Sarasota Film Festival

The Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) has been held annually since 1999 in Sarasota, Florida. The festival is held in April and has become one of the top ten independent festivals in North America. Please reference Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Longboat Key Observer, Sarasota Herald Tribune, Bradenton Herald, Sarasota and SRQ Magazines since inception.

Info

Sarasota Film Festival’s mission is “to present unique and high-quality cinema in a festival atmosphere for the purpose of educating, stimulating and entertaining audiences” and remains its guide as it selects and organizes in-festival and year-around activities.

History

In 1999, Sarasota civic and business leaders banded together to produce the first Sarasota Film Festival. This first “mini-festival,” featuring eight independent films, six actors (Jon Favreau, Marlee Matlin, Jonathan Silverman, Penelope Ann Miller, Peter Sarsgaard, Samantha Mathis) and a gala fundraiser, has grown to an annual ten day event with over 200 hundred films, more than 250 filmmakers in attendance, multiple special events, symposiums, panels and conversations featuring leaders in the film industry.

Through the years, many of cinema’s leading actors, directors and filmmakers were honored, including Alan Alda, Robert Altman, Kevin Bacon, Lawrence Blume, Steve Buscemi, Leslie Caron, Chevy Chase, Billy Crystal, Richard Dreyfuss, Peter Falk, Marcia Gay Harden, Woody Harrelson, Rutger Hauer, Tippi Hedren, Werner Herzog, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Felicity Huffman, Allison Janney, Norman Jewison, Shirley Jones, William H Macy, Rita Moreno, Edward Norton, Sidney Pollack, Gena Rowlands, Tom Selleck, Brooke Shields, Patrick Stewart, Charlize Theron, Robert Towne, Stanley Tucci, Liv Ullman, Jon Voight, Paula Wagner and many others.

In addition, SFF developed a nation-wide, award-winning Outreach and Education program involving over 10,000 students during the festival, offering the community free year-round Moonlight Movies and monthly Screenwriters' Circle workshops.

The festival works with many non-profit organizations including: FSU/Asolo Acting Conservatory, Film School of Florida State University, Ringling College of Art and Design, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, First Step of Sarasota, Florida Film Commission, Florida West Coast Symphony, Girls, Inc., John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, State College of Florida, Manatee County Arts Council, Rowlett Magnet School for the Performing Arts, Sarasota County Arts Council, School Board of Sarasota County, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, United Nations Development Fund for Women, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, YMCA Community Coalition for Children, Young Professionals Group of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.

In 2010, Variety referred to The Sarasota Film Festival as "the acme of regional film festivals."

External links

• Sarasota Film Festival
• IMDB Festival Profile