Dick Shawn was an American actor and comedian. He played a wide variety of supporting roles and was a prolific character actor. During the 1960s, he played small roles in madcap comedies, usually portraying caricatures of counterculture personalities, such as the hedonistic but mother-obsessed Sylvester Marcus in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), and the hippie actor Lorenzo Saint DuBois ("L.S.D.") in The Producers (1967). Besides his film work, he appeared in numerous television shows from the 1960s through the 1980s.
The culture of San Diego, California, is influenced heavily by American and Mexican cultures due to its position as a border town, its large Hispanic population, and its history as part of Spanish America and Mexico. San Diego's longtime association with the U.S. military also contributes to its culture. Present-day culture includes many historical and tourist attractions, a thriving musical and theatrical scene, numerous notable special events, a varied cuisine, and a reputation as one of America's premier centers of craft brewing.
The San Diego International Film Festival is an independent film festival in San Diego, California, produced by the nonprofit San Diego Film Foundation. The main event has traditionally been held annually in autumn at venues in the Gaslamp Quarter, La Jolla, and Balboa Park.
Peter Gardner is an American actor, best known for playing Darryl Whitefeather in The CW comedy-drama series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
Brian Patrick Butler is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He is known for writing and directing the film Friend of the World (2020), writing and performing in the film Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea (2023), and appearing in the films South of 8 (2016), Thane of East County (2015) and We All Die Alone (2021).
The Oceanside International Film Festival (OIFF) is an annual film festival based in Oceanside, California. It was founded in 2009 by the Oceanside Cultural Foundation.
Mark Atkinson is an American actor, filmmaker and comedian who appeared the films Pulp Friction (2021), Skin: The Movie (2020), and produced the Dick Shawn biopic Leave 'Em Laughing (2020). Atkinson won Best Supporting Actor at World Music & Independent Film Festival and received acting nominations at Austin Revolution Film Festival and Oceanside International Film Festival.
Ray Gallardo is an American film director and cinematographer who directed the films At the Frontera (2018) and Callejero (2015) and was the cinematographer for the films Friend of the World (2020),The Fifth of November (2018) and Touch (2022).
The Power Agent is a 2020 comedy short film written and directed by Mark Atkinson. The film stars Atkinson, Jeff Krapf and Charlie Krapf.
Hush is a 2016 horror drama short film written and directed by Michael Lewis Foster. The film stars Rachel Barker, Luke Bedsole, Eric Casalini and Ghadir Mounib. It screened at San Diego International Film Festival and Catalina Film Festival and won awards at Oceanside International Film Festival and Horrible Imaginings Film Festival. The film was distributed by Seed&Spark and Bloody Disgusting.
Daisy Belle is a 2018 science fiction short film written and directed by William Wall. The film stars Lily Elsie, qualified for an Oscar at Bermuda International Film Festival, won five Pacific Southwest Emmy Awards at National Academy of Televisions Arts and Sciences, was distributed by Dust and shot in San Diego.
Touch is a 2022 crime horror short film written and directed by Justin Burquist. The film stars Eva Ceja, Randy Davison, Steve Froehlich and Nick Young. It won Best Horror Short Film at Berlin Short Film Festival, was nominated for Best Art Direction at Oceanside International Film Festival and screened at Monster Fest and the San Diego Comic-Con Independent Film Festival.
Pulp Friction is a 2021 parody short film directed by Mark Atkinson and Tony Olmos and written by Atkinson. The film spoofs Pulp Fiction and stars Atkinson, Randy Davison and Elliott Branch Jr. The film won the Indie Spirit Award at Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema; received nominations at Austin Revolution Film Festival, Oceanside International Film Festival, and Award This!; and screened at San Diego Latino Film Festival.
Justin Burquist is an American filmmaker and music video director who directed the films Broken Knuckles (2013), Touch (2022), and was the cinematographer for the films Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea (2023) and Pulp Friction (2021). Burquist's films have won awards at Oceanside International Film Festival and Berlin Short Film Festival.
The Last Butterflies is a 2023 short survival drama directed by Patrick Rea and written by Whitney Wegman-Wood. The film stars Wegman-Wood, Cooper Andrews, Adam Boyer, Merrick McCartha, Amber Grayson and Ivy Hickman.
Michael Lewis Foster is an American filmmaker who directed the film To Fall in Love (2023) and wrote and directed the short film Hush (2016). He has won awards at Horrible Imaginings Film Festival and Oceanside International Film Festival.
Louis Byron Niles is an American radio personality, tour manager and executive director of the Oceanside International Film Festival.
Whitney Elaine Wegman-Wood is an American actress, screenwriter and film producer who wrote, produced and starred in the film The Last Butterflies (2023), and appeared in the films Kung Fu Ghost (2022), Carbon (2019), and The Evil Rises (2018).
Beth Gallagher is an American actress who starred in the play To Fall in Love (2017) and the 2023 film adaptation of the same name. She portrayed Amelia Earhart in a stage production and Shelley Duvall in a parody short film. Gallagher was nominated for Best Actress at the 2017 GI Film Festival San Diego and won Best Actress in a Lead Role at the 13th Oceanside International Film Festival in 2024.
