Just a kid in a candy store...

So, the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival is just around the corner and many of us at New Times are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to interact with the creative, industrious minds that bring these beautiful works of art to life. In fact, we're so excited that those of us in the editorial department were inspired to create a movie of our own, a quirky, eclectic film that (hopefully) conveys just how much we love movies. We'll be posting a link to the video in the next couple of days, and until then we'll be providing updates about the films we're most excited about, snippets of information about the filmmakers we meet (not who they're dating or whether they were spotted at Starbucks sipping a grande caramel frappucino, but the real stuff: how they feel about the film industry, what inspires them to accept the roles they choose, etc.) and any other bits of information we find ourselves incapable of keeping to ourselves. Just before the festivals actually begin, we'll let you know which screenings we'll be attending (we had the good fortune to receive a box of screening films a week or so ago, so we're in the know: stick with us, and you're film festival experience will be fantastic) and give you a quick profile of what's happening each day. It may not be possible to attend EVERYTHING, so think of us as a user-friendly festival guide. And feel free to post your own opinions and observations of the festival.
-Ashley Schwellenbach
PS Want to put a face to your friendly New Times movie guide? Check out the back page of your film festival program. We're the Life Aquatic Geeks: a hodgepodge group struggling to fling ourselves into the future while paying homage to our past, at times as derided as Steve Zissou, but also beloved. We are on a daily quest for a mythical leopard shark.