We got back from San Luis Obispo a few days ago, but I'm still smiling about what a great time I had.
San Luis Obispo International Film Festival was the World Premiere of Girl Meets Roach, and I'm pretty sure having this as our first festival experience has spoiled me a bit - it's certainly set the bar high! From the personal festival concierge, to the amazing swag bag filled with local goodies, to the filmmaker tent with social gatherings every night, Wendy and Nancy and the rest of the team at SLOIFF went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed. I was a little nervous to head up to the Festival by myself on Wednesday (the rest of the Girl Meets Roach group couldn't join me until the weekend), but from the moment my train pulled into the local station and my concierge Amy was waiting to meet me, I knew I was in good hands. The first people I met at festival headquarters quickly turned into awesome new friends, and from there, my days were filled with excellent films and excellent people. (And excellent wine!)
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| Obligatory selfie with my badge. |
Our two screenings for Girl Meets Roach were so much fun - it's hard to describe the feeling of watching the film with an audience for the first time, but it was a mix of elation and terror. The audiences really seemed to enjoy the film, though! They laughed in all the right places and asked some great questions during the Q&A sessions. One audience member came up to me afterward and told me the film was "painfully relatable" - which is pretty much exactly what I was going for, so I'll call that a success!
In addition to attending our own screenings, I had the chance to see a bunch of other wonderful films over the course of the Festival, including a large selection of powerful and fascinating documentaries, all of which completely blew me away. Getting the chance to talk to the people who made these films only enhanced the experience. It was fantastic to meet so many talented, friendly filmmakers and film lovers. SLOIFF is certainly an experience I will cherish, and I can't wait to go back!
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| Thank you SLOIFF! |
