Lt. Dan Band concert, Forrest Gump theme, stellar lineup spell big things for 2024 event
By Mike McCombs
The Island News
Beaufort Film Society President Ron Tucker made it clear on the phone Monday, Dec. 18, that he doesn’t usually adhere to a theme when it comes to planning for the annual Beaufort International Film Festival (BIFF).
But even if he hadn’t admitted that the 18th annual BIFF scheduled for Feb. 20 through 25, 2024 in Beaufort was an exception, bringing Lt. Dan back would have exposed him.
The Beaufort Film Society (BFS) announced Wednesday, Dec. 13, that Gary Sinise would be honored with the Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming festival.
“We are honored to have Gary Sinise back in Beaufort where the character of Lt. Dan first appeared nearly 30 years ago,” Tucker said in a media release. “His body of work as an artist and humanitarian is worthy of celebration.”
Lt. Dan was introduced to the world in the movie Forrest Gump, which will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its U.S. release July 6, 2024. Like The Big Chill, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in September 2023, Forrest Gump was filmed primarily in the Beaufort area. It’s massive success is forever intertwined with the desire of many to visit or relocate to this area.
Getting Lt. Dan back to Beaufort
Tucker said he started working on getting Sinise back to Beaufort as early as May 2023.
“It was kind of an evolution of things that happened,” Tucker said. “We wanted to get him here for the 30th anniversary of Forrest Gump, but as things happened, his people felt it was too early to commit. But they said, ‘we want to do it.’”
Tucker worked on several different scenarios that would bring Sinise to Parris Island for a graduation to compliment a trip to the film festival, but noting panned out.
“At some point it was recommended by their people, ‘He wants to come, … maybe we could do a Lt. Dan concert while he’s here?’” Tucker said. “We reached out to MCCS at (the Air Station) for help, and pretty soon, they agreed to support it, the Lt. Dan Band agreed to support it, he’s coming. There will be a Lt. Dan Band concert at MCAS Beaufort. They’ll announce it very soon.”
Indications are the concert will likely be held Friday, Feb. 23, while Sinise will likely commit to be involved with BIFF that Saturday.
“An afternoon or evening with Gary Sinise,” Tucker said.
Sinise’s journey
Sinise has had a long successful acting career, spanning more than four decades on stage, television and in film. Aside from Forrest Gump, his acting credits include hit movies such as Apollo 13, The Green Mile and Ransom. He’s also appeared in successful television vehicles like CSI: NY and the miniseries Stephen King’s The Stand.
Sinise has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Throughout his career, Sinise has been an advocate for U.S. service members, but after Sept. 11, 2001, Sinise became a tireless crusader in support of those who serve or have served our country.
In 2003, after several USO handshake tours, he formed the Lt. Dan Band and began entertaining troops serving at home and abroad. Over the years, the 13-piece cover band has performed hundreds of shows for charities and fundraisers supporting wounded heroes, Gold Star families, veterans and troops around the world.
Sinise’s Lt. Dan Band played the Beaufort Shrimp Festival for three years from 2010 to 2012, and the opening weekend of the festival was known as Lt. Dan Weekend (LDW). But the expanded Lt. Dan Week in 2013 was canceled close to the event, leaving those in Beaufort disappointed as Sinise’s band began to play LDW regularly in Charleston.
He has been involved with the BFS in various capacities in the year’s since, but the 2024 BIFF will mark the Lt. Dan Band’s long-awaited return to Beaufort.
“He’s supported us several times when we’ve asked him to,” Tucker said. But you know the Lt. Band performs almost every weekend somewhere. This concert is really a bonus and really brings the community together for what is a bigger event that includes the film festival.”
Celebrating Forrest Gump
In addition to return of the Lt. Dan Band, there will be a handful of other ways the 18th annual BIFF will pay homage to Forrest Gump.
Firstly, opening night of the film festival will be “something different,” Tucker said. “The Opening ceremony will be at USC Beaufort (in front of the USCB Center For The Performing Arts) in a big tent on the lawn. Immediately following that, there will be a concert by Marlena Smalls and the Hallelujah Singers entitled, “Bubba’s Mama Sings The Blues.” Smalls played Bubba Gumps mother in “Forrest Gump.”
Then, Paul Dingler, the official Forrest Gump impersonator for the Bubba Gum Shrimp Co. will be present for the entirely of the film festival, available for photos and more.
