Lowcountry Shorts Festival features most competitive slate ever

North Charleston’s Greater Park Circle Film Society is shedding a few words, sporting a brand new look, and aiming to have a record season of the best in independent film screenings and community events this fall. Park Circle Films (PCF) is turning five and turning out more carefully curated community programming than ever before. “We’re taking the organization to the next level,” said co-founder Nicholai Burton. “Last winter, we reinvigorated our leadership and rededicated ourselves to the mission of enriching the community through film,” he added. “We’ve been working hard to enhance our programming, our community outreach, and the shorts festival.” PCF’s Lowcountry Shorts Festival—now in its ninth iteration—is a juried fest spanning two days and featuring Charleston-area filmmakers as judges. A record 179 entries from 25 countries were received, and 32 selections have made the competitive cut for this year’s event, taking place at the Terrace Theater on September 28 and 29. Festival organizers are dedicated to screening high-quality short films by local, national, and international filmmakers and have screened more than 70 films from eight countries to date. Lending some Hollywood glam to this year’s event, the fest opens with a short starring Rick Gomez (known for Band of Brothers and Justified) and closes with a piece co-written, co-directed by and starring Brie Larson (known for Short Term 12, the 2013 South by Southwest (SXSW) Grand Jury Award and Audience Award Winner). The Lowcountry Shorts Festival takes place at the Terrace Theater on James Island, with 32 films being screened over two days and four 90-minute blocks: Sept. 28, screenings at 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and Sept. 29, screenings at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. For more information about the films and tickets, visit the festival website. Via: Park Circle Films