The founders of the GI Film Festival, an event dedicated to presenting the veteran experience through film and television, have chosen San Diego as the home for the 2018 national film festival.
The six-day festival will open at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park on Sept. 25 in partnership with KPBS.
Organizers said the shift to the West Coast from Washington, DC, is a natural one for the annual event because San Diego is home to one of the largest military populations in the United States.
“We have long searched for a way to expand the festival’s footprint and it just took finding the perfect partner,” said Brandon Millett, CEO of GI Film Group, which produces the festival. “We are so grateful to KPBS for spearheading the festival’s expansion to San Diego and we look forward to working with PBS to bring the GI Film Festival to more communities in 2019 and beyond.”
The festival debuted in Washington, DC, in 2007 and expanded to San Diego in 2015. Now San Diego will be the home base for the event.
“Over the last decade-plus we have seen first-hand the critical role film and television content can play in helping to bridge the military-civilian divide,” said Millett in explaining the purpose of the festival.
The 2018 festival will take place at the photography museum Sept. 25-28 and then at UltraStar Cinemas at Hazard Center Sept. 29-30. Many of the events are open to the public with discounted opportunities for active duty personnel and veterans.
Filmmakers of every experience level from first-timers to veteran directors and producers can submit entries. The deadline is May 31.
