Full Bloom Film Festival puts foreign feature in spotlight

Tickets on sale now; festival Sept. 8-10

The Full Bloom Film Festival (FBFF) has opened windows into a world of perspectives through its film selections over the past seven years.

This year’s festival, set for Sept. 8-10, will be no exception. The festival will showcase 31 films from seven countries – including one from Taiwan in a coveted red-carpet slot. 

“Although foreign language films have always been a part of our festival, this year we will be highlighting a foreign language film for the first time on Saturday evening.  We hope to ignite a love for foreign film with this showing,” said FBFF Chairman Charles Ashe of the selection of the narrative feature “Hideout” by Director Yen Kuang Chen from Taiwan.

The Full Bloom Film Festival shows carefully curated sessions at venues in Downtown Statesville. The films range from Narrative and Documentary Features to short films and animation. And the selections come from as close as North Carolina, and as far as the U.K. and India.

Making the festival an especially unique experience is the opportunity for festivalgoers to meet and mingle with filmmakers and actors, both during panel discussions and after parties. Each year, the feedback is overwhelmingly positive about Downtown Statesville venues and the warm welcome residents provide, Ashe said.

“It is special that so many filmmakers will be traveling here to see their work -- with our community and hospitality as the backdrop,” he added.

Several filmmakers from past festivals will be returning this year, including Michael Smith, whose Narrative Feature “Relative” will be shown. Smith previously received Best Narrative Feature award for “Cool Apocalypse” in 2015 and Best Narrative Feature for “Mercury in Retrograde” in 2017. In addition, Alicia Wszelaki’s Short Narrative “A Gift for All Ages” will be shown this year. Wszelaki received Best Short Documentary in 2019 for “Flying Fur.”

Another aspect of what makes the festival so special is the incredible community support it receives from local sponsors and businesses, said Iredell Arts Council Director John Koppelmeyer. Director Level sponsors for the festival include: Iredell Health Systems; Parlier Heating and Plumbing; Charles Ashe and Brandon Sproul; Jordan Grant & Associates; Gryphos Creative Agency; Mitchell Community College; and Statesville Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“Our community believes in the arts, and that shows with the support each year for the Full Bloom Film Festival,” he said. “We could not do this without our sponsors, and it is thanks to them that we are able to bring this unique festival experience to Statesville.”

To learn more about the 2022 Full Bloom Film Festival and see a complete list of selected films, visit https://www.fullbloomfilmfestival.org/ 

Tickets for the festival are on sale now and can be purchased at https://www.fullbloomfilmfestival.org/tickets/

The FBFF is also planning a “Sneak Peek Night” on Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. at the Iredell Arts Council’s Old Jail. The evening will feature teasers for films that will be shown during the festival, as well as announce the recipient of the first annual achievement in film award, titled “The Buzz.”