The schedule has been announced for the Ojai Film Festival, set for Nov. 4-14.
The selection team has chosen 74 features, shorts, documentaries and animated films from more than 22 countries. They will screen at both the Ojai Art Center and virtually via the eventive.org festival hosting platform. To see them, click onto ojaifilmfestival.org.
For the first time, the festival has added a YouTube Award for Best Content Creator, which this year is focused on content of YouTube travel channels.
The festival has also created a new mini-festival, with the theme “Enriching the Human Spirit through Film.”
“Every year for the past decade, we’ve noticed that the overall quality of the films submitted to the festival has been continually increasing, and even with COVID still raging around the world, I believe that this year’s crop of submissions is the best yet!” Steve Grumette, the festival’s artistic director, said in a news release.
Here are highlights of the festival:
— Nov. 4 opening nIght. There will be a free screening of the Disney-Pixar movie “Up!” at Ojai’s Libbey Bowl, starring the voice of Ed Asner, who recently died. Best known as Lou Grant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” Mr. Asner is a former Ojai Film Festival Distinguished Artist award winner.
— Nov. 5. Opening night reception at the Ojai Art Center and presentation of the inaugural YouTube Creator Award.
— Nov. 6. 4 p.m. Diversity Program.
— Nov. 7. 10 a.m. Awards Brunch.
— Nov. 7. 4 p.m. The festival’s winning screenplay will be performed by professional actors and director in a live Zoom table read, allowing the audience to experience and honor the as-yet-unproduced screenplay
— Nov. 7. 7 p.m. Ventura journalist Ivor Davis will do a Q&A with Ventura County director and filmmaker John Zilles to discuss the documentary made about his life: “I Was There.”
Nov. 8.
10 a.m. – 7 p.m.: Gold Coast Films to celebrate Southern California films and filmmakers.
“This internationally recognized independent film festival presents opinions and perspectives from all over the world,” festival president Jon Lambert said. “Viewers will laugh, cry, smolder and chuckle as they are presented with globally influenced commentary on today’s problems and concerns.”
The festival will continue to add additional in-person seminars and events that are being planned for the festival’s final weekend: Nov 12-14.
To purchase tickets, visit ojaifilmfestival.com/2021-tickets.
For more information, go to www.facebook.com/ojaifilmfestival and www.instagram.com/ojaifilmfest.
email: dmason@newspress.com