And lastly, but not least, there’s a documentary, called the Spirit of Beaufort, Remembering Forrest Gump, that will debut at the BIFF. Ron Tucker and his wife, Rebecca, are executive producers. They arranged for interviews of a few lesser known figures. Dingler composed an original soundtrack for that film, as well.
“It’s kidn of like this balloon we’ve blown up and watched it get bigger and bigger and bigger,” Ron Tucker said.
‘One of the best we’ve had’
A day after the BFS announced that Sinise would win the Pat Conroy award, the complete list of selections for the 18th annual Beaufort International Film Festival were announced, as well.
“The slate is absolutely one of the best we’ve ever had,” Ron Tucker said. “We have a lot of world premieres that are going to take place.”
The judges have selected six feature films, a high number, including one starring Matthew Modine and John Cleese. And Tucker said, a lot of the films and filmmakers are from The Palmetto State.
“We’ve got more S.C.-based films than we’ve ever had,” Ron Tucker said. “We normally get a lot of S.C.-based films submitted, but they aren’t selected. Two of our feature film directors are from S.C.”
Tucker said around 90 percent of the filmmakers nominated have confirmed they are coming to Beaufort for the festival. That, he said, says something about the Beaufort International Film Festival.
“Those filmmakers, they have heard from word of mouth, from festival to festival, that this is a gem of a festival to come to,” Ron Tucker said.
Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
2024 Beaufort International Film Festival Selections
Official Selections for the 2024 Beaufort International Film Festival (BIFF), Feb. 20-25, 2024 in Beaufort, S.C. Judges selected 55 films and 5 screenplays from nearly 500 submissions from more than 40 countries.
FEATURES
Back to Bridgewood: Directed by Kelsey Cooke, Nashville
Blood Star: Directed by Lawrence Jacomelli, East Sussex, U.K.
Long December: Directed by Thomas Torrey, Rock Hill, S.C.
Scrap: Directed by Vivian Kerr, Los Angeles, Calif.
The Martini Shot: Directed by Stephen Wallis, Edson, Alberta, Canada
The Final Run: Directed by Chris Helton, Hilton Head Island, S.C.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
An Open Door: Temple Grandin – Directed by John Alexander Barnhardt, Fort Collins, Colo.
Filling in the Blanks – Directed by Jon Baime, Decatur, Ga.
Prisoner By Choice: The Frankie San Story – Directed by Daniel Fisher, Lexington, S.C.
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
David Again: Directed by Adam Elliott, New York, N.Y.
Emerald Sanctuary: Directed by Conor MacDonnell, Palm Beach, Fla.
I Can’t Keep Quiet: Directed by Eurie Chung, Honolulu, Hawaii
Rosenwald: Toward A More Perfect Union: Directed by Charles Poe, Bethesda, Md.
The Collector: Directed by Carrie Wachob and Jim Picariello, Seattle
The Volunteer: Directed by David Brodie, Los Angeles
SHORT FILMS
A Shattering: Directed by Jan Jalenak, New York
Because I Love You: Directed by Bob Celli, New York
Blood Is Thicker: Directed by Melissa Skirboll, Long Island, N.Y.
Chipper: Directed by Shaun Maclean, Atlanta
Common As Red Hair: Directed by Robbie Robertson, Columbia, S.C.
Dear Owner: Directed by Jonathan Thomas Coleman, New York
Estela, Is It You? Directed by Fabian Martin and Victor Martin, Culver City, Calif.
Final Score: Directed by Stephen Massar, Charleston, S.C.
Fundamental Shapes: Directed by Colin Alistair Campbell, New York
Hedgehog: Directed by D. Mitry, Albany, N.Y.
Hit Man: Secrets of Lies: Directed by Elias Plagianos, New York
In Search Of: Directed by Leanne Melissa Bishop and Leigh Rachel Faith, Los Angeles
Infraction: Directed by Timothy Blackwood, Philadelphia
Ivy’s Dream: Directed by Louis Leuci, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Nisei: Directed by Darren Haruo Rae, Studio City, Calif.
Night Voices: Directed by Bradley Hawkins, Landisville, Pa.
Not the Same Clarence: Directed by Brian Russell and Samuel B. Russell, Fairfield, Conn.
Our Males and Females: Directed by Ahmad Alyaseer, Jordan
Purgy’s: Directed by Robbie Bryan, Tinton Falls, N.J.
