Welcome to the Official Schedule of Events for the Oceanside International Film Festival 2023, Presented by Visit Oceanside. OIFF 2023 will take place Tuesday, February 21st through Saturday, February 25th, 2023 at The Brooks in Oceanside, CA.
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OIFF 2023 Schedule – Tuesday, 2/21/23
Oceanside International Film Festival Opening Night World Premiere Film Event & Red Carpet Reception
The Oceanside Intl Film Festival kicks-off its 12th Annual Event with the world premiere of Krista Liney’s Documentary, I AM ALRIGHT at The Brooks Theatre in Downtown Oceanside. More information Below!
2/21/23 Schedule of Events
5:00 pm – Red Carpet Ceremony at The Brooks Theatre.
6:30 pm – I AM ALRIGHT Screening Begins.
8:30 pm – Live Musical Performance by The Silent Comedy on the Brooks Stage.
ABOUT I AM ALRIGHT – I Am Alright is a candid exploration of the challenges facing independent artists through the story of indie rockers The Silent Comedy. The film follows the band’s journey from an experimental side-project performing in coffee shops, through years of relentless international touring, to their ultimate collapse under industry pressures and their own mental health struggles. From euphoric highs to devastating lows, I Am Alright brings the audience along on an unfiltered look at the realities of life as a touring band and dangers of pursuing your dreams at all costs. (TICKETS)
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR – Krista Liney is an award-winning director whose previous works includes music videos for Tyga, Justin Bieber, and Kris Kristofferson, as well as marketing campaigns for television shows Vikings, Pawn Stars and American Pickers. She recently won the 2021 Clio for Best Directing and was nominated for a daytime Emmy for Best Director related to LIFETIME’s program, Stop Breast Cancer For Life.
ABOUT THE SILENT COMEDY
Brothers Joshua and Jeremiah Zimmerman and their band The Silent Comedy know trouble. Facing that trouble head on permeates their work. Rough-hewn, expansive American rock & roll with dirt under its nails and whiskey on its breath, the music of The Silent Comedy channels the iron spine of the blues, Honky-Tonk sweat, and punk swagger into a euphoric declaration that when trouble rears its worrisome head it’s time to crack knuckles, lock arms, and lift our voices high.
The brothers spent their formative years traveling the world with missionary parents before settling in California. In search of catharsis, the teens found solace in songwriting and stage lights. The young band proved capable of raucous shows and word spread. Years of touring followed, performing with Dave Matthews Band, Queens of the Stone Age, Mumford and Sons, Arctic Monkeys, and Vampire Weekend, and festival plays at Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, Under The Big Sky, Summer Meltdown and more. Near the end of recording Enemies Multiply Joshua found himself struggling with an acute mental health crisis. After a tour of Europe, the band took a hiatus. Joshua returned to visual storytelling, filming and directing content for television including material for the series Vikings and Wild Crime. Jeremiah channeled his talent for songwriting and production into scoring and sound design for television and podcasts (including breakout Stephen King project Strawberry Spring).
OIFF Thanks our 2023 Presenting Sponsor, Visit Oceanside – the official tourism marketing organization in Oceanside, CA, promoting travel to the city for both leisure and group visitors. Visit Oceanside also operates one of the state’s official California Welcome Centers. Visit their Website to Learn More about our Beautiful Town, as well as Where to Eat and What to See During your Attendance of our Event!
Click For Visit Oceanside’s Official Website
See Below for Full OIFF 2023 Schedule, Continued
OIFF 2023 Schedule
5:00pm – 10:00pm – Screening of Films at The Brooks Theatre, 217 North Coast Hwy, O’side, CA 92054 (est. in 1936!)
Schedule of Events
5:00 pm – Doors Open at the Brooks Theatre.
5:30 pm – YOU TURNS Shorts Block Begins. (Q&A to Follow, See Below for Program Details)
7:10 pm – DYING TO MAKE IT Feature Block Program. (See Below for Program Details
5:30 PM – YOU TURNS – Shorts Program
5:30pm – EVERYTHING IS FINE
Director: Evelyn Byrd
Cast: Hope Harris, Vivian Laing, Jack Gemmell
Origin: Oceanside, CA
Runtime: 1:21
“Everything Is Fine” is a short film based around the overwhelming feeling that can come from thinking you are behind and like it is impossible to catch up in life.
