I’ve covered a number of film festivals in Southern California such as the Temecula Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, San Diego Film Festival, and a lot more but I’ve never been to Oceanside International Film Festival which is just in my neck of the woods. OIFF now on its 12th year kicked off its world premiere of Krista Liney’s documentary, “I Am Alright” on February 21st at The Brooks Theatre in Downtown Oceanside, the central hub of the festival. Filmmakers from Oceanside, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles to Singapore, Belgium, Israel, Barbados and the Islamic Republic of Iran participated in the short film competition. Actor Paul Beckman, nominated for Best Supporting Actor in “The Manliest Man” remarked, “Oceanside Film Festival is wonderful. I love that filmmakers from all over the world give you a nice perspective of what other voices are out there that we’re not used to seeing so it feels extra special to be part of that.”
Closing out the festival on February 25th, Taryn Manning was the special guest and also the recipient of 2023 Oceanside Impact Award. I caught up with Manning on the red carpet and asked her about OIFF. “I think everyone’s happy and in good energy and happy to be here. I think people are here because they really love films.” She continued by mentioning that she used to live north county San Diego. “I went to junior high here and went to high school here. I just love the chill out nature of it.” Manning made her first appearance in 1991 with a romantic teen film Crazy/Beautiful which starred Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez. In 2002 she played one of two best friends of Britney Spears in the film Crossroads. But Manning is best known for portraying Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett in the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black from 2013–2019.
The 5-day film festival showcased a diverse collection of indie films made by talented emerging filmmakers. OIFF brings a sense of pride to the community and to the city of Oceanside.
For a complete list of the winners, go to OIFF website.
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