The Beaufort Regional Film Commission was established in July 2004. Its purpose is to promote the film Friendly region of the South Carolina lowcountry and to serve as liaison with interested producers from the film, television and photography industries. Working cooperatively with the South Carolina Film Office, the Regional Commission hopes to bring back the Holly;vood glitz and glamour of past years when such films as The Prince of Tides, The Big Chill, and Forrest Gump used BeauFort's sweeping marsh vistas and scenic landscapes as the backdrop for these block­ buster films. With the South Carolina Production Incentives the state has seen a sharp rise in major fea­ture and television productions in other parts of the state, but Beaufort has yet to land the "big one", This is not to say that the Commission's efforts have not yield­ ed results though. With a lengthy list of long term goals the Commission has accomplished some of them, like establishing a locations database, creating local business incentives consisting of hotel and restaurant discounts, establishing a Community Resource Netv.rork made up of industry professionals and other people just interest­ed in the art of Filmmaking. A DVD was also created by the Commission which showcases the region and is pro­vided to Filmmakers and creative directors on request. Scenes from the DVD were used in stories presented by the CBS Morning Sha\.v and ABC's Good Ivlorning America. J n addition, national cable networks and award winning documentary producers completed work in the region for national broadcasts.

Another goal accomplished was the creation of an international film festival. In February 2007 the first Beaufort Film Festival was held and by all accounts was a great success. In all, more than 150 entries were received from around the world. The three day festival presented feature films, shorts, documentaries, animated programs, student films, music videos, and screen­plays. Filmmakers from around the country attended and people from throughout the southeast came to see what Beaufort's first festival had to offer. Presented as part of the Beaufort Kaleidoscope \vhich included a food festival and art walk, the film event seemed to garner the most attention. The 2008 Beaufort Kaleidoscope featuring The Beaufort Film Festlval was expanded to 4 days and held March 6-9. Once again the festival was a great success and next year looks to be no different. The new dates for 2009 are march 5-8. For more information about the Beaufort Regional Film Commission visit www.beaufortfilmcommission.org and to stay up do date with the latest on the Beaufort Film Festival check in at www.beaufortfilmfestlval.com and www.beaufortkaleidoscope.com.