5:31pm – ANG MOTEL
Director: Jon Matthews
Cast: Eurice McNeal, Virginia Soliman
Origin: United States
Runtime: 9:54
A young woman shares her motel room with an elderly Filipina woman, when she is stranded in a sleepy beach town.
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5:41pm – MOVING OUT
Director: Rachel Earnest
Cast: Carolyn Grundman, Valerie Gould, Curtis Fortier, Adam Noble, Chris Reese, Milda Dacys, Karenssa LeGear, Brooke McCormick
Origin: Los Angeles, CA // Oceanside, CA
Runtime: 11:30
A young college student still lives at home with her parents in Oceanside, California. In love with her best friend who has just married another woman, she becomes confounded by faith and ultimately must risk telling her parents who she really is in order to save herself.
5:52pm – BAD CHILD
Director: Nicole Emilíana Mendez
Cast: Lauren Estrada, Rebecca Koo, Allison Worden
Origin: San Marcos, CA
Runtime: 13:17
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6:05pm – YOU & I
Director: Lynn Laor
Cast: Gala Kogen, Hili Golan
Origin: Israel
Runtime: 23:00
Anna and Lenny are on the road.
They know only where they came from,
but not where they’re going.
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(This Program to Be Followed by a Short Q&A Session with Attending Cast & Crew & 10 Minute Intermission)
7:10 PM – DYING TO MAKE IT – Feature Program
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7:10pm – DOUBLE TROUBLE
Director: Brendan Casey
3D Animator: Brendan Casey
Origin: South Salt Lake, UT
Runtime: 5:39
The tale of Sir and Wiz, an adventurous duo who seek to double their fortune.
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7:16pm – SNAPP
Director: Ryan Kelly
Cast: Eric Casalini, Beth Gallagher
Origin: San Diego, CA
Runtime: 7:44
A whole new way to date online…and in the Multiverse!
7:19pm – YEARNING FOR A THURSDAY
Directors: Adam Gilmore, Tara Robertson
Origin: San Diego, CA
Runtime: 6:36
Yearning for a Thursday chronicles the life and journey of Skelly the Skeleton.
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7:26pm – THE GREAT AMERICAN SHORT STORY
Director: Daniel Maggio
Writer: Daniel Maggio
Cast: Michael Haight
Origin: Idyllwild, CA
Runtime: 4:20
A writer secludes himself in a cabin to write the Great American Short Story. He quickly becomes more interested in creating the perfect environment for writing as opposed to doing any actual work. A Sativa Dominant Interpretation of the “Hero’s Journey.”
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7:30pm – PUBLISH OR PERISH
Director: David Liban
Writer: David Liban
Cast: Timothy McCracken, James Shanklin, Katie Michels, Anastasia Davidson, Mark Wilson,
Caitlyn Miller, Caleb Liban, Amie MacKensie
Origin: United States
Runtime: 100 Min
“A professor obsessed with getting tenure, accidentally kills a student and covers it up causing his life to spiral out of control.”
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(This Program to Be Followed by a Short Q&A Session with Attending Cast & Crew)
5:00 pm to 10:00 pm – screening of films at The Brooks Theatre, 217 N Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054.
2/23/23 Schedule of Events
5:00 pm – Doors Open at the Brooks Theatre.
5:30 pm – MOVE Shorts Block Begins. (Q&A to Follow, See Below for Program Details)
6:35 pm – HOMEWARD BOUND Program Begins. (See Below for Program Details)
8:30 pm – JACK HAS A PLAN Feature Presentation Begins. (Q&A to Follow, See Below Program Details)
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5:30 PM – MOVE – Shorts Program
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5:30 PM – THE SPACE BETWEEN US
Director: Gabriel Diamond
Cast: Sarah Crowell, Keith Hennessey
Dancers: Sarah Crowell, Keith Hennessey
Origin: United States
Runtime: 6:00
The Space Between Us is a radical experiment in the power of bearing witness, inviting vulnerability, and sharing movement, in a time of social distancing and racial reckoning.
