GI Film Festival San Diego returns for 10 years of military storytelling

by Kira Caspers • Times of San Diego

This year’s film festival lineup features 16 films that showcase stories from WWII, the Vietnam War, Afghanistan, and training in peacetime. Themes also include deported veterans, post-traumatic stress, the impact of service on families, spouses and children, as well as mental health. (Photo courtesy of Spark Photography and Arash Tebbi)

The largest military film festival in the U.S. will come back to San Diego this week to feature 16 films over three days that explore military experiences across generations—from WWII and Vietnam to Afghanistan.

The GI Film Festival festival showcases a diverse selection of films that highlight not only service members and veterans, but also caregivers, spouses, and children.

The San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park will host the 10th annual festival May 7-9.

The festival will also showcase unique works by service members beyond military-focused films, including vampires, LGBTQ stories, and mental health in the Pacific Islander community.

“I’m proud to say that we have built a strong community that celebrates authentic military storytelling and provides a space for service members and veterans to share their experiences, talents and love for filmmaking,” said Film Consortium San Diego president Jodi Cilley.

Filmmakers, actors, documentary subjects and subject-matter experts host panel discussions after each screening.

Since 2015, the military-themed film festival has presented over 238 films created by international, U.S., and San Diego County filmmakers, drawing in diverse audiences totaling more than 13,000 guests.

The festival’s stated mission is to bridge the military-civilian gap by creating greater awareness of what it means to serve.

This year’s opening night film, “SHEEPDOG,” is a narrative feature that follows decorated army combat veteran Calvin Cole on his journey to trauma recovery.

The festival also includes a film about the Montford Point marines, the first African American men to serve in the Marine Corps.

Of the 16 films, three are feature-length, 13 are shorts, and five have a San Diego connection.

Seven films were made by or feature service members or veterans, three are student films, and five were directed by women.

There are also three returning filmmakers, including Devin and Jeanne Scott who participated in the GI Film Festival San Diego in six previous years, and Daniel Bernardi who participated in the 2023 festival.

The festival’s online box office is now open at GIFilmFestivalSD.org. Tickets start at $15 and $10 for military and veterans, with multi-ticket packs available.

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