The fifth annual Oceanside International Film Festival opened with a red carpet event Sunday and continues for eight days.
Festival co-chair Dmitriy Demidov said a growing number of film festivals are popping up around San Diego because aspiring independent filmmakers are looking for places to show their work.
“Film festivals are showing up in San Diego County. There is a reason for that, there is a demand for that,” Demidov said. “This has a lot to do with the filmmaker’s resume. For serious filmmakers, festivals, they’re part of their plan.”
The Oceanside film festival, like other San Diego County film festivals, features high quality, low budget films.
Demidov said many filmmakers who enter hope to gain attention and add festival wins to their resume. A couple of films in this year’s festival are at the end of their festival run, he said, and have secured wider commercial distribution.
Of 75 films being shown at the Oceanside festival, 28 are by local filmmakers.
Kurtis Anton is showing a trailer of his short film, “What Child is This,” at the festival. He plans to initiate a film festival in Encinitas later this year, where his work can be shown, along with other independent films.
He has already secured a venue and bought naming rights for the short film festival, which he plans to hold in December.
The Oceanside International Film Festival runs through Aug. 16.
