The Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) announced today the full slate of programming for the upcoming 27th annual edition. Live and in-person screenings and events will take place across Sarasota April 4 through April 13, 2025. The 27th Sarasota Film Festival will feature a lineup of films that includes 37 features, with 4 World Premieres, 10 Florida Premieres; and 41 short films.
The festival is set to open on April 4 with Peter Miller’s Marcella, the extraordinary story of Marcella Hazan, who changed how we cook and experience Italian food (and who spent her last years on Longboat Key). Through her cookbooks and teaching – and an uncompromising commitment to Italian tradition – her impact was felt in millions of American home kitchens. Subjects Victor Hazan and Giuliano Hazan with Director Peter Miller will attend the festival in-person and participate in a post-screening talkback.
On Sunday, April 13, the festival will close with a special presentation of Taylor McFadden’s Lovers, where two women return to their hometown for the funeral of a friend who has taken his own life. They find themselves reconnecting with their old community at the local dive bar music venue and are reminded of the power of coming together through music. Director Taylor McFadden will also be in attendance and will participate in a Q&A conversation immediately following the film’s Florida Premiere screening. Singer-songwriter and Executive Producer Nathaniel Rateliff will have an acoustic performance following the film’s screening.
The Narrative Feature Competition will showcase Color Book, directed by David Fortune; Long Shadows, directed by William Shockleyi; The Summer Book, directed by Charlie McDowell and starring Glenn Close; and Mistura, directed by Ricardo Montreuil.
“I could not be more happy about the exceptional films featured in this year’s lineup for the 27th annual Sarasota Film Festival,” said Mark Famiglio, Chairman of the Sarasota Film Festival and President of its Board. “We’re honored to welcome Rome Flynn, a rising star whose work spans multiple acclaimed television shows and this year’s Innovation in Television Award recipient Chris Brancato to our vibrant community. With Hollywood taking notice of the state’s new production incentives and more filmmakers setting their sights on Florida, it’s clear that our state is becoming a destination for storytelling, innovation, and opportunity. As always, we’re committed to advancing film education and fostering creativity, while also boosting local tourism through our valuable partnership with New College of Florida.”
Here is the complete lineup of the 27th Sarasota Film Festival.
OPENING NIGHT FILM
MARCELLA
dir. Peter Miller (USA), 2024.
The extraordinary, enriching story of Marcella Hazan, who changed how we cook and experience Italian food (and who spent her last years on Longboat Key). Through her cookbooks and teaching – and an uncompromising commitment to Italian tradition – her impact was felt in millions of American home kitchens.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
LOVERS
dir. Taylor McFadden (USA), 2024
Two women return to their hometown for the funeral of a friend who has taken his own life. They find themselves reconnecting with their old community at the local dive bar music venue, and are reminded of the power of coming together through music.
CENTERPIECE SHOWCASE
GODFATHER OF HALEM
World Premiere
showrunner. Chris Brancato (USA), 2025.
From Chris Brancato, creator of Narcos and Hotel Cocaine, Season 4 stars Academy® Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker as Bumpy Johnson, alongside Ilfenesh Hadera, Lucy Fry, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Erik LaRay Harvey, Michael Raymond James, Elvis Nolasco, and Erik Palladino, and introduces Frank Lucas portrayed by Daytime Emmy® Award-winning actor Rome Flynn. The first three seasons are currently available to stream on MGM+.
In Season 4 of Godfather of Harlem, Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker) continues his bloody war for control of Harlem against New York’s Mafia families, while contending with the arrival of gangster Frank Lucas (Rome Flynn). After Malcolm X’s (Jason Alan Carvell) tragic assassination, Bumpy must also grapple with his daughter Elise’s (Antoinette Crowe-Legacy) involvement with the Black Panthers.
Produced by 20th Television, the series is executive produced by Chris Brancato, Paul Eckstein, Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, James Acheson, Markuann Smith, Ray Quinlan, Michael Panes, and Stephen Schiff, with Swizz Beatz serving as executive music producer.
Sarasota Film Festival will present the first two episodes of the mob drama.
2024 OSCAR NOMINATED ANIMATION SHORTS
BEAUTIFUL MEN
Nicolas Keppens
IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRRESS
Hossein Molayemi, Shirin Sohani
**Oscar Winner
MAGIC CANDLES
Daisuke Nishio
WANTER TO WONDER
Nina Gantz
YUCK!
