An overview of the Beaufort International Film Festival (update: PBS air S.C. documetary)

Still image by Flickr user jannem

Update May 6: PBS aired one of the entries, "Sea Island Secrets," on their local lowcountry channel last night, and are believed to air it again soon. We'll get those details posted as they emerge.

"Sea Island Secrets" is about the journey of a group of archaeologists who seek to explore the remains of extinct animals in the lowcountry area.

To check out the trailer, follow this link.

Update March 16: Fresh off 2011's huge success, the Beaufort Film Society already has put out a call for entries for the 2012 Beaufort International Film Festival, which will be the event's 6th installment. 

The 2012 edition will be held February 15 - 19, 2012.

For more information, including insturctions on how to submit your film or screenplay, head on over to the festival's website here.

Update February 22: The Beaufort International Film Festival's Facebook page is reporting record-setting attendance for last week's event.

Another record breaking festival. Around 5000 attending, four sellout screenings, near sellouts for the rest. Bravo Beaufort.

The page also has some "red-carpet" type photos from the festival that you can check out here. You can view these photos regardless of whether you're a Facebook user.

Update February 19: Today's the final day of films and is the day of the award's ceremony.

The final film, "Lt. Dan Band: For the Common Good," starts at 1:30 p.m. (here's today's full film schedule) and then the Awards Gala starts at USCB at 7 p.m. and runs to 10 p.m. — and after that the post party is to go down at Saltus on Bay Street, along with the festival's signature "Big Chill" drink.

Update February 16: The festival kicks off tonight with it's semi-private opening night reception and will pick up full steam on Friday night.

Here's the festival rundown as a reminder:

Wed, Feb. 16 - Opening night reception 6-8 p.m. at The Arsenal. (Join the Beaufort Film Society to ensure an invitation to this event at www.beaufortfilmsociety.org).

Thu-Fri, Feb. 17-18
- Screenings and Workshops 8 a.m. -11 p.m.; Seaside Vineyard Cinema.
- Thursday schedule
- Friday schedule
- Walking/Van Tours of Movie Sites. Tours start at the Spirit of Old Beaufort in downtown Beaufort. Two tours daily: 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Call (843) 525-0459 to reserve space. Maximum capacity 40 per tour.

Sat, Feb. 19
- Screenings and Workshops 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Seaside Vineyard Cinema.
- Saturday schedule.
- Awards Gala 7 p.m. - cocktail hour; 8:00 to 10:00 pm Awards Ceremony (Attire: Coat & Tie - informal); University of South Carolina, Beaufort Center for the Arts.

Sun, Feb. 20 - Filmmaker Farewell Brunch 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.; Blackstones Deli
& Café, 205 Scott's Street.

First reporting: The fifth annual Beaufort International Film Festival is back in town this year, bringing with it some exciting young talent from within the filmmaking industry.

The event will start the night of Wednesday, February 16, and will feature a variety of different workshops, movie premiers and award presentations before the festivities draw to a close on Sunday, February 20. Attendance for the event is expected to surpass last year’s estimated total of 4,000 people, drawing in the process close to 30 different amateur and professional filmmakers from approximately 23 different countries.

193 Tickets range from $5 per film, to $10 to $35 for specific events; you can buy tickets here.

Wednesday night’s opening reception runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Beaufort’s historic Arsenal building on Craven Street. The event is invite-only. Members of the Beaufort Film Society are invited to attend. Those interested in attending are encouraged to join ASAP.

The workshops, whose topics will range from screen writing to musical production, will be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Charleston-based musician Charles Denler is the confirmed host for Saturday night's awards ceremony at the USCB Performing Arts Center.

Yet aside from everything else the event has to offer, the main attraction will undoubtedly be the movies on offer, all of which will be premiering for the first time in the state of South Carolina. Screenings are planned to run from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

"This year’s documentary film division is the strongest we’ve ever had," said Executive Director Ron Tucker, "It’s probably the most diverse too…we’ve got films from the far left to the far right."

Kevi Breslin’s film about the Virginia Tech massacre Living for 32 is among the more notable names in the division, as is Johnathan Flora’s film LT Dan Band: For the Common Good, which was recently awarded the Santini Patriots Award.

“Our primary goal for the festival is to reintroduce to the world Beaufort’s proud filmmaking history” said Tucker, “we want filmmakers to come to the festival and fall in love with everything Beaufort County has to offer.”

For a complete schedule of the weeks events, follow the link here, and to see a complete list of movie trailers, click here or keep scrolling.

You can keep up with the latest from the festival on Facebook.