The Florida Film Festival will screen 184 films representing 41 countries for the 28th Annual Festival, April 12-21, 2019, in Maitland and Winter Park, Florida. The festival will open with Woman in Motion, directed by Todd Thompson, a fasciniation documentary on Nichelle Nichols who played Lieutenant Uhura, the communications officer aboard the Starship Enterprise
In early 1977, Nichols was appointed to the board of directors for the National Space Institute where she defiantly challenged NASA with one idea: “Where are my people?” From that moment on, Nichols and her company Women in Motion crisscrossed the United States recruiting 8,000 men and women to swell the ranks of diversity in the fledgling shuttle program. Florida Film Festival, Brouhaha Film and Video Showcase, and FilmSlam alum Todd Thompson’s (“Amerigo,” FFF 2017) incredible film gathers together dozens of interviews with Star Trek cast members (George Takei, Michael Dorn, Walter Koenig), scientists (Neil deGrasse Tyson), entertainers (Pharrell, Vivica A. Fox, Lynn Whitfield), politicians (Maxine Waters, Bill Nelson), and a host of NASA astronauts and administrators to celebrate the accomplishments of one woman who has dedicated her entire life to boldly going where no man or woman has gone before.
“We are incredibly excited about our program this year,” commented Matthew Curtis, Florida Film Festival Programming Director. “More films than ever will be making their Florida debut at the festival, and we could not be more excited about introducing these talented filmmakers and presenting such an extraordinary and diverse group of films to our audience. We are proud that this year’s lineup includes 87 women filmmakers–the most in our 28-year history and more than 47% of our total programming! Their voices will be represented everywhere in the festival, including our first-ever international shorts program completely directed by women, and other programs like the inaugural ‘Sunshine & Swampland: New Florida Shorts’ and the triumphant return of ‘Sunspots: New Visions of the Avant-Garde.’”
The 20 features and 59 short films in the American Independent Competition will be eligible for up to three awards each: a Grand Jury Award for best film in that category, a Special Jury Award given at the jury’s discretion for exceptional achievements, and an Audience Award determined by audience votes for Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, and Best Short Film. International films are also eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature and Best International Short, and an Audience Award will be given for the Best Midnight Short as well.
2019 OFFICIAL SELECTION:
OPENING NIGHT FILM:
Woman in Motion – Directed by Todd Thompson, USA, 2019, 95 MIN, First Look!
Preceded by
Bavure – Directed by Donato Sanson, France, 2018, 4 MIN, Southeast Premiere
SPOTLIGHT FILMS:
All Is True – Directed by Kenneth Branagh, UK, 2018, 101 MIN, Rated PG-13, East Coast Premiere
Amazing Grace – Directed by Alan Elliot and Sydney Pollack, USA, 2018, 87 MIN
The Biggest Little Farm – Directed by John Chester, USA, 2018, 91 MIN, Rated PG
Clara – Directed by Akash Sherman, Canada, 2018, 105 MIN, Southeast Premiere
Hail Satan? – Directed by Penny Lane, USA, 2019, 95 MIN, Rated R
Her Smell – Directed by Alex Ross Perry, USA, 2018, 134 MIN, Rated R
Little Woods – Directed by Nia DaCosta, USA, 2018, 105 MIN, Rated R
Ode to Joy – Directed by Jason Winer, USA, 2019, 97 MIN, Rated R, Southeast Premiere
Shadow – Directed by Zhang Yimou, China/Hong Kong, 2018, 116 MIN, In Mandarin with English subtitles
Them That Follow – Directed by Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage, USA, 2019, 98 MIN, Florida Premiere
The Tomorrow Man – Directed by Noble Jones, USA, 2019, 94 MIN
