FREE FAMILY FILMS! Admission is free for all youthFEST family film selections for those 12 years-old and under.

HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS STUDENT CINEMA SHOWCASE
Sunday, March 29

Whole Foods Market
1451 1st St, Sarasota

Films, Performances, Awards, and more! 5:00pm - 8:30pm**
Price: Adults - $10; Students - $5 (Minors must be accompanied by an adult.)
Attire: Party

A celebration of the start of the 11th Annual Sarasota Film Festival starring community students, this is a classic night complete with screenings, red carpet award ceremonies, in-the-spotlight paparazzi photography, hor’devours, and glamorous entertainment! The night kicks-off with screenings of the selections for the Young Filmmakers Showcase, Kids Reel Life Studio, Reel Life Studio: SARASOTA, and Kids Jury Best Family Short Film, followed by Youth Screenwriters Circle performances, awards ceremonies, and an unbeatable party! Don't miss the glitz and glamour of the Sarasota Film Festival's first annual all-inclusive young filmmaker celebration!
**Please be advised that the PG rated program will run from 5:00pm - 6:00pm while the PG-13 rated program will run from 7:00pm - 8:30pm. Reception from 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Click here to purchase advance tickets for Hollywood Nights Student Cinema Showcase.

Following the Hollywood Nights Student Cinema Showcase, join us on Monday, 30 March 2009 for a FREE evening of entertainment featuring all Youth Screenwriters Circle screenplays performed by local actors!

OUTREACH Programs

‘IN FOCUS’ PROGRAMS

Kids Reel Life Studio Documentary Program

• The Kids Reel Life Studio program allows youth in the community to participate in the Sarasota Film Festival in a more intimate and engaging way that is mutually beneficial.
  Pre-festival, groups of students in grades 3, 4, and 5 document a particular area of the Sarasota Film Festival with a digital still camera.  The students are instructed in basic photography and filmmaking techniques, and mentored as they choose a particular storyline of the festival to highlight.  Instructors oversee a creative and enthusiastic environment while showing students how to best tell their story in an iMovie timeline with their photos, titles, audio narration, and soundtrack.
  Kids Reel Life Studio documentaries will screen as part of HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS.

Reel Life Studio: SARASOTA

• The Reel Life Studio: SARASOTA celebrates the art of filmmaking and the city of Sarasota as part of the SFF in a collaborative, mentored filmmaking program.  Pre-festival, selected groups of high school students choose and document a unique aspect of Sarasota, such as it's people, places, and history.  Student groups are guided through the processes of topic selection, storytelling, the basics of cinematography, lighting, audio, and editing in iMovie and Final Cut Pro.
  Reel Life Studio: SARASOTA film will screen as part of HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS.  The films and filmmakers will also travel to local retirement communities and assisted living centers, bringing together the youth and seniors of the area for afternoons focused on the city they call home.

Youth Screenwriters Circle

• The Youth Screenwriters Circle invites aspiring high school student writers into the film community.  Students learn the "ins-and-outs" of screenwriting with a month-long workshop program and leave with a completed short screenplay. Selected students will have their screenplays performed by a local acting company at HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS, while others will have the opportunity to have their screenplay produced.
  The full performance line-up will take place at Youth Screenwriting Circle LIVE!

‘THROUGH THE LENS’ PROGRAMS

The Kids Jury and Classroom Critic programs allow middle school students to become an integral part of the festival's film review process as they view, review, and vote on film awards, learning about critical film analysis and the language of cinema along the way.

Kids Jury

• Kids Jury program directors will travel to selected schools and host a short screening program of appropriate short films accepted by the festival.  Directors will lead discussions on the films, encouraging students to analyze the film, think critically about their opinions, and learn aspects of film production and theory.  Students will then rate the films and vote on the Best Family Short Film, host a screening of the winning film at HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS, and present their award.

Classroom Critic

• The Classroom Critic program is a supplement to the Kids Jury program that will allow the SFF to reach more students.  Pre-festival, selected sixth and seventh grade classes will screen an environmentally or world-view focused film selected for the festival and learn about the basics of film analysis and critical review.  Selected Student Critic reviews will be published in The Sarasota Observer.  Awards will be presented at HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS.

‘…AND ACTION!’ PROGRAMS

Young Filmmakers Showcase

• Aspiring young filmmakers from Sarasota and Manatee counties have the chance to submit their short films just like any other submission to the festival on www.withoutabox.com.  The films selected for this program are in competition for a scholarship prize.  Selected films will be shown at HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS.

Filmmaker Spotlight

• Filmmaker Spotlight brings traveling filmmakers from around the world into high school and college classrooms for screenings and discussions on their experiences in the industry. 

Kids VIP Trip

• For Kids VIP Trip, the festival facilitates weekday field trips to the theatre for students in grades K-12 where they view specially selected film programs and learn about media and cultural literacy.  This program is partnered with Sarasota's Embracing Our Differences exhibit, and students are able to view diversity-awareness artwork as part of their festival experience.