December 27, 2022
VALDOSTA, GA – South Georgia Film Festival announces special guest filmmaker, author and Co-Founder of Slamdance, Dan Mirvish will be attending the 2024 SGFF in Valdosta. Along with participating throughout the weekend, Mirvish will be screening his Watergate thriller/dark comedy “18½”, about the missing Nixon tapes, which was an “Oscar Contender” in 2023 according to Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and IndieWire.
The best-selling author of “The Cheerful Subversive’s Guide to Independent Filmmaking” has been intertwined between filmmaking and festivals since he co-founded the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, UT after his film “Omaha” was rejected by the institutional festival, Sundance. In the thirty years since, Slamdance has become its own institution showcasing up-and-coming filmmakers, from Christopher Nolan’s first feature film “Following” to the first films from directors of the Avengers (The Russo Brothers), Star Wars (Rian Johnson), Parasite (Bong Joon-ho) Girls (Lena Dunham)and many more.
“I’m honored and thrilled to be coming to Valdosta and looking forward to seeing some of the the amazing talent on display at the South Georgia Film Festival,“ Dan Mirvish said.
Mirvish’s film “18½” features the work of Bruce Campbell (Burn Notice, The Evil Dead) as President Nixon, Jon Cryer (Two & Half Men, Pretty Pink) as Bob Halderman, Richard Kind (Mad About You, The Goldbergs), and Willa Fitzgerald (Reacher). https://vimeo.com/615607900
Promoting the art and industry of filmmaking, the South Georgia Film Festival has been received a record number of submissions from across the globe since April for the 2024 festival. Along with high school, college, and graduate student submissions, the festival showcases professional film submissions in documentary, animation, and narrative. Along with special guest Mirvish, the festival will feature panels featuring film professionals from the Southeast who will be announced over the coming weeks.
“Film is growing across South Georgia and we continue to be proud to be a part of it,” said Jason Brown Festival Director. “Bringing filmmakers from across the country to Valdosta to engage our community has been our driving force for all of these years.
Winners from last year’s festival include OPAL, the animated feature from France; STAY WITH ME, the narrative feature film from University of Memphis professor Marty Lang; and JACK HAS A PLAN, a documentary feature about assisted suicide from director Bradley Berman and producer Chris Metzler.
To engage with student filmmakers from across the region, host Valdosta State University will be sponsoring a Timed Hour Film competition starting Feb. 16. Completed films will be screened Monday Feb. 19 at VSU, with the winner being invited to this year’s South Georgia Film Festival.
“We are putting on a party for the community,” Jason Brown, Festival Director said. “Showcasing films from across the country and the world, we want to introduce Valdosta to great films, some great filmmakers to Valdosta, and let everyone have a good time. Be a part of party and show the world what you can do.”
Discounted tickets are on-sale now before going full price on Feb. 1.
This year’s festival could not happen without the support of our community sponsors, including Georgia Power, Valdosta State University, the Georgia Film Office, the Turner Center for the Arts, Georgia Production Partnership, and Film Impact Georgia.
The South Georgia Film Festival continues to promote the regional film industry with panelists discussing both the art and industrial impact of film for local businesses. Panelists and guest speakers will be announced soon. For more information about tickets, visit 24SGFF.Eventive.org
For more information on the South Georgia Film Festival, visit SouthGeorgiaFilm.com or contact Prof. Jason Brown at 229-219-1298 or jasonebrown@valdosta.edu.
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