Loïc Espuche
SPOTLIGHT FEATURES
ANXIETY CLUB
Florida Premiere
dir. Wendy Lobel (USA), 2024.
An intimate and humorous look at anxiety through the eyes and minds of some of today’s most brilliant comedians, including Sarasota’s own Tiffany Jenkins. Through exclusive interviews, stand-up performances, sketch videos, therapy and everyday life, they share their personal relationships with anxiety.
BEING MARIA
dir. Jessica Palud (France), 2025.
A moving portrait of the turbulent life and career of the late Maria Schneider, a promising young French actress struggling to break into film who became the star of the now infamous Last Tango in Paris alongside Marlon Brando (played in a spot-on performance by Matt Dillon).
BEYOND THE GAZE: JULE CAMPBELL’S SWIMSUIT ISSUE
Florida Premiere
dir. Jill Campbell (USA), 2024
In the 1960s, photographer Jule Campbell shattered glass ceilings by transforming a struggling magazine into a media empire: the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Daughter Jill Campbell chronicles her 32-year reign, where she championed intelligence and empowered supermodels including Christie Brinkley, Cheryl Tiegs and Roshumba Williams.
LONG SHADOWS
Florida Premiere
dir. William Shockley (USA, 2025)
In the 1890s West, a young boy’s mother and father are savagely murdered, and years later the young adult sets out for revenge – but the love of a girl and psychological trauma lead him down a mystifying path. Dermot Mulroney and Jacqueline Bisset co-star.
ONE TO ONE: JOHN AND YOKO
Florida Premiere
dir. Kevin MacDonald (UK), 2025
A revelatory exploration of the seminal and transformative 18 months that one of music’s most famous couples — John Lennon and Yoko Ono — spent living in Greenwich Village, New York City, in the early 1970s.
THE SUMMER BOOK
dir. Charlie McDowell (UK/Finland), 2025
Glenn Close stars in this touching story of a nine-year-old girl, growing up fast, and her grandmother, who is nearing the end of her life. Their summer together will change them both in dramatic ways. Based on Tove Jansson’s beloved novel. (In English.)
THE WEDDING BANQUET
dir. Andrew Ahn (USA), 2025
Frustrated with his commitment-phobic boyfriend and out of time, Min makes a proposal: a green card marriage with his lesbian friend Angela in exchange for expensive in vitro fertilization treatments for her partner. Plans change – and change again – in this delightful, uproarious and touching comedy.
UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG
dir. Jacques Demy (France), 1964
Rain splashes on cobblestone streets, multi-colored parapluies pop up against pastel walls, and ardent lovers rendezvous, while music fills the air. It’s all on the rues de Cherbourg, on which Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castellnuovo meet, in the most ethereal of creations. A 4K restoration of this classic one-of-a-kind masterpiece musical — one of the most beautiful and romantic films of all time.
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
COLOR BOOK
Florida Premiere
dir. David Fortune (USA), 2024.
In this tender slice-of-life drama, the recently widowed Lucky adjusts to life as the now-primary caretaker of his son Mason, who has Down syndrome. An emotionally rich, sensitive portrait of the special bond between a devoted single father and his son.
LONG SHADOWS
dir. William Shockley (USA), 2025.
In the 1890s West, a young boy’s mother and father are savagely murdered, and years later the young adult sets out for revenge – but the love of a girl and psychological trauma lead him down a mystifying path. Dermot Mulroney and Jacqueline Bisset co-star.
THE SUMMER BOOK
dir. Charlie McDowell (UK/Finland), 2024.
Glenn Close stars in this touching story of a nine-year-old girl, growing up fast, and her grandmother, who is nearing the end of her life. Their summer together will change them both in dramatic ways. Based on Tove Jansson’s beloved novel. (In English.)
MISTURA
dir. Ricardo de Montreuil (USA), 2024.
In 1960s Peru, a privileged French-Peruvian woman’s life unravels when her husband’s betrayal ostracizes her from elite society, and leads her to a restaurant-running venture and to embrace people from the very communities that she was raised to disregard.
INDEPENDENT VISIONS FEATURE COMPETITION
BOYS GO TO JUPITER
dir. Julias Glander (USA), 2024.
