Film fans enjoy a sneak peek at one of the films to be featured this year at the Beloit International Film Festival during the Reveal Party for the festival held Thursday at the Hampton Inn.
Greg Gerard, executive director of the Beloit International Film Festival, welcomes guests to the film festival’s Reveal Party held Thursday at the Hampton Inn. The film festival, now in its 18th year, will feature over 100 films Feb. 24 through March 5.
Film fans enjoy a sneak peek at one of the films to be featured this year at the Beloit International Film Festival during the Reveal Party for the festival held Thursday at the Hampton Inn.
Greg Gerard, executive director of the Beloit International Film Festival, welcomes guests to the film festival’s Reveal Party held Thursday at the Hampton Inn. The film festival, now in its 18th year, will feature over 100 films Feb. 24 through March 5.
BELOIT — The lens will be focused on Beloit Feb. 24 through March 5 as the Beloit International Film Festival (BIFF) draws crowds of film lovers to the community.
BIFF hosted its Reveal Party Thursday evening at the Hampton Inn, giving film fans a sneak peek at some films that will be featured this year and handing out copies of the BIFF film and activities guide.
Greg Gerard welcomed guests to the event and said BIFF’s 18th season should be one to remember.
“We’re in good shape. Things are coming together. All our film content is in and we will be set for the start of the festival,” Gerard told the Beloit Daily News.
Tickets for film showings can be purchased online or at the BIFF Box Office, which again will be at the CELEB Center at 437 Grand Ave.
Beloit City Council President Regina Dunkin was one of the guests attending the BIFF Reveal Party. She said she already is selecting which films she will want to see this year.
“I am so excited for this wonderful community event,” she said. “It brings people, not only from our community, but from other communities.”
She said many of the films address issues that we are facing today as a community and a nation.
“It helps us interact with each other and brings us together. This couldn’t happen at a better time,” she said.
Celestino Ruffini, executive director of Visit Beloit, said the film festival is a unique event for the community.
“The value of BIFF is it embraces and showcases the art community,” Ruffini said.
He also noted that Visit Beloit not only is one of the sponsors for the film festival, but it is one of the venues for showing films this year.
There will be eight venues where films will be shown this year — La Casa Grande, Bagels & More, Visit Beloit, 5Bar, the Downtown Beloit Association, the Hendricks Center, Hotel Goodwin and the Beloit College Powerhouse.
Some of the special features for this year’s film festival will include The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which will be this year’s Sing-Along film. It will be featured at 10 p.m. on Feb. 25 at La Casa Grande, 618 Fourth St.
Top Gun will be the BIFF Classic Film this year. It will be shown at 2:30 p.m. on March 5 at La Casa Grande.
This year’s honorary chairperson for BIFF is Gavin Michael Booth and he will be offering two Director’s Cut presentations during the film festival — at 5 p.m. on Feb. 25 and at 5 p.m. on March 4. Both presentations will be at the Weissberg Auditorium at the Beloit College Powerhouse, 850 Pleasant St.
There also will be BIFF in the Classroom, BIFF After Dark activities, short film presentations and more.
