Greer's OC

One of the many must attend events at the 15th annual Newport Beach Film Festival April 24- May 1 will be the celebration of 50 years of award winning filmmaking, with Laguna Beach based director Greg MacGillivray and his team at MacGillivray Freeman Films.

 “A Retrospective with MacGillivray Freeman Films” includes the screening of “Five Summer Stories”  on Tuesday, April 29 at 5 p.m. at South Coast Village Theater. It represents the culmination of Jim Freeman and Greg MacGillivray’s first decade of making surf films together. A panel discussion will follow with surf icons Laird Hamilton, Gerry Lopez, Herbie Fletcher, Pete Townend and more. MacGillivray and Steve Pezman will discuss the impact of “Five Summer Stories” and the rapid changes of surf culture.

The second big event will be the Orange County premiere of “Journey to the South Pacific” on Wednesday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Regency Lido Theatre about a young boy’s adventure around the islands of West Papau. A Q&A and a multi-media presentation with film clips and tales will follow the film from MacGillivray’s most memorable filmmaking expeditions.

"I can't believe it has been 50 years since Jim and I started MacGillivray Freeman Films here in Laguna. It has been a tremendous journey and I am blessed to be surrounded by such an incredible team of people,” said MacGillivray. “I can't imagine a better way to commemorate our 50th Anniversary of filmmaking than being a part of 2 wonderful events at our hometown festival. Being a part of the Newport Beach Film Festival is truly an honor and a thrill." 

MacGillivray and his team at MFF have also collaborated on films such as Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” and John Milius’ “Big Wednesday”, and award-winning IMAX films like “Everest”, “The Living Sea” and the upcoming “Humpback Whales” 3D. They have earned more than $1 billion in ticket sales, plus they’ve been nominated for two Academy Awards. However, perhaps the greatest gift they’ve given audiences is a close and personal look at places in remote parts of the globe that most will never see.

For tickets and more information, visit Newport Beach Film Festival.