Vita & Virginia – Directed by Chanya Button, Ireland/UK, 2018, 110 MIN, East Coast Premiere
NARRATIVE FEATURES COMPETITION:
Chained for Life – Directed by Aaron Schimberg, USA, 2018, 91 MIN, Florida Premiere
Collisions – Directed by Richard Levien, USA, 2018, 83 MIN, In English and Spanish with English subtitles, East Coast Premiere
The Garden Left Behind – Directed by Flavio Alves, USA/Brazil, 2019, 87 MIN, In English and Spanish with English subtitles, East Coast Premiere
Greener Grass – Directed by Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe, USA, 2019, 95 MIN, Florida Premiere
Ms. White Light – Directed by Paul Shoulberg, USA, 2019, 96 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Postal – Directed by Tyler Falbo, USA, 2019, 85 MIN, World Premiere
Princess of the Row – Directed by Van Maximilian Carlson, USA, 2019, 85 MIN, Florida Premiere
Radium Girls – Directed by Lydia Dean Pilcher and Ginny Mohler, USA, 2018, 95 MIN, Florida Premiere
Simple Wedding – Directed by Sara Zandieh, USA, 2018, 88 MIN, Rated PG-13, In English and Persian with English subtitles, Florida Premiere
We Used to Know Each Other – Directed by Robert G. Putka, USA/Portugal/UK, 2019, 74 MIN, In English and Portuguese with English subtitles, North American Premiere
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES COMPETITION:
Always in Season – Directed by Jacqueline Olive, USA, 2019, 89 MIN, Florida Premiere
Campesino – Directed by Mia Tate, USA/Cuba, 2018, 88 MIN, In English and Spanish with English subtitles, East Coast Premiere
Dons of Disco – Directed by Jonathan Sutak, USA/Germany/Italy, 2018, 86 MIN, In English and Italian with English subtitles, Southeast Premiere
Foosballers – Directed by Joe Heslinga, USA, 2019, 96 MIN, World Premiere
General Magic – Directed by Matthew Maude and Sarah Kerruish, USA/UK, 2018, 93 MIN, Florida Premiere
The Interpreters – Directed by Andres Caballero and Sofian Khan, USA, 2018, 74 MINS, In English and Arabic with English Subtitles, Southeast Premiere
Kifaru – Directed by David Hambridge, USA/Hong Kong/Kenya, 2019, 81 MIN, In English and Swahili with English subtitles, Florida Premiere
One Child Nation – Directed by Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang, USA/China, 2019, 85 MIN, In English and Mandarin with English subtitles, Florida Premiere
Roll Red Roll – Directed by Nancy Schwartzman, USA, 2018, 80 MIN, Florida Premiere
Spider Mites of Jesus: The Dirtwoman Documentary – Directed by Jerry Williams, USA, 2018, 92 MIN, Southeast Premiere/2nd US Screening
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS COMPETITION:
41x – Directed by Brian Carlson, USA, 2018, 6 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Baba’s Next Chapter – Directed by Jamie C.X. Wang, USA, 2019, 10 MIN, In English and Chinese with English subtitles, World Premiere
Betty Feeds the Animals – Directed by James P. Gannon, USA, 2019, 9 MIN, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
David and the Kingdom – Directed by Brian Paccione and Woodrow Travers, USA, 2018, 22 MIN, Florida Premiere
Departing Gesture – Directed by Brian Bolster and Jonathan Napolitano, USA, 2019, 11 MIN, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
Edge of Daybreak – Directed by Alix Lambert, USA, 2018, 10 MIN, Florida Premiere
LARP: A Love Story – Directed by Summre Garber, USA, 2019, 11 MIN, World Premiere
Libre – Directed by Anna Barsan, USA, 2018, 12 MIN, In English and Spanish with English subtitles, Southeast Premiere
Life Overtakes Me – Directed by Kristine Samuelson and John Haptas, USA/Sweden, 2019, 40 MIN, In English and Swedish with English subtitles, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
Mas Fuerte – Directed by Sean Frank, USA/Dominican Republic, 2019, 15 MIN, In English and Spanish with English subtitles, World Premiere