Rough Draft: Directed by Kaitlin Moose, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Safe: Directed by Josema Roig, Lugo, Spain
Sister: Directed by Shane Andries, Rock Hill, S.C.
Split Ticket: Directed by Alfred Thomas Catalfo, Dover, N.H.
Spray Away: Directed by Pete Capo, Miami
Stalking The Bogeyman: Directed by Markus Potter and Jack Dorfman, New York
Talia: Directed by Lindsay Harbert, Los Angeles
That’s Not My Mother: Directed by Amanda Sweikow, Hawthone, Calif.
The Birthday Butterfly: Directed by Collins Abbott White and Corey Maher, Greenville, S.C.
The Magic Ticket: Directed by Yelena Krivosheyeva, Los Angeles
Us. Together. Alone: Directed by Gregg Prosser, Bayville, N.Y.
STUDENT FILM
August: Directed by Eli McGowan, Savannah, Ga. (Savannah College of Art and Design)
Cash Only: Directed by Yuxi Xing, Arcadia, Calif. (Chapman University)
Hog-Tied: Directed by Jack Hisatomi, Los Angeles (Chapman University)
Iris: Directed by Aida Gevorgyan, Los Angeles (University of Southern California Cinematic Arts)
Reagan/Quigley ’85: Directed by Elijah Kimmel, Orange, Calif. (Chapman University)
Slobopoly: Directed by Yinghui Li, Orange, Calif. (Chapman University)
ANIMATION
Dandelion: Directed by Ling Zhao and Zhengwu Gu, Sarasota, Fla. (Ringling College of Art & Design)
KnightTime Story: Directed by Julie Huang, Kayla Rose, and Christine Wendell, Clemson, S.C. (Clemson University)
The Star and the Scribe: Directed by Mariel Jones, Los Angeles (University of Southern California)
Return: Directed by Jingzhi Pan, Orange, Calif. (Chapman University)
SCREENPLAYS
Conviction: Written by Lee Chambers, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Just In Time: Written by Robbie Robertson, Columbia, S.C.
Suffer The Act: Written by Tony Bustamante, Westchester, Ill.
The Pickleball Killer: Written by Jim Carrol, Frisco, Texas
Without Roots: Written by Melanie Hope Lang, Paducah, Ky.
BEST ACTOR NOMINATIONS
Scott Cohen, A Shattering (Short Film)
Richard Kind, Hit Man: Secrets of Lies (Short Film)
Matthew Modine, The Martini Shot (Feature)
Kevin Oestenstad, Infraction (Short Film)
Anthony Rapp, Scrap (Feature)
BEST ACTRESS NOMINATIONS
Nakia Burrise, Back To Bridgewood (Feature)
Britni Camacho, Blood Star (Feature)
Vivian Kerr, Scrap (Feature)
Laura Patalano, Estela, Is It You (Short Film)
Kelly Wolf, A Shattering (Short Film)
BEST DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS
Kelsey Cooke, Back to Bridgewood (Feature)
Jan Jalenak, A Shattering (Short Film)
Vivian Kerr, Scrap (Feature)
Thomas Torrey, Long December (Feature)
Stephen Wallis, The Martini Shot (Feature)
BEST ENSEMBLE NOMINATIONS
Because I Love You (Short Film)
Common As Red Hair (Short Film)
Long December (Feature)
The Birthday Butterfly (Short Film)
The Martini Shot (Feature)
BEST MUSIC SCORE NOMINATIONS
Adrianne Gonzalez, I Can’t Keep Quiet (Documentary Short)
Dave Fox, Because I Love You (Short Film)
Felix Lindsell-Hales, Blood Star (Feature)
Kevin Dailey, Long December (Feature)
Brooke Wentz, Scrap (Feature)
Alain Mayrand, The Martini Shot (Feature)
BEST COMEDY NOMINATIONS
Back To Bridgewood (Feature)
Dear Owner (Short Film)
Fundamental Shapes (Short Film)
Hog-Tied (Student Film)
Rough Draft (Short Film)
Slobopoly (Student Film)
Spray Away (Short Film)
The Birthday Butterfly (Short Film)
The Martini Shot (Feature)
For more information about the 18th Annual Beaufort International Film Festival, visit beaufortfilmfestival.com.The Beaufort Film Society is a nonprofit, 501 (c) 3, member-supported organization, dedicated to providing the highest levels of entertainment and education to the public from all areas of the film industry.
