How a small indie film festival evolved into an international event
When people think of movies and Beaufort, South Carolina, they often recall iconic scenes in “Forrest Gump,” “The Big Chill” or “Prince of Tides.” But this coastal town offers much more than serving as a backdrop for Oscar-winning productions — it’s also home to a popular indie film festival that’s produced each year by the Beaufort Film Society.
The Beaufort International Film Festival (BIFF) has grown from 500 attendees in 2007 to more than 17,000 in 2020, and it will be held in person again this year, able to forge ahead with COVID-safe protocols at a time when larger film festivals such as Sundance have had to go fully virtual.
BIFF will run from Feb. 22-27, with 60 films chosen as Official Selections from 32 countries. Of these, 10 are making their world premieres, and 42 are making their South Carolina debuts. Ticket sales are matching those of pre-pandemic years, according to Ron Tucker, president of the Beaufort Film Society and co-director of BIFF.
“We have COVID safety protocols in place and we’re happy that we’re going to be able to see everyone in person at the festival this month. We haven’t had to shut down a single year due to the pandemic,” Tucker said. “There are nearly 100 filmmakers attending from around the U.S., and flying in from the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, France and Denmark.”
Beaufort as the next Telluride — or even Sundance?
BIFF didn’t start out as a popular, international film festival. In the early days, Tucker was chairman of the Beaufort Regional Film Commission. In 2006, he began planning for Beaufort’s first film festival, which was held in 2007.
“We didn’t really know what to expect our first year, and no one on our team was experienced in running a film festival, so it was a learn-as-you-go kind of experience. That first year presented many challenges and we certainly made some mistakes, but those mistakes were part of our learning experience and have contributed to a more finely tuned effort 16 years later,” Tucker said. “While we weren’t looking too far ahead, we did think that if all went well, we could someday be the next Telluride, which started out small like us 40 years earlier.”
By 2008, Tucker and his wife, Rebecca, who is co-director of BIFF, were able to draw 1,200 attendees to the festival. The numbers continued to grow, with 2,500 fans arriving in 2009. In September that year, the Tuckers formed the non-profit 501 c(3) Beaufort Film Society and the society took over all aspects of producing the film festival.
“Our breakout year was 2010, when approximately 5,000 people attended,” Ron Tucker said. “That’s when Blythe Danner received the Jean Ribaut Award for Acting, with Michael O’Keefe presenting, and Blythe, in turn, presenting Pat Conroy with a writing award.”
Honoring its South Carolina roots
Celebrities are a core part of BIFF, with South Carolina natives Andie MacDowell, Paul Sorvino, Powers Booth, Vanna White, Tom Berenger, Julie Dash and Dale Dye as a sampling of those who have attended throughout the history of the festival. Even the film society’s advisory board is star studded, with Gary Sinise, MacDowell, Danner and Dash among the members.
There’s a reason for the celebrity infusion, beyond the obvious. BIFF wants to honor and show respect to those who have given so much of themselves to the industry and South Carolina.
“Part of the film festival is recognizing the accomplishments of those in our industry who have ties to South Carolina,” Ron Tucker said. “In addition to the awards we give to the indie filmmakers, this year we will give an inaugural Rising Star Award to Simeon Daise (American Soul, Cheaper by the Dozen), and a Behind the Scenes Award to Tona B. Dahlquist (casting director for HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones.”
The Beaufort community rallies around the festival as well.
Tucker explained, “There is a sense of pride in the community when the film festival comes to town. While Beaufort enjoys many festivals and community events throughout the year, the film festival seems to bring a different kind of spark and energy to the town. Suddenly, the community realizes that something is different when all at once international visitors are in their shops and restaurants. There seems to be a spotlight and a halo directly overhead that says to us, ‘smile Beaufort, this is your close-up. Make it a good one.’”
The Beaufort International Film Festival runs Feb. 22-27. For more information, visit BeaufortFilmFestival.com.
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