The eagerly anticipated SLO Film Festival graces the silver screens from April 25 to May 7 at the Fremont Theater and Palm Theatre in Downtown San Luis Obispo.
A variety of filmmakers are featured whose works were produced, directed or written by residents of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Monterey Counties.
The festival features Cal Poly Short Cuts, a collection of films written, produced and directed by Cal Poly students. The collection is sponsored by the Cal Poly Interdisciplinary Studies in Liberal Arts, Center for Expressive Technologies and Art and Design Departments.
Cal Poly short film cuts will be screening at the Fremont Theater on Apr. 27 at 6 p.m. and will also be available virtually from Apr. 30 through May 7.
Writer and co-producer of the short film “Six Months” and communications senior Madison McCarthy said the message behind her creation was loosely based on her own experience with grief after losing a dear friend of her’s. Her film features characters inspired by her friend and herself.
Cinematographer and editor of “Six Months” and art and design senior Clodagh Ryan said the student production team was formed because the advanced video class collaborated with the advanced screenwriting class.
The students involved from these clases were art and design senior and cinematographer Hailey Kardos, philosophy senior and co-producer Abri Stephens, Ryan and McCarthy.
“We created this film together by meshing our skills and collaborated really well and made Madison’s story come to life,” Ryan said. “We had a very serendipitous experience.”
Although the team said they collaborated well, McCarthy said that there was still anticipation of finishing the project.
“In that collaborative process with the entire team there is also an inspiration to be found in just like the general idea of impermanence because that’s something that everyone can relate to,” McCarthy said. “Either wanting something to last forever or like wanting something to be over.”
Director and editor of “Six Months” and biology junior Jackson Perkins said the movie featured actors that had only acted in theater before — but never acted in front of a camera.
“We wanted everyone to do something they really hadn’t before,” Perkins said.
After every night shoot, Perkins said he cherished the moments when he could unwind after a late shoot, eating Chinese food with the rest of the student production team.
“We rallied again afterward and it turned out to be a pretty magical scene for us,” Perkins said. “Being all there in the hillside in the mud, I just found it to be a really good experience.”
For more information on tickets and movie times, visit slofilmfest.org.