The Next Edition – Directed by Whitney Shefte and Alice Li, USA, 2019, 20 MIN, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
Pickle Man – Directed by Nastasya Popov, USA, 2019, 16 MIN, Southeast Premiere/2nd US Screening
This Film Used to Be About Rum – Directed by David Freid, USA, 2019, 18 MIN, World Premiere
The School of Beauty and Long Life – Directed by Noah Sheldon, USA/China, 2018, 10 MIN, In Mandarin with English subtitles, World Premiere
True Stories by Joe – Directed by Joe Zito, USA, 2019, 8 MIN, World Premiere
NARRATIVE SHORTS COMPETITION:
40 Minutes Over Maui –Directed by Michael Feld and Josh Covitt, USA, 2019, 13 MIN, Southeast Premiere
Androgen –Directed by Drew Lewis, USA, 2019, 12 MIN, World Premiere
Ant –Directed by Mischa Meyer, USA, 2019, 13 MIN, US Premiere
Debris –Directed by Julio O. Ramos, USA, 2018, 14 MIN, In English, Spanish, and Russian with English subtitles, East Coast Premiere
Dog in the Woods –Directed by Christian Chapman and Paul Jason Hoffman, USA, 2019, 6 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Dominant Species –Directed by Joseph Sackett, USA, 2019, 19 MIN, East Coast Premiere
East of the River –Directed by Hannah Peterson, USA, 2019, 13 MIN, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
Father Figurine –Directed by Matt Kazman, USA, 2019, 18 MIN, Florida Premiere/2nd US Screening
The Five Minutes –Directed by Shange Zhang, USA, 2018, 9 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Funeral –Directed by Leah Shore, USA/Canada, 2018, 8 MIN, Florida Premiere
Hook Up 2.0 –Directed by Dana Nachman, USA, 2019, 8 MIN, World Premiere
How to Be Alone –Directed by Kate Trefry, USA, 2019, 13 MIN, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
I Am TX –Directed by Ryan Darbonne, USA, 2019, 10 MIN, Florida Premiere/2nd US Screening
I Want to Marry a Creative Jewish Girl –Directed by Beth de Araújo, USA, 2018, 16 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Kenny –Directed by Jennette McCurdy, USA, 2018, 17 MIN, World Premiere
King Wah (I Think I Love You) – Directed by Horatio Baltz, USA, 2019, 8 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Lockdown –Directed by Celine Held and Logan George, USA, 2019, 12 MIN, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
Made Public –Directed by Foster Wilson, USA, 2019, 14 MIN, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
One Cambodian Family Please for My Pleasure –Directed by A.M. Lukas, USA, 2018, 13 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Party of One –Directed by Alex Simmons, USA, 2019, 9 MIN, World Premiere
Ready for Love – Directed by Lauren McCune and Dylan Pasture, USA, 2018, 15 MIN, Southeast Premiere
Sorry, Not Sorry –Directed by Monique Sorgen, USA, 2019, 8 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Squirrel –Directed by Alex Kavutskiy, USA, 2018, 16 MIN, Southeast Premiere
Sweet Steel –Directed by Will Goss, USA, 2019, 5 MIN, Southeast Premiere
Technology Lake: Meditations on Death and Sex –Directed by Brandon Daley, USA, 2019, 8 MIN, North American Premiere
The Toll Road –Directed by Tom Riley, USA, 2019, 20 MIN, Florida Premiere/2nd US Screening
Touchscreen –Directed by Arthur Halpern, USA, 2019, 15 MIN, World Premiere
Trashy –Directed by Kevin P. Alexander, USA, 2018, 5 MIN, Southeast Premiere/2nd US Screening
Unzipping –Directed by Lisa Edelstein, USA, 2018, 15 MIN, Florida Premiere
White Rock Skate –Directed by Mary Dauterman, USA, 2019, 8 MIN, World Premiere
Will “The Machine” –Directed by Kent Lamm, USA, 2019, 14 MIN, East Coast Premiere
ANIMATED SHORTS COMPETITION:
Albatross Soup –Directed by Winnie Cheung, USA, 2018, 7 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Buzzer –Directed by Albert Birney, USA, 2019, 9 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Clean Slate –Directed by David Opdyke, USA, 2018, 3 MIN, Florida Premiere/2nd US Screening
