Central Coast film festivals adjust plans amid latest COVID surge
For the second year in a row, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the usual routines and schedules at Central Coast film festivals.
Some are choosing to delay their events in the hopes case counts improve and the surge eases.
Many are also relying on virtual components to keep from canceling.
First up, the 12th annual San Luis Obispo Jewish Film Festival is already underway online through Jan. 30 online at www.slojff.com.
The Festival is noted for celebrating cultural diversity, and this year’s theme is “Our Global Mishpacha,” which is the Hebrew term for family and friends, according to the website. The site reports that the 2022 offerings do “a deep-dive into further revealing how Jewish culture and Jewish faith are expressed all over the world.”
Next on the calendar is the Cambria Film Festival, now in its fifth year celebrating love in movies. It will happen virtually only in early February, “based on the current rise of COVID cases and the likely peak” when the festival is scheduled, according to media information released Jan. 5.
The event’s dates are Feb. 2 to 11. Full details, including virtual ticketing options and programming, can be found at cambriafilmfestival.com.
The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival board, hoping for a blend of in-person screenings and virtual presentations, has opted to delay its events, which have been rescheduled to April 26 through May 1.
That festival had been scheduled to start March 8.
Organizers wrote online at slofilmfest.org that, if all goes as currently planned, “we will be hosting a virtual experience as well as returning to our favorite venues around the Central Coast in person!”
Down south, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival — the area’s grandaddy of movie extravaganzas that typically leads off the Central Coast’s wintertime trifecta — is currently planning to host in-person screenings and events by delaying the festival to March again this year, as it did in 2021.
Organizers have set the Santa Barbara festival for March 2-12, noting online, however, at sbiff.org/ that “this may evolve over the next two months, and if it does, we will let you know.”
Not to be outdone, tiny Big Sur also has a film festival, a monthly online competition for independent short films.
As organizers wrote online at bigsurfilmfest.com, “Our goal is to promote and showcase emerging filmmakers. We believe every story deserves to be told and we want to provide that opportunity.”
COVID rules
There will be pandemic rules to follow at any in-person San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara county events.
The SLO festival website advised as of Jan. 6: “We will be following state guidelines and though subject to change, will be checking for proof of vaccination and/or a negative test to ensure the festival is safe for everyone involved. … We apologize for any inconvenience this causes but we believe this is the best.”
The Santa Barbara website notice states, “All attendees, staff and volunteers will be required to provide Photo ID and proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19. We recommend a booster shot for those eligible and for whom the CDC recommends.”
The rules continued, “Some Festival events will require another negative COVID-19 test taken prior to admission. SBIFF to provide complimentary testing. Masks will be required while inside as well as while in line for any and all Festival events and screenings. Theatres will operate at a reduced capacity.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Central Coast film festivals adjust plans amid latest COVID surge."
