Beaufort International Film Festival begins its fourth year

Roll 'em.

A feast of festivals will be spread on the Lowcountry's cinematic table beginning Thursday when the fourth annual Beaufort International Film Festival opens its four-day run.

Following on its heels will be the first Charleston Film Festival at the Terrace Theater (March 11-14), the movie segment of the inaugural Festival of Ballycahill (March 13-17) at the College of Charleston and the third annual Charleston International Film Festival (April 8-11), which is moving to the American Theater.

Leading character actress Blythe Danner returns to Beaufort, where she earlier shot the Pat Conroy adaptations "The Prince of Tides" and "The Great Santini," to accept the 2010 Beaufort fest's award for Excellence in Acting.

For his part, Conroy is the recipient of this year's laurel for Excellence in Writing.

"I'm thrilled to be asked to accept the Excellence in Acting award from my beloved Beaufort, and I'm particularly happy to join Pat Conroy and Michael O'Keefe," Danner said in a statement.

O'Keefe, a one-time Oscar nominee, played the role of her son in "The Great Santini" and will present the award at the Awards Gala ceremony at 7 p.m. Saturday at the University of South Carolina at Beaufort Performing Arts Center. The gala is free and open to the public.

Some 167 films from 22 countries have been submitted for the juried competition and in the categories of feature films, shorts, animation, student films and documentaries.

More than 20 filmmakers are expected to be in attendance, many accompanying their work.

"This promises to be our best festival yet," says fest founder and Executive Director Ron Tucker, who also is CEO of the parent Beaufort Film Society. "We've never had this many filmmakers attend and we are over-the-top with excitement."

John Schwab, a winner in the Shorts category in 2008, is making his second trip to the festival from London. This year, he presents the offbeat feature-length picture, "The Hide."

Another previous winner, Gary Weeks, has two films slated for screening. A winner in the Feature Film category in 2007 with his buddy movie "29 Reasons to Run," he is back with the post-apocalyptic action thriller "Deadland" as well as a film short "Clones Gone Wild."

Also showcased is David Taylor's documentary "Perfect Valor," a chronicle of house-to-house street fighting for the control of Fallujah during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Taylor will be on hand to introduce his movie, together with military historian and consultant Richard Lowery.

For more information, including film descriptions and showtimes, go online at www.beaufortfilmfestival.com.

For a rundown on the other Lowcountry film festivals, see the Feb. 18 Preview section.

Reach Bill Thompson at bthompson@postandcourier.com or 937-5707