Code Ruth –Directed by Caroline Voagen Nelson, USA, 2018, 4 MIN, Southeast Premiere
The English Teecher –Directed by Andy London, USA, 2018, 19 MIN, Southeast Premiere
Henrietta Bulkowski – Directed by Rachel Johnson, USA, 2019, 16 MIN, Florida Premiere
Las Del Diente – Directed by Ana Perez Lopez, USA, 2018, 5 MIN, In Spanish with English Subtitles, Florida Premiere
Legal Smuggling with Laurie Lindeen –Directed by Lewie Kloster and Noah Kloster, USA, 2018, 5 MIN, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
Prison Zoo –Directed by Alix Lambert, USA, 2018, 3 MIN, Florida Premiere
Sex and Violence 3 –Directed by Bill Plympton, USA, 2019, 2 MIN, World Premiere
Sister –Directed by Siqi Song, USA/China, 2018, 8 MIN, In Chinese with English subtitles, East Coast Premiere
Sour –Directed by Daniela Sherer, USA, 2019, 2 MIN, World Premiere
Under Covers –Directed by Michaela Olsen, USA, 2019, 7 MIN, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE:
Granny Poetry Club – Directed by Jae-Hwan Kim, South Korea, 2019, 97 MIN, In Korean with English subtitles, World Premiere
Kado (A Gift) – Directed by Aditya Ahmad, Indonesia, 2018, 15 MIN, In Makassarese with English subtitles, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
Mother’s Instinct (Duelles) – Directed by Olivier Masset-Depasse, Belgium/France, 2018, 97 MIN, In French with English subtitles, Southeast Premiere
Slut in a Good Way – Directed by Sophie Lorain, Canada, 2018, 89 MIN, Rated R, In French with English subtitles, Southeast Premiere
Yomeddine – Directed by Abu Bakr Shawky, Egypt/Austria/USA, 2018, 97 MIN, In Arabic with English subtitles
INTERNATIONAL SHORTS:
A Year – Directed by Jisun Jamie Kim, Nepal/USA, 2018, 14 MIN, In Nepalese with English subtitles, Southeast Premiere
Ajo (Her) – Directed by More Raça, Kosovo/France, 2018, 12 MIN, In Albanian With English Subtitles
All Inclusive – Directed by Corina Schwingruber Ilić, Switzerland, 2018, 10 MIN, Southeast Premiere
All These Creatures – Directed by Charles Williams, Australia, 2018, 13 MIN, Southeast Premiere
The Artist Has a Baby – Directed by Sanna Lenken, Sweden, 2018, 10 MIN, In Swedish with English subtitles, East Coast Premiere
Autumn Waltz – Directed by Ognjen Petković, Serbia/Montenegro/USA, 2019, 18 MIN, In Serbian with English subtitles, Florida Premiere
Fuck You – Directed by Anette Sidor, Sweden, 2018, 15 MIN, In Swedish With English subtitles, East Coast Premiere
Happiness – Directed by Maciej Buchwald, Poland, 2018, 24 MIN, North American Premiere
Hot Dog – Directed by Alma Buddecke and Marleen Valin, Germany, 2019, 8 MIN, Southeast Premiere
Juck (Thrust) – Directed by Ulrika Bandeira, Julia Gumpert, and Olivia Kastebring, Sweden, 2018, 18 MIN, In Swedish with English subtitles, Southeast Premiere
Nefta Football Club – Directed by Yves Piat, France/Tunisia, 2018, 17 MIN, In Arabic with English subtitles, East Coast Premiere
The Orphan – Directed by Carolina Markowicz, Brazil, 2018, 15 MIN, In Portuguese with English subtitles
The Role – Directed by Farnoosh Samadi, Iran/Italy, 2018, 11 MIN, In Persian with English subtitles, North American Premiere
Tungrus – Directed by Rishi Chandna, India, 2018, 13 MIN, In English and Hindi with English subtitles, Florida Premiere
Woman in Stall – Directed by Dusty Mancinelli and Madeleine Sims-Fewer,Canada, 2018, 10 MIN, Southeast Premiere
INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED SHORTS:
Bloeistraat 11 – Directed by Nienke Deutz, Belgium/Netherlands, 2018, 10 MIN, Florida Premiere
Caterpillarplasty – Directed by David Barlow-Krelina, Canada, 2018, 5 MIN, Florida Premiere
Cerulia – Directed by Sofía Carrillo, Mexico, 2017, 13 MIN, In Spanish with English subtitles, Florida Premiere