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5:36 PM – LIVING ON THE THRESHOLD
Director: Vincent Bruno, Marine Chesnais
Cast: Marine Chesnais
Dancer: Marine Chesnais
Origin: France
Runtime: 29:03
Marine Chesnais, choreographer and contemporary dancer, goes to Reunion Island to meet humpback whales. Danced improvisations were born from these interactions in sea, which will be the fertile ground for her next creation.
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(This Program to Be Followed by a Short Q&A Session with Attending Cast & Crew)
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6:35 PM – HOMEWARD BOUND – Feature Program
6:35pm – THE GIFT OF BATHSHEBA
Director: Zach Hellmuth
Cast: Kevin Roland Nicholls
Origin: Barbados
Runtime: 3:52
“The Gift of Bathsheba” is a short documentary that explores Kevin ‘Buju’ Nicholls’ personal connection to his village on the East Coast of Barbados.
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6:39pm – SALT LINES
Director: Dan McDougall
Origin: United Kingdom
Runtime: 16:12
Set in Correa, Down East Maine, USA, Salt Lines tells the extraordinary and uplifting story of a single mother, hauling lobster traps for a living in an unforgiving man’s world. Raising her own son, created with an anonymous sperm donor, to be the fifth generation “Lobsterman” in her family, whilst consigning gender stereotypes to the past.
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6:55pm – THE MIRAGE (Trailer)
Director: Keith Ladzinski
Cast: Timothy Olson, Krista Olson, Jason Koop, Bob Loomis, Debbie Loomis
Origin: United States
Runtime: 60 Minutes
Ultra runner, Timothy Olson, aims to break the fastest known time on the Pacific Crest Trail. Braving record high temperatures and impending wildfires, he must outrun nature and reach the finish line before the birth of his daughter. Supported by his wife and kids, Olson has to average over 50 miles a day for 50 consecutive days.
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(This Program to Be Followed by a Short Q&A Session with Attending Cast & Crew)
8:35 PM – JACK HAS A PLAN – Feature Presentation
8:35 PM – JACK HAS A PLAN (Trailer)
Director: Bradley Berman
Producer: Chris Metzler
Cast: Jack Tuller
Origin: United States
Runtime: 73 Minutes
When Jack, a man with a terminal brain tumor for 25 years, decides to end his life, his family and friends struggle to accept his decision. Jack’s best friend documents his three-year quest to die a happy man, culminating in a permanent going-away party.
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(This Program to Be Followed by a Short Q&A Session with Attending Cast & Crew)
5:00 pm to 10:30 pm – Screening of Films at The Brooks Theatre, 217 N Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054
Schedule of Events
5:00 pm – Doors Open at the Brooks Theatre.
5:30 pm – THE SURF LINEUP Feature Program Begins. (Q&A to Follow, See Below for Program Details)
7:25 pm – BIG WAVE GUARDIANS Feature Program Begins. (Q&A to Follow, See Below for Program Details – Separate Ticket is Required for this Event)
5:30 PM – THE SURF BLOCK SHORTS PROGRAM
5:30 PM – A BIKER’S DREAM
Director: Ken Glaser
Writer: Ken Glaser
Cast: Christine Chan, Vanessa Eagerton
Origin: Irvine, CA
Runtime: 2:52
A Biker’s Dream is Ken Glaser’s whimsical homage to motorcycling, one of his lifelong passions. This 3-minute animated short film began as a poem, and evolved into a unique audio/visual journey that ventures beyond the confines of earthbound pavement. Ken commissioned a hundred digital storyboard-style illustrations, separated them into their component layers, separated them into their component layers, and manipulated and animated the elements to create a unique visual journey that ventures beyond the confines of earthbound pavement.
5:33 PM – RECLAIM YOUR WATER: NATASHA SMITH
Director: Faith E. Briggs
Cast: Natasha Smith
Origin: United States
Runtime: 4:40
Breaking barriers and making her own waves, Natasha Smith is a core member of the Ebony Beach Club. She shares her own story in hopes of increasing representation in surf, skate, and any other sport or activity that has historically been exclusive and can give such an individual sense of freedom.
