by Richard David Boyle For lower budget independent films, the path to an Oscar may lead through smaller film festivals, such as the upcoming Big Bear Horror Fest, running October 15th through 17th at the Performing Arts Center. The last two Oscar winners, “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Hurt Locker,” which were either abandoned or shelved by studio executives, went on to win many smaller venues, such as the Toronto Film Festival and became box office block busters and cult classics. One example may be “Solitary” which won audience raves at last month’s Big Bear Lake Film Festival. “I was turned down...