Cocoon, Cocoon – Directed by Ilai Margulies and Ori Goldberg, Israel, 2018, 7 MIN, In Hebrew with English subtitles, Florida Premiere
Egg – Directed by Martina Scarpelli, France/Denmark, 2018, 12 MIN, Florida Premiere
Guaxuma – Directed by Nara Normande, Brazil/France, 2018, 14 MIN, In Portuguese with English subtitles, East Coast Premiere
Hybrids – Directed by Florian Brauch, Matthieu Pujol, Kim Tailhades, Yohan Thireau, and Romain Thirion, France, 2017, 6 MIN, No Dialogue, Southeast Premiere
Selfies – Directed by Claudius Gentinetta, Switzerland, 2018, 4 MIN, East Coast Premiere
The Call – Directed by Anca Damian, Romania, 2018, 10 MIN, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
Vox Lipoma – Directed by Jane Magnusson and Liv Strömquist, Sweden, 2018, 11 MIN, In Swedish With English Subtitles, East Coast Premiere
Waaah – Directed by Sawako Kabuki, Japan, 2018, 1 MIN, Southeast Premiere
SUNSPOTS: NEW VISIONS OF THE AVANT GARDE:
Birds in the Earth – Directed by Marja Helander, Finland, 2018, 11 MIN, Southeast Premiere
Hi I Need to Be Loved – Directed by Marnie Ellen Hertzler, USA, 2018, 11 MIN, Southeast Premiere
My Daddy Was a Gunman (for Madeleine) – Directed by Jimmy Schaus, USA, 2019, 2 MIN
Never Never Land – Directed by Michael Fleming, Netherlands, 2018, 9 MIN
Self-Portrait: Impermanence – Directed by Nick Twardus, USA, 2019, 4 MIN, World Premiere
Shalva (Tranquility) – Directed by Danna Windsor, USA, 2018, 3 MIN, In Hebrew with English subtitles, East Coast Premiere
A Study of Fly – Directed by Cherlyn Hsing-Hsin Liu, USA, 2018, 12 MIN
Wayward Emulsions – Directed by Tina Takemoto, USA, 2019, 4 MIN, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
Winner’s Bitch – Directed by Sam Gurry, USA, 2018, 7 MIN, Florida Premiere
Yellow Line – Directed by Simon Rouby, France, 2018, 15 MIN, Southeast Premiere
Ykcowrebbaj – Directed by Helen Hideko, Austria/Germany/India, 2019, 8 MIN, East Coast Premiere
MIDNIGHT FEATURES:
Bloodline – Directed by Henry Jacobson, USA, 2018, 97 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Dachra – Directed by Abdelhamid Bouchnak, Tunisia, 2018, 113 MIN, In French and Arabic with English subtitles, Southeast Premiere
In Fabric – Directed by Peter Strickland, UK, 2018, 118 MIN, Florida Premiere
Knife + Heart – Directed by Yann Gonzalez, France, 2018, 105 MIN, In French with English subtitles
MIDNIGHT SHORTS:
Black Spot – Directed by Adam Mason, UK, 2019, 8 MIN, World Premiere
The Bloody Ballad of Squirt Reynolds – Directed by Anthony Cousins, USA, 2018, 8 MIN
Chicken Wraps and Condoms – Directed by Jacob Gregor, USA, 2019, 8 MIN, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Screening
Chowboys: An American Folktale – Directed by Astron-6, Canada, 2018, 9 MIN, Florida Premiere
Craig’s Pathetic Freakout – Directed by Graham Parkes, USA, 2019, 7 MIN, Florida Premiere
Docking – Directed by Trevor Anderson, Canada, 2019, 4 MIN, Southeast Premiere
Everything You Wanted to Know About Sudden Birth* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) – Directed by Scott Calonico, Germany/UK/USA, 2019, 11 MIN, East Coast Premiere
First Kiss – Directed by Emily Hagins, USA, 2018, 6 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Get Up, Pierrot – Directed by Gurleen Rai and F. Anthony Shepherd, USA, 2018, 7 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Gwilliam’s Tips for Turning Tricks into Treats – Directed by Brian Lonano, USA, 2018, 4 MIN, Florida Premiere
Meat Eater –Directed by Jared Callahan, USA, 2019, 2 MIN
The Procedure 2 – Directed by Calvin Reeder, USA, 2019, 3 MIN, US Premiere
Salt – Directed by Rob Savage, UK, 2018, 2 MIN, Florida Premiere
Spa Day – Directed by Nichola Latzgo, USA, 2018, 6 MIN, Southeast Premiere
