SGFF Celebrates #FilmFestivalDay, supports Second Harvest

In collaboration with thirty other film festivals across the country, the South Georgia Film Festival is celebrating #FilmFestivalDay on April 11 with a digital screening event and fundraiser for Second Harvest.

As a member of the Film Festival Alliance, the South Georgia Film Festival is participating in the streaming of the new film Phoenix, Oregon, April 11, along with a question and answer session with the filmmakers. The online event costs $6.50, with the proceeds being split between the filmmakers and whichever festival viewers chose to support.

“As people are home, we believe this is a way for us to reach our local audience and allow them to support our community in a fun way,” said Jason Brown, Festival Director of the South Georgia Film Festival.

The South Georgia Film Festival will be donating all of the proceeds received to Second Harvest to support those locally hardest hit by the COVID-19 closure. Unlike many festivals, the South Georgia Film Festival was one of the last festivals that was able to be held before widespread quarantining took hold. More than 175 film festivals have been hit with cancellations and postponements since COVID-19 began to spread across the country.

Wide-spread social distancing has encouraged many people to stay at home where they are streaming entertainment from such platforms as Netflix, Hulu, and many others. The South Georgia Film Festival has begun by sharing links to previous filmmakers’ work on their social media where audiences can support them directly. Participating with the Film Festival Alliance, this screening allows local viewers to discover a new film and contribute back to their local organizations.

Phoenix, Oregon is the story of two middle-aged friends, one a graphic novelist and the other a chef, who quit their jobs to restore an old bowling alley and serve the “world’s greatest pizza.” Starring James Le Gros (Living in Oblivion, Drugstore Cowboy), Lisa Edelstein (House, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce), Jesse Borrego (Fame), Diedrich Bader (American Housewife, Beverly Hillbillies, Napoleon Dynamite) and Kevin Corrigan (The Departed, True Romance, Pineapple Express), the film had a planned film festival distribution plan.

“Film festivals and community cinemas are the backbone of the independent film industry. They introduce audiences to stories which nurture, nourish and encourage new perspectives,” said Annie Lundgren, producer of Phoenix, Oregon.

Along with the streaming of the film, viewers will be able to enjoy a Q&A session moderated by Melanie Addington of the Oxford Film Festival and later download the film.

Viewers are encouraged to visit the South Georgia Film Festival website to find the appropriate link to the screening link, where they will be asked which festival to support.
https://shop.jomafilms.com/products/phoenix-oregon-film-festival-day

The festival will soon be asking for submissions for the 2021 festival, which will be the fifth edition. Along with feature films, the festival is looking for shorts, documentaries, college, and high school films. Specifically, the festival is looking for both family friendly films and those produced regionally.

For more information, please contact the festival at southgeorgiafilm@valdosta.edu, use their social media @SouthGeorgiaFilm or call 229-219-1298.


Filmmakers Links

With everyone online during this social distancing, we reached out to the many filmmakers we have been able screen at @SouthGAFilm Festival to find links to their work you can watch while we’re all inside. Here are some links they’ve shared with us:

Kyle Taubken’s 2020 film Soul Man is on Amazon Prime https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Man-Curtis-C-Jackson/dp/B081S94CVQ

Mariana Gómez’s 2020 film Latino$ + Film + USA at https://vimeo.com/339850322

Also from 2020, Jeff Dolan’s Phase 6 is available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z0Vp89nfgM

Check out this year’s absconde eos from Nicole Potgeiter at: https://youtu.be/7nR6mCeDZfE

Catch Joe Nowland’s 2019 film WAKE UP on Amazon Prime
https://www.amazon.com/Wake-Up-Scott-Broughton/dp/B07Z5FP15T/

Check out Connor Rentz/Kyanite Pictures shorts on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1xiFtQSI6bKusR0dPWo-MA

Sruti Lodhi’s HERMAN
https://vimeo.com/276823208

Kyle Marta’s Can I Play Now
http://rootandbranchfilms.com/films/can-i-play-now

Malik Brice’s 2017 SGFF film If We Had Met
https://vimeo.com/268687160

In 2019, Michael Williams screened the film A Son Inherit http://bit.ly/ASonInheritVOD
His other films available are: Oz Landhttp://bit.ly/OzLandonAmazon
& The Atoning https://www.amazon.com/Atoning-Virginia-Newcomb/dp/B0747GZ8CB/

Patrick Peacock’s 2020 film BACK FOCUS isn’t available yet, but catch the trailer and his shorts (including 2019 festival selection Forever) at http://acondofilms.com

The Bontrager Twins have two films in this year’s 2020 fest. You can see a whole host of things of theirs at
https://www.footprint.tv/channel/bontrager-twins-productions-12859

Radheya Jegatheva is still on the festival circuit, but his other films currently available
The Tyger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUqowAVgZxA
Finding Home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZNhXcKGA1s

Also, Mary Stanton Knight’s 2019 doc Singing Out at https://vimeo.com/303070177
along with her film Dear Hubert Creekmore at 
https://vimeo.com/336614341

Paul Osborne screened #CruelHearts last year – now catch it online @ ITunes & Amazon His previous movie, FAVOR, can be streamed for free on Tubi: Favor (2014)

My personal favorite OFFICIAL REJECTION, is free on Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Official-Rejection-Kevin-Smith/dp/B01BKWULHS/

This year we screened Marty Lang’s film REDRESS. His other film Protesters is online. Check out his Twitter account – and support his current Crowdfunding campaign. https://twitter.com/marty_lang/

From 2019, Jasmine Jewry’s film Daddy’s Girl is up on https://vimeo.com/269527593

Keep up with Chris Filippo’s films – including his 2019 feature Down And Yonder which recently ran free on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=ymAHRwQJZZs

For everyone that made it out for the final day of this year’s festival got to enjoy #FarmingOnTheFlint from Kit Vinsick & @craigmillertv
https://vimeo.com/314585786

The 2019 winner #Peggy from Justin Miller is a part of @Tribeca films “A Short Keeps the Anxiety Away” series. Enjoy it any time of the year!
https://vimeo.com/238233680

You can check out Jude Timothy Harris’ short film Things Left Unsaid from this year’s festival.
https://youtu.be/N1JyqJg7RuE

As filmmakers send us their links, we will try to add them here!