The organizers of Charleston's International Film Festival turned out to be a nice bunch of folks. They provided an enjoyable experience for filmmakers, local moviegoers and visitors. The Terrace Theater was an appropriate venue for a cautious first year of a festival.

For me, the event offered a chance to help out where I could, catch up with friends and introduce a few entertaining films that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. I'm glad Osso Bucco won the Audience Choice award; with its infectious charm and competent acting, this crowd pleaser deserved its prize.

Best of all I got to see Post & Courier film critic Bill Thompson letting his hair down. This inveterate newshound is usually stuck at his desk barking at people on the phone or weeping into his popcorn in a dark screening room, so I'm sure a few late night parties in venues like Bridgeside and the Cottage on the Creek in Mount Pleasant didn't do him any harm.

The Golden Crescent Award for best film went to Camille. The Jury Award for Best Feature went to Crazy. (Incidentally, one of the jury members was my fellow West Countryman John Cleese). The Golden Crescent Screenplay Competition was won by Natashia Sanders for her script, The Spinning Wheel.

For full details on winners and a wrap up of the event, visit the International Film Festival website.

International Film Fest Update

I'm enjoying the Charleston International Film Festival and I caught a charming flick yesterday called Osso Bucco. It stars Illeana Douglas and Mike Starr (who you'll instantly recognize as a heavy from countless gangster films - he's appeared in almost 100 motion pictures).



Osso Bucco is a character study-type comedy set in an Italian restaurant, with two gansgters forced to sit down to eat with two cops. If you miss it at your local movie theatre, be sure to check out the DVD.






Today I'll be back to catch more movies, including On the Road With Judas and Brad Jayne's short about the Jenkins Orphanage, Song of Pumpkin Brown. It will be accompanied by four other shorts so if you're in town, the festival's definitely worth a look.