Two days before Valentine’s Day, the Beaufort International Film Festival (BIFF) got underway in Beaufort, South Carolina. This year marks the seventh annual festival, and the BIFF, which has grown in popularity every year, is even bigger in 2013.
According to the Beaufort Gazette, the festival will be held at the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s campus from February 13 – 17. Since the first year BIFF was held, the number of attendees and films submitted has grown. Last year, more than 7,000 moviegoers attended, compared to 500 the first year, and 400 films were submitted, whereas only 100 were submitted in 2009. A group of local industry professionals decide which films to screen.
As popularity of the BIFF grows, the festival, along with others like it, may look into other ways to screen films to accommodate for the increase in audience members. Especially in a warmer climate like South Carolina, outdoor movie screens can provide affordable and unique ways for viewers to enjoy movies.
The BIFF has both an international and local feel. Films from Germany, Spain and Taiwan will be shown, as well as the movie “Radio,” in honor of it’s 10th anniversary. Not only will the movie be screened, but film inspiration James Robert “Radio” Kennedy and the T.L. Hanna High School football coach Harold Jones will also be in attendance. The story takes place in Anderson, South Carolina.
In addition to films, receptions, workshops and an awards ceremony will also take place over the four days. Mike Tollin, producer of “Radio,” ‘Coach Carter” and “Varsity Blues,” will be awarded with the Jean Ribaut Award for Excellence in Filmmaking, and the late Chris Brinker, producer of “The Boondock Saints” will posthumously receive the Robert Smalls Indie Vision Award.