Special Day – Directed by Teal Greyhavens and Nikolai von Keller, USA, 2018, 7 MIN, Southeast Premiere
Trump Bites: “I Do Have a Relationship with Him” – Directed by Bill Plympton, USA, 2018, 1 MIN, Southeast Premiere
SPECIAL SCREENINGS:
FAMILY FILMS:
Minuscule — Mandibles from Far Away – Directed by Hélène Giraud and Thomas Szabo, France, 2018, 90 MIN, Southeast Premiere/2nd US Screening
The Witch Hunters – Directed by Rasko Miljkovic, Serbia/Macedonia, 2018, 86 MIN, In Serbian with English subtitles, Southeast Premiere
FOOD FILMS:
Chef’s Diaries: Scotland – Directed by Laura Otálora, UK, 2019, 75 MIN, In English, Spanish, and Catalan with English subtitles, North American Premiere
Ramen Shop – Directed by Eric Khoo, Singapore/Japan/France, 2018, 89 MIN, In English, Japanese, and Mandarin with English subtitles, Florida Premiere
MUSIC FILMS:
Desolation Center – Directed by Stuart Swezey, USA, 2018, 94 MIN, East Coast Premiere
Echo in the Canyon – Directed by Andrew Slater, USA, 2018, 82 MIN, Southeast Premiere
Maori Metal – Directed by David Freid, USA/New Zealand, 2018, 18 MIN, North American Premiere
Our Most Brilliant Friends – Directed by Piers Dennis, UK, 2018, 70 MIN, North American Premiere
FLORIDA FILMS:
FLORIDA FEATURES:
Marching Forward – Directed by Lisa Mills and Robert Cassanello, USA, 2019, 60 MIN, World Premiere
Pahokee – Directed by Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan, USA, 2019, 112 MIN
SUNSHINE & SWAMPLAND: NEW FLORIDA SHORTS:
AV Club – Directed by Nicholas Markart, USA, 2018, 8 MIN
Bomb Shell – Directed by Ryland Carlin, USA, 2018, 2 MIN, US Premiere
Hanging Bear – Directed by Karim Dakkon, USA, 2019, 5 MIN, World Premiere
Hierophany – Directed by Kevin Contento, USA, 2018, 11 MIN
Liberty – Directed by Faren Humes, USA, 2019, 17 MIN
The Monarch Initiative – Directed by Colin Morris, USA, 2018, 7 MIN, World Premiere
Nothing is a Thing – Directed by Kathryn McCarthy, USA, 2018, 9 MIN, World Premiere
Princess Rita – Directed by Blair Waters, USA, 2019, 10 MIN, North American Premiere
Saving Blockbuster – Directed by Wesley Hayes and Alex Ullom, USA, 2018, 14 MIN, World Premiere
That’s It – Directed by Nikki Willson and Jimmie Roberts, USA, 2018, 6 MIN, World Premiere
CLOSING NIGHT RETRO FILM:
Monty Python’s Life of Brian – Directed by Terry Jones, UK, 1979, 94 MIN, Rated R, In English and Latin with English subtitles
SPECIAL GUESTS:
An Evening with The Blair Witch: A 20th Anniversary Celebration
Directed by Dan Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez
USA, 1999, 81 MIN, Rated R
It was 20 years ago today…
We all remember the storyline: three student filmmakers (Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, and Joshua Leonard) make a deep excursion unto the Black Hills of Maryland to shoot a documentary about an eerie local legend, a woman named Elly Kedward who was banished from the Township of Blair in the late 1700s for witchcraft. For the next 150 years or so, Blair was plagued by sporadic disappearances, gruesome unexplained deaths, and a series of brutal, ritualistic child murders in the 1940s. Things have been pretty quiet since then, and to the ill-fated trio of documentarians, it seems like an ideal time to chip away at the folklore and discover the truth. But the truth may have discovered them first. Several days into the project, they disappear without a trace, never to be seen again. One year later, their footage is found, revealing the terrifying events leading up to their mysterious vanishing. