This is your ultimate SLO Film Festival

March 8, 2015

The 2015 San Luis Obispo Film Festival with over 100 new independent films and a party every night kicks off on Tuesday. Take a look at the movies and events on our radar.

The top four events at the 2015 SLO Film Festival:

1. On opening night, The Road Within

Robert Sheehan, will be in attendance, along with fellow cast member Alli Hillis, writer/director Gren Wells and producer Brent Emery on Tuesday at the Fremont Theatre. You can meet them and fellow festival-goers at the Opening Night Party happening at Luna Red in downtown SLO at 5 p.m., before the 7 p.m. showing of the The Road Within. Get more information here.

Starring: Dev Patel, Robert Sheehan, and Zoe Kravitz
Directed by: Gren Wells

Robert Sheehan plays  Vincent, a young man suffering from Tourette’s syndrome. Following a disagreement with his father, Vincent ends up in a residential treatment center in Nevada where he befriends two other “inmates” struggling with their own personal issues. At odds with both his father and therapist, Vincent convinces his new friends to join him on an epic road trip.

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Trailer for The Road Within on TrailerAddict.

 

2. Surf Nite in SLO, double feature

Special guests for Surf Nite on Thursday at the Fremont Theatre include legendary surfers Ian Cairns, Peter Townend, Jay Riddle and Big Wednesday cast members Gary Busey, William Katt, Lee Purcell, Denny Aaberg (also co-writer), Darrell Fetty, Rick Dano and Hollywood Don’t Surf  producer Greg McGilliveray. A Big Wednesday reunion after-party will be hosted by Creeky Tiki in downtown SLO. Get more information here.

Hollywood Don’t Surf
Directed by: Greg MacGillivray and Sam George

Big Wednesday
Directed by: John Milius

 Hollywood Don’t Surf: The feature-length documentary takes a comedic romp through the history of the most famous and recognizable surf films ever made.

Big Wednesday: Portraying three young California surfers in the 1960s in this coming-of-age tale, their carefree lives of beaches, girls and waves are interrupted by the Vietnam war, leaving them to wonder if they will survive until “Big Wednesday,” the mythical day when the greatest, cleanest, most transcendent wave of all to appear and be ridden.

 

3. Citizen Kane at Hearst Castle

Starring: Orson Wells, Joseph Cotton and Dorothy Comingore
Directed by: Orson Wells

The Friday evening event will include a VIP tour of Hearst Castle and a sunset reception overlooking the San Simeon Coastline. Guests will also be given a gift bag with collectible items to celebrate Citizen Kane’s 75^th anniversary, as well as a Movie Mogul pass for the 2015 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. Get more information here.

In the 1941 controversial film, following the death of a publishing tycoon, news reporters scramble to discover the meaning of his final utterance.

 

Peter Bogdanovich

4. The 21st King Vidor Award for Excellence in Filmmaking

The 21st King Vidor Award for Excellence in Filmmaking will be presented to multi-Oscar nominated director and screenwriter Peter Bogdanovich on Saturday, March 14 at the Fremont Theatre in San Luis Obispo. The festive evening begins with a celebration of winning films. Awards include the George Sidney Independent Film, Central Coast Filmmaker Awards and the Audience Choice Awards. Get more information here.

Rub elbows with the 2015 King Vidor honoree and special guests, and SLOIFF filmmakers while enjoying fine wines and great food in the cozy setting of the historic Warden Building in the middle of downtown San Luis Obispo.

The Last Picture Show
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Cybill Shepard and Timothy Bottoms.
Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich
High schoolers Sonny and Duane are best friends who spend much of their time hanging out at the movie house owned by one-time cowboy Sam the Lion. Sam plays the role of surrogate father to the boys

 

CCN’s most highly anticipated films at the 2015 SLO Film Festival

 

Qadence and the Shriving will be shown on Wednesday as part of the Central Coast Filmmaker Awards. Do You Dream in Color, Discipline and 120 days are in the George Sydney Independent Film Award competition.

 

1. Qadence (The Man in the Woods)
Directed by: Joey Blackburn
This movie is written and directed by Joey Blackburn, the son of CalCoastNews co-founder Daniel Blackburn. In this film, four-year-old Qadence is playing in the woods when she hears a gunshot and goes to find a body. Joey Blackburn also wrote and directed Rock-A-Bye, a film about a young couple and their newly-born child, and  a demon that dwells in their home and wants the child as its own. Get more information about both of Joey Blackburn’s films here.

 

2. Do You Dream in Color
Directed by: Abigail Fuller & Sarah Ivy
Connor, Nick, Sarah (who hails from Cambria), and Carina are like most teenagers navigating the growing pains of high school but, unlike their peers, these four teens face another challenge – they are blind. Do You Dream in Color is an enlightening and poignant coming of age story capturing the journeys of these four courageous teens as they strive to achieve their goals: to be a pro skateboarder, to travel the world, to become a rock star, to be the first family member to go to college.Get more information here.

 

3. 120 days
Directed by: Ted Roach
Miguel Cortes, a married man and father of two daughters, is arrested as an illegal immigrant in North Carolina and processed for deportation. In exchange for Miguel paying a $5,000 bond and agreeing to leave the country voluntarily, an immigration judge allows him 120 days to get his affairs in order before leaving his family behind in the U.S. Miguel has four months to work hard, save money and weigh his options. He either must return to Mexico alone, leaving his daughters in the U.S. to get a good education, or risk changing his name and disappearing back into another U.S. city illegally with the family he loves. Get more information here.

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4. The Shriving
Starring: Trevor Lawrence
Directed by:
Working the graveyard shift at a lonely diner, a waitress encounter a handsome stranger. What begins as friendly flirtation unfolds into something altogether darker. Get more information here.

 

5. Discipline
Directed by: Christophe M. Saber
It’s 9:30pm in a grocery store run by Egyptians, in Lausanne, Switzerland. In a moment of anger, a father loses patience and disciplines his disobedient child. A shocked customer immediately intervenes to express her concern. This discussion turns into a debate which quickly turns into a quarrel…and suddenly, it’s chaos. Get more information here.

 

For a complete listing of SLO International Film Festival events and movies occurring from Paso Robles to Pismo Beach, visit the SLO Film Festival website.