The inaugural Central Coast Entertainment EXPO will bring together the film and entertainment community Friday and Saturday at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande.
This two-day event is hosted by the Central Coast Film Society, a local non-profit, and it is packed with speakers, workshops, hands-on demonstrations, vendors, local student and short films and two anniversary feature film screenings.
There are opportunities for high school and college students to volunteer during the event and work alongside industry advisors to help produce and facilitate the EXPO activities.
This event is catered to either local filmmakers looking to take their film to the next level, in the industry and looking to get plugged-in, or film fans.
“This isn’t a typical film festival, we really want to educate and inspire the next generation of filmmakers, writers and actors to make the next big thing,” said Daniel Lahr, founder and director of the Central Coast Film Society. “We want this to be more of an hands-on experience and we are using the entirety of the Clark Center to give the whole ‘behind the scenes’ feel.”
The expo kicks off Friday, with the Central Coast Showcase, sponsored by Allan Hancock College. The showcase will feature films made by locals and student programs.
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This includes regional high schools such as Righetti, Central Coast New Tech, San Luis and Morro Bay, as well as colleges such as Hancock and Cal Poly.
The expo takes over the Clark Center with concurrent programming on Saturday. There will be an array of opportunities for film enthusiasts to choose from, including speaker panels with Women of Walt Disney Imagineering, visual effects, film festivals, film commissioners and building fandom communities (online and in-person).
Saturday will also include workshops of screenwriting, auditions and improv. There will also be hands-on demonstrations, including practical effects involving camera and lighting.
There’s also scheduled anniversary screenings of Star Trek: Wrath of Kahn and Lord of the Rings: Two Towers. There’s also a wrap party scheduled for Mason Bar & Kitchen, in the Village of Arroyo Grande.
To learn more about the Central Coast Film Society, the local non-profit dedicated to celebrating cinema and promoting media arts and entertainment on the Central Coast, visit: Central Coast Entertainment Expo (centralcoastfilmsociety.org).