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5:38 PM – GENDER OUTLAW, A BODYSURFING STORY
Directors: Peter Williams
Producer: Peter Williams
Cast: Tyler Wilde
Origin: United States
Runtime: 16:00
A film about overcoming adversity + redefining inclusivity in and out of the water featuring Tyler Wilde.
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5:55 PM – SWEET ADVENTURE (Trailer)
Director: Peter Hamblin
Cast: Selema Masekela
Origin: United Kingdom // El Salvador
Runtime: 51:35
At its very core Sweet Adventure is a film about adventure but it’s about more than that, it’s about travel, and friendship, and great waves – it’s about the things we’ve been missing, the things that matter; all set in the great country of El Salvador.
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(This Program to Be Followed by a Short Q&A Session with Attending Cast & Crew & 10 Minute Intermission. Theater will be Cleared During Break for Special Event Seating)
7:25 PM – BIG WAVE GUARDIANS PROGRAM
NOTE: ONLINE SALES SOLD OUT FOR THIS BLOCK! Limited Ticket Sales to Take Place at the Door.
7:25 PM – ONE LOST MANY FOUND
Director: Troy Mikell Bedenbaugh
Producer: Mark Bone
Origin: United States
Runtime: 17:50
Almost 20 years after his death, a filmmaker seeking to know his own father goes on a journey to piece together his legacy through the surfboards he shaped and left behind for his close friends and family.
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7:45 PM – BIG WAVE GUARDIANS (Trailer)
Director: Luke Stirtz
Writer: Jim Kempton
Cast: Terry Ahue, Eddie Aikau, Kalani Chapman, Nathan Fletcher, Nathan Florence, Mark Healey, Brian L. Keaulana, Kelia Moniz, Jamie O’Brien, Kelly Slater, David Wassel
Origin: United States
Runtime: 91 Minutes
Big wave guardians risk their lives to save others in the world’s most dangerous waves while deploying innovative water safety techniques. Hawaii’s North Shore is the world’s most dangerous 7-mile stretch of beach. Massive swells, life-and-death rescues, and “the best job in the world” — yet often the most hazardous one — is the compelling drama of Hawaii’s big wave guardians. As surfers push the limits and crowds increase, a small group of heroes have reinvented water safety on a parallel track to the rising dangers. Addicting thrills versus inherent peril — they are caught up in both. Surfing’s elite watermen risk their lives to save their friends while challenging a realm beyond.
(This Program to Be Followed by a Short Q&A Session with Attending Cast & Crew)
12:00 pm to 9:00pm – Screening of films at The Brooks Theater, 217 N. Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054
2/25/23 Schedule of Events
12:00 pm – Doors Open at the Brooks Theatre.
12:30 pm – UNLEASHED Feature Program Begins. (Q&A to Follow, See Below for Program Details)
2:15 pm – HOLD ME RIGHT Feature Presentation Begins. (See Below for Program Details)
4:10 pm – SHADOW MOMENT Shorts Program Begins. (Q&A to Follow, See Below for Program Details)
7:00 pm – ONE ON ONE WITH TARYN MANNING Begins. (Separate Admission Required)
8:00 pm – OIFF 2023 AWARDS CEREMONY Begins. (Free with Admission to One on One with Taryn Manning)
9:00 pm – OIFF 2023 WALKS INTO THE SUNSET
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12:30 PM – UNLEASHED PROGRAM
12:30pm – YELLOWSTONE 88 – SONG OF FIRE
Director: Jerry van de Beek, Betsy De Fries
Writer: Betsy De Fries
Cast: Peter Coyote
Origin: United States
Runtime: 5:44
In the summer of 1988 dry lightning sparked a fire in the parched and drought ridden landscape of Yellowstone Park, igniting a blaze that would scorch over 1.5 million perimeter acres of the park. Song of Fire, a narrative poem, guides the animation of YELLOWSTONE 88 telling the story of this conflagration that raged unabated for months until a snow of such intense severity extinguished the flames. That winter surviving Fauna, exhausted from fire and weakened by hunger, die in greater numbers than those claimed by the fire. The cosmos turns from one season to another and another and life in the park begins anew.
