‘Ready to live again’: How many gathered for 2022 Beaufort International Film Festival?
Attendance at the 16th Beaufort International Film Festival, which wrapped up Sunday, bounced back in 2022, with more than 11,000 people counted during the six-day run of independent films and documentaries — more than double last year’s numbers but short of a record.
With many film festivals still having virtual instead of live, in-person screenings because of COVID-19, the successful return of Beaufort’s film showcase is a signal to the film world that usual festival operations can safely return and “the world is returning to normal,” said Ron Tucker, president and CEO of the Beaufort Film Society.
“People are ready to live again,” Tucker told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet.
Record attendance of 17,000 was set in February 2020, which came a month after the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in the United States but before the country began shutting down.
Only 4,000 people turned up for the 2021 festival, which was scaled down with limited capacity because of COVID-19 protocols.
In advance of the 2022 show, Tucker was optimistic and predicting 10,000 people, but still uncertain.
“We had no idea how reserved or timid people would be about attending with some still having Covid concerns and much caution about crowds,” Tucker said.
Official attendance turned out to be 11,500, with filmmakers and film fans arriving from 32 states and eight countries, according to festival organizers.
Having 15 world premieres and over 100 filmmakers attending helped to boost attendance, too, Tucker said.
The 16th Beaufort International Film Festival ended Sunday night after six days of film screenings. Besides the 15 world premieres, 44 films made their South Carolina debut.
Ron and Rebecca Tucker launched BIFF in 2007 to highlight the work of aspiring filmmakers of all genres — and as a way to lure filmmakers to Beaufort, which has been the backdrop to many films including “Forrest Gump,” “The Prince of Tides” and “G.I. Jane.”
Here are the the winners:
Behind the Scenes Award: Tona B. Dahlquist, Columbia.
Rising Star Award: Simeon Daise, Atlanta, a native of Beaufort.
Best Screenplay: Stealing the Moon, Written by, Eric Carlson, Richmond.
Best Animation: There You Are, Rui Huang, Director, Los Angeles.
Best Student Film: Winter of ‘79, Julia Elihu, Director, Orange, Calif.
Best Narrative Short Film: All That Glitters, Dan Bronzite, Director, Essex, United Kingdom.
Best Documentary Feature: Song For Hope: The Ryan Anthony Story, Chris Haigh, director, Northridge, Calif.
Best Documentary Short: Meltdown in Dixie, Emily Harold, director, New York.
Best Feature: Re-Opening, Chris Guerra and Matthew Koppin, Directors, Burbank, Calif.
Duty and Honor: Veterans Journey Home: Leaving It On the Land, Frederick Marx, Director, Oakland.
Best Comedy: Re-Opening, feature film
Best: Ensemble cast: Over My Dead Body, short film
Best Musical Score: Song For Hope: The Ryan Anthony Story, Anthony Di Lorenzo, composer
Best Actress: Lisa Belcher, guest of honor, Austin, Texas.
Best Actor: Stephen Dexter, American Morning, New York.
Best Director: Meital Cohen Navarro, Over My Dead Body, Los Angeles.
Audience Choice Award: The Long Rider, Sean Cisterna, director, Ontario, Calif.
Susan A. K. Shaffer Humanitarian Award: Sacred Waters: The Okefenokee in Peril, Mark Albertin, director, Augusta, Ga.
This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 11:56 AM.
