12^th Annual Beaufort International Film Festival Rolls Out the Red Carpet

By Mark Shaffer

It’s a longstanding tradition that in the final week leading up to the Beaufort International Film Festival I sit down with Ron and Rebecca Tucker, the powerhouse duo behind BIFF, to get the lowdown on how things are shaping up. And every year, regardless of the number of pre-sold tickets or the massive buzz on social media, it’s always the same with Ron.

            “No one’s going to show up,” he says. “I’m always afraid no one’s going to come.”

Upstate Filmmakers Bring Electric Jesus to the Beaufort International Film Festival

By Mark Shaffer

The Greenville-base filmmaking team of Emily Reach White and her husband, Chris, made a big first impression at the 2015 Beaufort International Film Festival. Their feature Cinema Purgatorio took home trophies for Best Comedy and Audience Choice. For the 2018 festival the Whites (Chris writes, directs and acts while Emily produces) have an original screenplay in competition. A portion of Chris’ long-gestating passion project will be read along with others at the Screenwriter’s Workshop, Thursday evening, February 22nd. The Whites, however, have a twist or two up their sleeves. I spoke to them by phone about the aftermath of Purgatorio, the economics of making movies in South Carolina, Christian hair bands, plugging “Electric Jesus” into BIFF and a strange encounter with Bill Murray.

Beaufort County artists are invited to participate in the Beaufort Art Association (BAA) 57th Annual Spring Show and Sale. Local artists will present their finest works at the show, which includes oil paintings, acrylics, watercolors, photography, mixed media, pottery, woodturning, fine art jewelry, and metal sculpture.

The Spring Show will be open to the public from Wednesday, March 28th, through Saturday, March 31st, from 10 am to 7 pm at Tabby Place, 913 Port Republic St. in Beaufort. Online registration is required at www.beaufortartassociation.com from 8am Monday, Feb. 26th to 5pm Monday, March 19th. Click on Spring Show 2018 to register. You do not have to be a member of the Association to enter.

Artist check-in, following registration, is at Tabby Place on March 26th from 9 am to 1 pm.
You must register online in advance of bringing your artwork in; walk-ins or changes will not be allowed due to time constraints.

Art will be judged by artist Xi Guo. A Signature member of NWS (National Watercolor Society) and NWWS (Northwest Watercolor Society), Xi Guo was born and grew up in Shanghai, China. She earned her BFA in oil painting from Shanghai Normal University and completed her graduate school at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in 2014, majoring in photography.

Xi started to focus on painting with watercolor about five years ago and became a world-wide, award-winning watercolor artist. Xi won the second place in the Watermedia Showcase Competition and was asked to give a full-page interview by Watercolor Artist Magazine in 2014. In the same year, her painting was included in the art-book “Splash 16, The Best of Watercolor: Exploring Texture” published by North Light Books. Her art can be seen at http://www.xiguowatercolor.com.

For more information or to have your artwork registered for you, you may contact Lynne Morgan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call her at (843)525-6229.