San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (SLOIFF) has announced that actor Josh Brolin (Dune, No Country For Old Men) will lead the Narrative Feature Jury for 2024’s 30th Anniversary edition. Brolin has long had ties to the area and grew up on a ranch in nearby Paso Robles. He was the honoree of the Festival’s King Vidor Award for Excellence in Filmmaking in 2017.
Brolin recently reprised his role as Gurney Halleck in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, the sequel to the six-time Academy Award-winning film Dune, Villeneuve’s relaunch of one of the most celebrated science fiction properties of all time.
In 2009, Brolin was nominated for an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and received awards from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board of Review for his portrayal of ‘Dan White’ in Gus Van Sant’s acclaimed biopic, Milk. His additional ‘Best Picture’ Oscar-nominated films include Denis Villeneuve’s Dune; the Coen Brothers’ True Grit, which was nominated for 10 Academy Awards in 2011; and 2007’s No Country For Old Men, also from the Coen Brothers, which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Other highly acclaimed performances include his portrayal of George W. Bush in Oliver Stone’s biopic, W.; Ridley Scott’s blockbuster, American Gangster, for which he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the ensemble; and Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario, which was nominated for three Academy Awards.
Other narrative feature jurors include Netflix Production Finance executive Christopher Tung; Wendy Guerrero, President of the Geena Davis Bentonville Film Festival; and Director Nardeep Khurmi (Land of Gold). Collectively they will choose the Festival’s George Sidney Independent Film Competition Narrative Feature Film winner.
The Documentary Feature jury includes Tatiana Faris from IFC Films, and documentary filmmakers Nancy Svendsen (Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest) and Jesse Rudoy (Dusty & Stones).
Short Narrative jurors include filmmaker Bernard Badion (The Van), Executive Producer Lissa Khoshbakhti of Disney Launchpad and Fanshen Cox, Founder TruJuLo Productions. Indigenous Latine Filmmaker Alejandro Miranda Cruz (Decolonizing Dinner), Festival Programmer and Filmmaker Natalie Gee and Director Lauren Tyler Brimeyer (Until the Rain Comes Back) comprise the Short Documentary jury.
With a slate of over 125 narrative features, short films, documentary features and shorts, music videos and festival favorites from the last 30 years, the festival has a broad spectrum of content on offer for serious cinephiles, devoted film buffs and casual movie fans both locally and across the region. The festival runs from Thursday, April 25 through Tuesday, April 30, with an encore presentation in Paso Robles, and virtually, from May 1 – 5.
Over 57 films, in the categories of Narrative Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Student Film, Music Video and Animated Film, will be participating in the George Sidney Independent Film Competition. Central Coast Filmmaker Showcase Films are eligible in the same categories. George Sidney and Central Coast films will also be eligible for The Audience Awards in five categories.
Celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year, SLOIFF’s exciting film lineup kicks off on Opening Night with the critically acclaimed Ghostlight and concludes with the Sundance comedy breakout Thelma.
Narrative feature films in competition include Slamdance winner, Good Bad Things, telling the story of Danny, a young man with muscular dystrophy, who steps out of his comfort zone and into the world of online dating. Staring Abigail Breslin, The Italians is a quirky dramedy about family, love, forgiveness and Italian cooking. Mountain Boy, an adventure film about family and friendship, takes us on a stunning journey through the clear blue seas, high mountains and golden sunsets of the United Arab Emirates. Riley shares the story of an ambitious and disciplined high school athlete, who, still closeted, grapples with his sexuality under the pressures of high expectations for his athletic pursuits and social pressures. The cross-cultural drama Tokyo Cowboy follows Hideki, a brash businessman who arrives in Montana having convinced his Tokyo bosses he can turn a profitless U.S. cattle ranch into a premiere-performing asset.
Documentary features in competition include Best Directing Sundance winner Sugarcane about an investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school that ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve. Told with surprising humor and great candor, Jailhouse to Milhouse is an intimate portrayal of Pamela Hayden, the recognizable voice behind the iconic Simpsons character, Milhouse. The spirited Let the Canary Sing takes the audience on a nostalgic exploration of the life and career of legendary pop icon Cyndi Lauper. Narrated by Danny Trejo, The Michoacan File explores the origin, history, and impact of Mexican food in modern society.
Additionally, Beau Bridges, the star of Camera, will be attending the West Coast Premiere of the film at the festival. Filmmakers from over 70 filmmaking teams will be in attendance throughout the week, including the co-directors of Ghostlight, Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan; director Zainab Shaheen and producer Nancy Paton of Mountain Boy; the director of Riley, Benjamin Howard and the film’s lead, Jake Holley; All Happy Families director Haroula Rose; writer and director Fawzia Mirza of Queen of My Dreams and its producer Andria Wilson Mirza; and Michelle Danner, the director of The Italians.
Passes are now on sale and information on the film festival can be found at https://slofilmfest.org.