Land O’ Lakes native Julias Glander crafts a dreamy, surreal and funny animated coming-of-age story about a teenage gig worker in suburban Florida whose quest to make $5,000 is derailed by the appearance of a gelatinous little dude from outer space.
MICRO BUDGET
dir. Morgan Evans (USA), 2024
A comedy about an aspiring director who recklessly moves himself and his nine-months-pregnant actress wife from Iowa to LA to shoot a low-budget indie movie and sell it to a streamer “for a “f***-ton of money”.
THE BOOK OF JOBS
dir. Kayci Lacob (USA), 2024.
Kayci Lacob’s humorous, poignant autobiographically inspired debut feature chronicles a Steve Jobs-worshiping Silicon Valley teen who discovers that a tech giant’s example doesn’t always provide a reliable roadmap to the problems of everyday suburban life.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
AIN’T NO BACK TO A MERRY-GO-ROUND
dir. Ilana Trachtman (USA), 2024
Surviving protesters rescue this untold, inspiring story of the price and power of activism when five Howard University students sat on a carousel in a Maryland whites-only amusement park in 1960, and a nearby white community joined the Black students in picketing.
ARIA
World Premiere
dir. Karen Day (USA), 2025.
Opera rap, soul and hip-hop combine in the high-stakes story of diverse, young singers (some of which have performed at the Sarasota Opera) vying to perform on the world’s biggest opera stages, and who express the love, struggle, heartbreak, sacrifice and joy of pursuing your dreams.
DEADLY DECEPTION AT SOBIBOR
dir. Gary Hochman (USA), 2023.
In a compelling tale of detection, a 10-year investigation unearths evidence of a Nazi cover-up of a factory of death in a remote forest in Poland, where archeologists have unearthed what the Nazis tried to erase from history.
GALLAGHER
Florida Premiere
dir. Josh Forbes (USA), 2024.
Smashing a watermelon with a giant mallet to the messy delight of audiences, Leo Gallagher became one of the biggest comedy acts of the 1980s and shot to superstardom. But tastes change, and now the aging Gallagher seeks the respect he deserves as an innovator.
MARLEE MATLIN: NOT ALONE ANYMORE
dir. Shoshanna Stern (USA), 2025.
In 1987, 21-year-old Marlee Matlin became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award and was thrust into the spotlight. Reflecting on her life in her primary language of American Sign Language, Marlee explores the complexities of what it means to be a trailblazer.
ON THE FRONTLINES OF HUNGER
dir. Amor Aditya (United Kingdom)
Tigray, northern Ethiopia, was at the epicentre of the 80’s famine that killed one million people and inspired Live Aid. Now, 40 years later, history is in danger of repeating itself. A chronicle of the region’s current state featuring a stark interview with Bob Geldof.
SALLY
dir. Cristina Costantini (USA), 2025.
Sally Ride became the first American woman to blast off into space, but beneath her unflappable composure was a secret. Sally’s life partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, reveals their hidden romance and the sacrifices that accompanied their 27 years together.
SHELF LIFE
Florida Premiere
dir. Ian Cheney (USA), 2024.
A captivating, contemplating culinary and philosophical journey taking us on a global odyssey into the world of cheese, drawing unexpected parallels between the aging process of this beloved food and the human experience of growing old.
SPEAK.
dir. Jennifer Tiexiera & Guy Mossman (USA), 2025.
This inspiring documentary follows five top-ranked high school oratory students who spend a year crafting spellbinding spoken word performances with the dream of winning the world’s largest and most intense public speaking competition.
STAMP THIEF
dir. Dan Sturman (USA, Poland, Germany), 2025.
A Hollywood filmmaker learns of a treasure trove of priceless stamps stolen by a Nazi officer from concentration camp victims and buried in a house in Poland. Employing an Argo-like fake- movie ruse, he and his team set out to find the treasure, but run into complications they never expected.
THE LIGHT THEY CAST
dir. Miles Larsen (USA), 2024
The journey of eight Sarasota-area men as they navigate the complex realities of reentry after incarceration. These individuals bravely share their experiences, shedding light on the often- overlooked challenges they face upon reentering society.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
GLORIA 19 & SO THIS IS LOVE
dir. Michael Kinsey & Marquis Dawsey (USA),
Two new short works by Sarasota filmmakers. With help from a rogue AI assistant, A clone realizes the importance of her survival from the powerful corporation that created her in Michael Kinsey’s new web series Gloria 19. In Marquis Dawsey’s poetic short So This Is Love, two musicians (Kristen and Michael) are brought together through a blind date, leading to an unexpected creative and emotional partnership.
