so closely to cold and flu season, we have made the difficult decision to push the festival back to April,” McLennan announced in January. “We want to assure you that this decision was not taken lightly and your safety continues to be of the utmost importance to us.”
Pushing the San Luis Obispo Film Festival to April also means giving movie lovers more breathing room between major events such as Sundance and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which moved from January to March in recent years, McLennnan acknowledged.
Festivalgoers can look forward to some new locations this year, too.
In addition to such familiar haunts as Park Cinemas in Paso Robles and the Palm Theatre in San Luis Obispo, the festival is adding Cuesta College’s Cultural and Performing Arts Center as a venue this year.
Despite this year’s emphasis on in-person fun, organizers are keeping the festival’s virtual component for another year.
By making selections accessible via streaming platforms, McLennan said, the festival was able to reach more audience members in geographical areas such as the North County and Santa Maria as well as those whose busy lifestyles don’t allow for seeing movies in theaters.
“People really loved the experience of having the festival at home,” McLennan said. “We reached a new audience because of that. That was really important for us to continue.”
Although some films won’t be offered for virtual viewers, “the majority of the program will be available online,” she said.
According to McLennan, this year’s festival will feature a total of 120 narrative features, documentary features and short films. Of those, 87 films are eligible for competition; they were selected from 948 submissions.
“This is one of our most diverse lineups to date,” she said. “ “We have films that are really emotional and ones that are funnier or light-hearted.”
Appropriately, she said, this year’s movies reflect a collective sense of healing and resiliency — a general feeling of “Hey, we’re going to get through this.”
That feels fitting considering how hard the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival has battled to keep its preferred status among film buffs. In 2021, the festival landed on MovieMaker magazine’s list of the Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee for the sixth year in a row.
“We really work hard to put on this event because we love it,” McLennan said. “We love films and we want to make the experience enjoyable and memorable for everyone.”
More information
Admission to the San Luis Obispo International Film Schedule costs $5 for panel discussions, $10 to $12 for virtual screenings, $12 to $15 for in-person screenings and $20 to $55 for special events.
For more information, call 805-546-3456, go to slofilmfest.org or visit festival headquarters in person at 895 Higuera St. in San Luis Obispo.
This story was originally published April 25, 2022 at 12:53 PM with the headline "SLO Film Festival is back in person with a full lineup of events. Here’s what to expect."