12:35pm – MUSHER (Trailer)
Director: Anuradha Rana, Laurie Little
Producer: B. Rich, Anuradha Rana, Laurie Little
Origin: United States
Runtime: 75 Minutes
Musher peels back the veil behind the bond that four women have between their dogs and the world of sled-dog racing. As each woman prepares for the Copperdog annual race, we reveal the intimate insight into the mushing community, devotion to that lifestyle, and how women influence the sport.
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(This Program to Be Followed by a Short Q&A Session with Attending Cast & Crew & 10 Minute Intermission)
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2:15 PM – HOLD ME RIGHT – Feature Presentation
2:20pm HOLD ME RIGHT (Trailer)
Director: Danijela Steinfeld
Writer: Shoshana Guy
Origin: United States
Runtime: 74 minutes
Hold Me Right is a documentary that explores the aftermath of sexual assault through intimate first-hand testimonies that take us through the arc of a survivor’s journey. The film focuses on the stories of 10 main characters, interweaving portraits and verité sequences that take us into the lives of both survivors and perpetrators. What is created is a truly unique film that exposes the consequences of our misconceptions about these unspeakable crimes while simultaneously providing a way forward.
(This Program to Be Followed by a Short Q&A Session with Attending Cast & Crew & 10 Minute Intermission)
4:15 PM – SHADOW MOMENT – Shorts Program
4:15pm – THE SPRAYER
Director: Farnoosh Abedi
Origin: Islamic Republic of Iran
Runtime: 8:45
In the land occupied with the sprayers army, no one has the right to grow any kind of plants either in public or private. So many of the people and soldiers do not even know how dose a plant grows or look like, until one day one of the soldiers finds a seed buried deep down in the dust and his curiosity is just the beginning of something extraordinary, something big, something revolutionary.
4:24pm – AN ISLAND DRIFTS
Director: Vivian Ip
Writer: Vivian Ip
Cast: Timothy Wan, Quintus Lim
Origin: Singapore
Runtime: 18:32
Set in Singapore, a young teacher presses for the truth from a maladjusted student, the act leads to devastating results and they suffer the ignominy of losing everything that matters to them. The story holds a mirror up to society, where a mistake can derail a life in an overly pressurized world.
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4:42pm – GRAVEYARD
Director: Ali Daraee
Writer: Majid Halvaee
Cast: Fateme Sefat Zade
Origin: Islamic Republic of Iran
Runtime: 12:00
“This film is about one of the common topics which has been spreading in Iran. This film represents a story of a young mother who has lost her baby due to a negligence. Furthermore, since the presence of the father is required to get a burial permission in Iran, the young mother is striving to find her missing husband and by the elapse of time, she becomes more involved in diverse serious issues.” – Director, Ali Daraee
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4:54pm – BLACK CREEK TRAIL
Director: Soma Helmi
Writer: Jaime Saginor
Cast: Jilon VanOver, Jaime Saginor
Origin: United States
Runtime: 10:35
A woman on a solo backpacking trip battles her intuition when she encounters a friendly and overly helpful hiker whom she can’t seem to shake.
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5:05pm – STUPID CUPID
Director: Marco Bottiglieri
Writer: Ashley Maure Felkner
Cast: Skyler Bible, Ashley Maure Felkner, Jessica Legrair
Origin: United States
Runtime: 11:00
A woman has a date with fate.
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5:16pm – TOUCH
Director: Justin Burquist
Cast: Eva Ceja, Randy Davison, Steve Froehlich, Jayce Venditti
Origin: San Diego, CA
Runtime: 7:49
An apathetic police unit brings in a mysterious young woman to help solve a grisly homicide.
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5:24pm – ACT OF WAR
Director: Drew Marquardt
Cast: Dave Theune, Johnny Ray Meeks, Richardson Cisneros-Jones
Origin: United States
Runtime: 8:09
On the morning of 9/11, two mid-level insurance workers discover a loophole that will void the life insurance policies of everyone who died in the attacks. They can either exploit this loophole, or stay silent and risk a crushing payout. Surely they’ll do the right thing.