MY GUARDIAN ANGEL
dir. Nya Chambless (USA), 2024
Drawing inspiration from a real-life friendship during Nya’s elementary years, this story of the bond between two girls – one stricken with cancer -stands as a poignant testament to the power of love and friendship that encourages empathy and understanding in children — of all ages.
RINGLING SHORTS
RINGLING COLLEGE STUDENT FILMS
A screening of the select short films produced at the Ringling College of Art & Design film school. The shorts include Curtain Call, Culture war, Walk of Generations, Swan Song, Best Kept Shut.
ENVIRONMENTAL SHORTS
A panel discussion and screening of 6 student-made short films about environmental nonprofits: Mote Marine, Longboat Key Turtle Patrol, Save Our Seabirds, Oyster River Ecology, SuncoastWaterkeepers, and Suncoast Urban ReForesters (SURF).
NARRATIVE SHORTS
NONNA’S NUDE
dir. Coutney Ulrich (USA), 2025.
After the death of their grandmother, Lisa and her two brothers gather to divide her impressive art collection. Their bickering turns to shock when they discover a nude painting of their aging Nonna.
COSMIC JOKE
dir. Lauren Cunningham & Jenny Montero (USA), 2024.
Two women, one finding her footing after a divorce and the other fresh out of college, are interviewing for the same job.
GAP IN FRONT
dir. Barrett Lesly Shuler (USA)
After receiving an innocuous text about a gap in her teeth, a woman’s life spirals out of control.
WANNABE
dir. Kat Canntanni (USA), 2025.
A story of two friends who journey and dream of meeting the Spice Girls.
FREAK JOB
dir. Langan Kingsley (USA), 2025.
An aspiring actress must do the scariest thing she’s ever done: audition for a haunted house. Not because of the spooky stuff. Because it’s depressing.
ZIT
dir. Amber Nekum (USA), 2024.
The story of Gertrude as she prepares to ask her boss for a promotion at work, all while a tiny zit on her forehead slowly grows to become larger-than-life.
TRUMPET GUMBO
dir. Brad Courtemance (USA), 2024
Hot off of a win of the country’s largest television cooking show, Chef Buddy Bontemps finds himself under the tutelage of one of the greatest chefs in modern time.
DISCO BEATS
dir. Ken Arquello (USA)
Set at a dance studio in Detroit circa 1979, the story of an elderly man who tries to convince a jaded disco dance instructor to teach him how to dance so he can surprise his wife on their 60th wedding anniversary.
WALK OF GENERATIONS
dir. Delanny Mann (USA), 2024.
A young artist at a thrift store discovers a magical pair of Dr. Martens that connect her to the boots’ previous owners.
CURTAIN CALL
dir. Wilderley Mauricette (USA), 2024.
Jared Wofford (StartUP, Swagger, David Makes Man) and Tony J. Scott (Manhunt. The Equalizer) star in this American crime drama following Rashon, a young, intelligent drug dealer secretly pursuing his passion for theatre. As he juggles managing a team of dealers under his powerful mentor, Kane (Jared Wofford), and leading a play at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, his double life begins to unravel.
15TH FLOOR PLEASE
dir. David Litzana (USA),
An elevator ride is entirely too short to have a good conversation, but entirely too long to stand there and not say anything.
BUTTERFLY
dir. Shelley Roxanne (USA), 2024
In the nostalgic 1980s, Chelsea’s excitement for a concert spirals into a surreal struggle when a butterfly ring gets stuck on her finger, threatening amputation, forcing her on a transformative journey of self-discovery.
SHABA DABA
dir. Tony Deniro (USA), 2024
A passionate, Italian-American Chef tries to fix his Niece’s quirk of only speaking in her made-up language: “Shaba Daba”… all while cooking chicken parmesan together.
MAL CULO
dir. Ana Salinas (USA), 2024
As Annie prepares for a date, a series of misfortunes befalls her butt
HAPPY ENDINGS FUNERAL
dir. Kevin Boston (USA), 2024
Johnny and Marcell Remo are two brothers managing a failing funeral parlor for their oddball Uncle Nicky. Tasked with transporting the body of the notorious mobster Frankie Bananas to his funeral service, everything goes wrong for the pair.
