29th annual Florida Film Festival lineup revealed
The Florida Film Festival announced the program lineup for the 29th annual event, which takes place Aug. 7-20 at Enzian Theater.
Of the 177 films representing 37 countries that will screen during the fest, 162 have premiere status.
“We are extremely proud to have the opportunity to present these artists’ extraordinary work on both the big screen at Enzian and virtually as well, wherever possible,” said Matthew Curtis, Florida Film Festival programming director, in a press release. “More films than ever will be making their Florida debut at the festival, and we could not be more thrilled about introducing these talented filmmakers and presenting such an entertaining and diverse group of films to our audience.”
This year’s lineup includes works by 88 female filmmakers, the most in the event’s history, according to the release. The festival — which is the only one in the Sunshine State accredited as a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards in all short film categories — also has added a fifth liveaction shorts program, which will give seven more filmmakers a shot at Oscars glory.
The opening-night films will be “Boat Tour” followed by “Surviving Supercon,” and the closing-night retro film will be “The Elephant Man.”
Some Sunshine State highlights: a special screening of “Colours” directed by Winter Springs actress Brooklynn Prince of “The Florida Project Fame,” and a plethora of Florida films, including feature “Some Kind of Heaven” and shorts “The Battle for the Bridge,” “Diva & Astro,” “Egghead & Twinkie,” “Fairchild,” “Is That All There Is?,” “The Mechanical Dancer,” “MyToeShoes.Com,” “T” and “(You’ll Make It in) Florida.”
For the full lineup and descriptions of each film, go to floridafilmfestival.com/films.
In addition to these inperson screenings, the theater will present virtual options.
“We are also excited that the virtual platform will allow a large amount of these official selections to be available to festival-goers across the state of Florida,” Curtis said.
More information on the virtual Florida Film Festival will be available on July 29.
Besides viewing the films, guests can attend “An Evening with Joe Briggs: How Rednecks Saved Hollywood” from 8:15-10:45 p.m. Aug. 14 as well as enjoy free live music at Eden Bar and Sunday brunches ($18.99) from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 9 and 16.
Enzian, which has already reopened with enhanced safety precautions such as increased sanitizing measures, will have limited seating during the festival due to the current 50 percent capacity regulation.
“We are taking every measure possible to make your return to the theater enjoyable,” said Janie Pope, Enzian’s director of development and public relations, in a press release. “Our seating has been physically distanced to ensure safety and comfortability. We look forward to showcasing these incredible films at the festival and welcoming you all back to your local art house theater.”