"This is my first email to you as your new Festival Director. It’s been an interesting and thought-provoking few months as a new leader and I’m humbled by the collaboration and support of our community in SLO County. As we look towards the future of next year’s event, we’re exploring all kinds of possibilities to continue bringing important storytelling to San Luis Obispo. Whatever the format the festival takes, whether virtual, in-person, or drive-thru, we can’t wait to entertain and inspire you. So many of you that I’ve spoken with over the last few months have expressed your support and how much our institution means to you and that is what makes our work worth it.

It is with great pleasure that I announce our film festival dates and that we are open for submissions. We welcome filmmakers from around the world and locally to take part in the future of our festival. We also have two exciting new categories: Best Animation and Best Music Video. We have always had a wealth of incredible animated films and we are excited to bring a special spotlight to their work.  Music also has been an important thread in our county and we can’t wait to see what local and global musicians come up with!

March 9th – 14th 2021

In addition we have joined the SLO Arts Leadership Roundtable, a coalition of local arts organizations and live entertainment venues in San Luis Obispo County. We are working together to determine how we can safely and responsibly return during these times, as well as what we can do better within our  institutions regarding anti-racism and inclusion. This is the first of many collaborations that we look forward to being a part of. "