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
DONT CRY FOR ME ALL YOU DRAG QUEENS
dir. Kristal Sotomayor (USA), 2024
The film pays homage to Joseph “Josie” Cavallucci (aka Mother Cavallucci) — a legendary New Hope drag queen that would host annual wedding celebrations in the 70s and 80s that served as fundraisers and a community party.
CAMP WIDOW
dir. Laura Green & Anna Moot Levin (USA), 2025
Camp Widow is a gathering for widowed people by widowed people. The film follows an ensemble of campers who are weary of platitudes about grief, and speak to one another from a place of radical honesty that is by turns heartbreaking and darkly hilarious, embracing irreverent humor as a cathartic means of self-expression.
THE AMAZING LIMPKIN
dir. Darryl Saffer (USA),
The limpkin, a bird that until recently was only found in North America in Florida, is at the center of this short documentary, produced with the help of the Audubon Society of Florida.
VOICES OF TOMORROW
dir. Lena Popilieve (USA), 2024
“Voices of Tomorrow” captures the work educators in America are doing with students to restore civic culture in a hyperpolarized society.
SALT CURED LIFE
dir. Cassidy Rast & Odin Wadleigh (USA),
Food, water and the power of community. Take a journey to the heart of Key West, the southernmost point in the United States to learn how people come together to live on one of the United States most unique islands.
FLORIDA DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
CULTURE WAR
dir. Ceri Mitideri (USA), 2024
A small Liberal Arts College in Sarasota, FL finds itself in a culture war against the government for the basic right of educational freedom. Now, the community must learn how to find resistance amid a reality they didn’t sign up for.
TIGERS OF THE SKY
dir. Ian Edward Meir (USA), 2024
We venture deep into the secret world of the Great Horned Owls and discover their fierce and majestic nature while experiencing the poetry in the trees.
1000 DAYS IN: THE ROMELIA FARMS STORY
dir. Jesse McMinn (USA), 2024
A story about the adversity a local family faced when they took over a farm to rescue the animals that live there. Nominated for Best Florida Project, Central Florida Film Festival.
A LEAP OF TRUTH
dir. Ken Sons (USA), 2024
A short documentary that chronicles the inspiring journey of Jason Lee, a transgender activist, as he overcomes personal struggles and societal barriers to embrace his authentic self. Through raw honesty and unwavering determination, Jason’s story resonates as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of self-discovery and acceptance.
ANIMATED SHORTS
BRIM BROOME BOULEVARD
dir. PJ Magerko – Liquorice (USA), 2024
In need of some retail therapy? Welcome to Brim Broome Boulevard! When a child wanders through a set of mysterious doors, they embark on a journey of self-discovery where fear and fashion intertwine.
HOTEL L’INFINI
dir. May (Hsi-Chen) Lee & Lindsay Browne (USA), 2024
SJacque, a diligent bellboy of the extravagant Hotel L’infini, is caught red-handed for possible murder by a brooding detective who chases him through the hotel.
WHEN THE MOON RETURNS
dir. Brandon Colvin (USA), 2024
Young Deirdre and her clan of druids eke out an itinerant existence in the forest. When the threat of Christianizing forces grows more imminent, a holy sacrifice is made that changes Deirdre’s life forever.
TIGRE
dir. Maria Victoria Sanchez (USA), 2025
Tigre is the animated story of a friend’s grandfather, a refugee from Laos, living in Thailand. A narrative full of uncertainty and curiosity, where a young man who goes deep into the jungle without understanding that not everything is as it seems.
WAR CHILD
dir. Kobishanth Ravindran (USA),
Amid the chaos of a bustling airport, a 13-year-old boy walks with his mother toward the passport control gate, chatting and holding his passport in hand. Unbeknownst to him, his mother is stopped at the gate for lacking a passport. Oblivious, the boy continues forward, swept along by the flow of passengers.
DISABLED: A LOVE STORY
dir. Sheila Sofian (USA), 2024
An animated documentary that explores the relationship and struggles of Terry, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and her husband Jon, who has cared for her since her diagnosis.
THE MOONING
dir. Mason Klesch & Vivian Osness (USA), 2025
The Mooning is an animated mocumentary that reveals the truth behind the 1969 moon landing.
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