Recognized by Movie Maker Magazine as one of the Top 25 Film festivals in the World for filmmakers to submit their work, the Myrtle Beach International Film Festival (MBIFF) will take place at the Grand 14 Theatre located at 4002 Deville Street, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in the Market Common. It is a venue for seasoned professionals as well as up and coming filmmakers from around the world to showcase their work.
“Last year’s film festival was phenomenal. It sold out and people had a great time “, says Jerry Dalton, founder and organizer of the Myrtle Beach International Film Festival. He feels that the Market Common is the best location in the world for a film festival—even better than Sundance’s location in Park City, Utah. He feels this way because the Market Common has a state of the art theater with lots of shopping and restaurants nearby and plenty of parking as well as a multitude of hotels, making it the perfect place for a film festival. The weather is also great with the flowers blooming and beautiful beaches.
The Myrtle Beach International Film Festival has been referred to as the East Coast’s response to Sundance. According to Jerry, “The films we have this year are unbelievably entertaining and will therefore transport you out of your life. We have a super lineup: about sixty-seven films from sixteen countries, including the U.S., Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Australia, Iran, Russia, Italy and France. You get to see things that are affecting people in a different part of the world that you might not think about.”
Jerry Dalton of Dalton Pictures is very passionate about art and his mission statement is, “”No one should be barred access to art due to financial constraints”. He wants art to be accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial status, for creating and viewing. That is why he created the Myrtle Beach Film Institute as a passion project. It is a free film institute which is a script to screen learning experience and available to all. He also illustrates his beliefs in the pricing of the MBIFF tickets at $50 for six days of screening, meals, and all activities. What a deal!!
The Myrtle Beach Film Institute is a part of the Myrtle Beach International Film Festival. No one pays or gets paid. The instructors explain the process of making a film, from business, scripting, casting, pre-production, through production to cinematography and directing, sound, lighting followed by editing, color correction, sound score and much more.
According to Jerry, “The beauty of independent film is it’s a story told from the heart, created as art, with no restrictions,” he continues. “Many people don’t know that Hollywood scripts movies for demographics. They don’t make a movie that has a limited or restricted following, or a following they’re uncertain about, because that means their profits will be limited or uncertain. It’s their business model.”
Unfortunately, many people believe that an independent film is poorly made without professional equipment, using a low budget and bad actors, which is not true. The only difference in an independent film is that it is not made by the top eight studios in Hollywood, which also means it does not have to make millions at the box office.
To get their films brought to the public, independent film makers often have to participate in “repping” which is behind-the-scenes wining and dining of influential people in order to get your film in a film festival and viewed by the public rather than being selected on the film’s own merits. Repping is strictly forbidden at the Myrtle Beach International Film Festival. According to Jerry, if a film is a part of the MBIFF, it is because they have judged the film and it has earned a spot in the festival.
Below is an itinerary for the Myrtle Beach International Film Fest:
Monday, April 16, 2018
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.– Myrtle Beach Film Institute VIP Screening Night
Films Produced by The Myrtle Beach Film Institute (Food Event to Follow at Tupelo Honey Café)
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
4:15 p.m. — 5:15 p.m.—Opening Ceremony Peace Love and Little Donuts in The Lobby of the Grand 14
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Game
Test of Courage
More than a Coach
8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Fear
Captain Black
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Zamora: The sole of a Boxer
The Home for Wayward Babydolls
Vicious
Cerrillos Road
Baggage
Atalaya – The History of the Watchtower
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Ultra Low
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Sweetheart
With My Own Two Hands
Perplexed Music
The Father and The Bear
9:00 p.m. – Fiesta Mexicana
Thursday, April 19, 2018
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Letters Home
Iron Hands
The Patient – Act One
Recall
Cubeman
4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. – Film Maker/Actor Open Panel Discussion
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
There was to be Peace
Guard
Numbness
Go Paul
The Hen
Make Aliens Dance
8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Smoke
Back for Good
10:15 p.m. – California Pizza
Friday, April 20, 2018
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Baby in Dander
Locked in Syndrome
Outside: Peace, Inside: War
For Love
The Transfer
2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Self-Made Man/Rainbow-Sunshine Woman
Alpha Fish
Roll a Seven Go to Heaven
Blue Hollywood
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The Last drop
Jenny Loves Satan
Living among Us
7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Veras Tongue in My Mouth Full of Chocolate
Family for Sale
Streaker
9:45 p.m. – Brass Tapp
Saturday, April 21, 2018
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Blue Ice
Dreams of Giverny
Our Story: Carolina BalloonFest
Access Denied
Love Until the End
Driven Blind
The LightKeeper
The Arcade Creek Project: A Mosaic of Sustainability
2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
What If
The Couch
Unwilling
R:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
North and Nowhere
100 Rubles for a Dream
The Merciless Beauty
Blackmoor
The Peculiar Abilities of Mr. Mahler
Black Mountains
7:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. – Red Carpet
8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Pearl
Real Artists
Back Story
Law Man
Cautionary Tales
10:00 p.m. – Co Shushi – After Party
Please refer to the PDF Booklet at http://www.myrtlebeachfilmfestival.com/ for more information about the films that will be showing at the MBIFF. Many of the films will be presented as World Premiers. The organizers of the MBIFF are often told, “You have the best film line up”, because if the film is great, it gets in. Attendees of the MBIFF can view a multitude of screenings, discussions, and panels as well as be treated to catered food and enjoy beer and wine tastings–all for the low price of $50. This sounds like a great opportunity and a wonderful way to spend a week if you enjoy the film industry. Get your tickets before they sell out!! They always do.