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5:32pm – EARTHWORM
Director: Grace Gregory
Cast: Charlotte Foley, Rodney To, Michelle White, Rob Nagle, Elizabeth Frances
Origin: United States
Runtime: 13:36
When twenty-year-old Claire finds out she’s pregnant, she knows she wants to have an abortion. With confidence in her choice, support from her family, and good healthcare, it should be straightforward. But the night before the appointment, skin-crawling hallucinations begin to shake her resolve. At the gynecologist’s office, what should be a routine medical experience becomes a waking nightmare with lasting repercussions.
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5:45pm – FILTER
Directors: Qianhang Shao
Cast: Ling Ling, Xiayu Lin
Origin: China
Runtime: 11:20
Xiaomei is a heavy user of the beautyCam/filter and cannot extricate herself from the world dressed by the BeautyCam/filter. However, the unexpected visit of her mother forces her to face reality. But what is the reality? Who are we without the filter? What is our real appearance? The anxiety and confusion of contemporary young people fermented in the digital space. Will it quietly reform who we are in real life?
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5:56pm – THE MANLIEST MAN
Director: Aaron Adrian
Cast: Matt Kim, Clara Navarro, Paul Beckman
Origin: United States
Runtime: 21:00
A socially awkward virgin tries to hire a prostitute with the help of a self-proclaimed love guru.
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(This Program to Be Followed by a Short Q&A Session with Attending Cast & Crew & 10 Minute Intermission. The Room is to be Cleared for Special Event Seating)
7:00 PM – ‘ONE ON ONE’ WITH TARYN MANNING
Click for Tickets!
Don’t miss this very special 1 on 1 Discussion with Film & TV Star, Taryn Manning. Hosted by the Festival’s Artistic Director & Co-Director of Programming, Carly Starr Brullo-Niles, the event will take place on Saturday, February 25th at 7:00pm. The discussion will explore Manning’s accomplished career in TV & Film with attendees encouraged to participate through an opportunity to ask their own questions. This spotlight on the Orange is the New Black star, continues the Festival’s tradition of hosting celebrated Hollywood talent for local Oceanside audiences in the form of intimate 1 on 1 or cast & crew panel discussions. Note, Tickets for this event also grant you access to OIFF’s 2023 Award Show. Stay and enjoy the show afterward!
About Taryn Manning: Taryn Manning began her industry career with her first major role in 2001 as “Maddy” in Crazy/Beautiful (2001) & followed that up with 8 Mile (2002) and her breakthrough role as “Nola” in Hustle & Flow (2005). She has also worked on the CBS series Hawaii Five-0 (2010), the FX series Sons of Anarchy (2008) and as a series regular on Orange Is the New Black (2013). Her feature credits include Love Ranch (2010), Cold Mountain (2003), A Lot Like Love (2005), White Oleander (2002), and Crossroads (2002). In addition to acting, Manning is also a fashion designer, singer-songwriter, and the vocalist for electronic duo Boomkat.
8:00 PM – OIFF 2023 AWARD SHOW
Note: Our 12th annual awards show will present 19 awards that have been determined by the OIFF 2023 Grand Jury. The awards show will take place at The Brooks Theatre. Admission is granted with the added purchase of an award show pass or a pass to our Saturday Night Special Event which directly precedes our award show. Not that admission of our ‘One on One with Taryn Manning’ event also grants you entry to the Award Show. The full collection of award categories is listed below:
– Best Direction in a Feature
– Best Direction in a Short
– Best Actor in a Lead Role
– Best Actress in a Lead Role
– Best Actor in a Supporting Role
– Best Actress in a Supporting Role
– Best Cinematography in a Feature
– Best Cinematography in a Short
– Best Screenplay (Any Length)
– Best Editing in a Feature
– Best Editing in a Short
– Best Original Score (Any Length)
– Best Art Direction (Any Length)
– Best Narrative Short
– Best Feature Documentary
– Best Short Documentary
– Best Best Animation (Any Length)
– Best Student Film (Any Length)
– Best Picture (Any Length)
9:00 PM – CONCLUSION OF OIFF 2023
The Oceanside Intl Film Festival staff would like to thank the filmmakers, audience, Oceanside Cultural District & our 2023 Presenting Sponsor – Visit Oceanside – for making OIFF 2023 possible.
See You at the Movies!
