DRAFT DAY, starring Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, and Sam Elliott
The 7th Annual Charleston International Film Festival (CIFF), taking place April 9th to 13th, 2014, in historic downtown Charleston, revealed a lineup 78 films, including features, documentaries, animations, and shorts, including from the festival’s own Lowcountry film community.
This year’s opening day feature is a sneak preview of the soon-to-be released film DRAFT DAY, starring Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, and Sam Elliott. Directed by Ivan Reitman, who produced the cult-classic Animal House and directed family-favorite films such as Ghostbusters, DRAFT DAY follows general manager Sonny Weaver (Costner) on the day of the NFL Draft, as he has the opportunity to rebuild his team if he can trade for the number one draft pick. He must quickly decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of perfection on a life-changing day for a few hundred young men with dreams of playing in the NFL. Football and film fans alike are sure to love this sports drama, which won’t release into theaters until April 11.
Throughout the festival, films are grouped into blocks of shorts or documentaries, as well as evening programs, which include one feature paired with a short film. As many filmmakers, directors, producers, actors, and writers will be present for the screenings, festival attendees have the rare opportunity to meet the many talented folks behind the films and ask questions during Q&A sessions at the end of each block. Whether you’re a film aficionado or just enjoy going to the movies, you will not be disappointed with the impressive quality and diversity of films at this year’s festival. The full schedule is available online.
New to this year’s festival, a film written by Goose Creek High School student Megan Montgomery as part of CIFF’s Script-to-Screen Education Initiative, will debut during Block One on Saturday, April 12. Chosen from more than 150 local students who participated in the initiative, Montgomery’s screenplay was developed by professional filmmakers into the short film, TURPENTINE NAILS.