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Employing vérité-style camerawork, boasting ultra-realistic performances by the three leads, and utilizing the internet as a key promotional tool in sparking interest regarding the veracity of the story, The Blair Witch Project brilliantly reinvented the horror genre and has become one of the most influential films of our generation. Its team of creators—directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick; producers Mike Monello, Gregg Hale, and Robin Cowie; and production designer Ben Rock—are all UCF Film graduates (as well as Enzian alumni, in a couple of cases), and the film became the first Orlando-produced feature to ever play Sundance, where it was acquired for major distribution. It went on to win an award at Cannes, appear on the cover of both Time and Newsweek, and eventually gross nearly a quarter of a billion dollars. Early versions of the film were test-screened at Enzian, and The Blair Witch Project had its east coast premiere and second US showing as the opening night film of the 1999 Florida Film Festival. To this day, it is still the highest grossing film ever in the 34-year history of the theater. Enzian and FFF are proud to have been even a little part of the journey for this innovative piece of cinema history and the artists behind it.
Join us for this very special 20th anniversary celebration with a rare 35mm screening of the low-budget supernatural chiller that started a revolution. Then stick around for a post-film reunion featuring cast and crew members.
FESTIVAL FORUMS:
Turning the Tables: Renegade Women of Early Cinema
Sponsored by Full Sail University
Elizabeth Weitzman, film journalist for The Wrap and senior film critic for the New York Daily News from 2000 to 2015, has written about entertainment for publications like The New York Times, Village Voice, Marie Claire, and Harper’s Bazaar. Her new book, Renegade Women in Film & TV, chronicles the fascinating history of Hollywood pioneers onscreen and off. For this very special and highly entertaining presentation, Ms. Weitzman will take us back to the beginning by presenting five seminal works by women who were true mavericks of the silent era: Alice Guy-Blaché (“Mixed Pets,” 1911), Mabel Norman (“Mabel’s Blunder,” 1914), Helen Holmes (“Hazards of Helen: The Wild Engine – Ep. 26,” 1915), Grace Cunard (“A Daughter of the Law,” 1921), and Angela Murray Gibson (“That Ice Ticket,” 1923). Following the event, Ms. Weitzman will be available for a book signing.
Sketches Insane: The Wild World of Independent Animation
The Florida Film Festival is Oscar®-accredited in the category of Animated Short Film, but rather than rest on its laurels, FFF has become legendary for pushing buttons and boundaries with over-the-top and edgy animation programming (including last year’s Grand Jury Award winner “Shahkboy”). This long-in-the-works panel features a collection of 2019 animators onstage to discuss their own contributions to the lawless land of animation, including two-time Oscar-nominee and indie animation legend Bill Plympton (“Sex and Violence 3”), FFF firebrand Andy London (“The English Teecher”), returning alumni Caroline Voagen Nelson (“Code Ruth”), Noah and Lewie Kloster (“Legal Smuggling with Laurie Lindeen”), and newcomer Alix Lambert (“Prison Zoo”). Moderated by Cheryl Briggs, Associate Professor at the UCF School of Visual Arts and Design.
Filmmaker Forum
Sponsored by Orlando Film Commission
The Florida Film Festival hosts some of the most talented new independent filmmakers every year and always sets aside one day just to pick their brains. This lively and dynamic exchange of ideas and know-how inevitably defines a high point in the festival—peppered with tales of triumph, challenge, and creative methods. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime airing of artistic laundry by the filmmakers who get the job done. Moderated by Sheena Fowler, Senior Director – Marketing and Communication for the Orlando Film Commission.
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