Save the date for SFF 2013: April 5-14!

In the film Moulin Rouge the extraordinary stage show meant to top all that had come before was called the SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR! For me, that was this year at the festival. A dazzling high wire act complete with pyrotechnics as the Flying Wallenda Family performed at our Cinema Tropicale celebration at the glorious Sarasota Yacht Club (followed by an encore at our President's Dinner inside the Sarasota Opera House)! Amazing breakdancing "robots" tearing it up at our opening night party at the Van Wezel in honor of the truly amazing ROBOT & FRANK. WWE Superstar wrestlers Rey Mysterio and Kelly Kelly walking the red carpet for THE DAY (did you see the little boy dressed like Rey, complete with mask and championship belt?) Frank Langella signing books and kissing babies at Bookstore1 as if he were running for office. (And you know what I've been saying from day one of the festival, I think he will be competing early next year in the Oscar race for his incredibly nuanced and touching performance in Robot & Frank, just like Christopher Plummer who was here with Beginners then went on to take the award! We had Dominic Monaghan from LOST and LORD OF THE RINGS, Ashley Bell, Jena Malone, Jess Weixler, the wonderful and gracious Jordan Gelber (star of Todd Solondz's Dark Horse)... the list goes on and on.

The most spectacular aspect of all from this year's festival was the emphasis on FILMS and FILMMAKERS. With over 235 films to choose from

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I bet your head's spinning just from that title. I know mine is! Wow, we have Penelope Ann Miller today at her IN CONVERSATION, at the FILMMAKER TRIBUTE AWARDS and at the Q&A for her film THINK OF ME! Let's start with a PLAN AHEAD suggestion then hit it hard with quick look guides to today's big events and today's films with filmmakers in attendance! Please note, we have fantastic audio interview with the director and producer of ARCADIA and the director and star of THE UNSPEAKABLE ACT in their entries in today's film picks!

PLAN AHEAD!

IN CONVERSATION WITH TODD SOLONDZ

NOON

SARASOTA HIGH SCHOOL

Moderated by David Carr (The New York Times)

Have you ever met a filmmaker whose work opened your eyes to a way of looking at the world that was at once alien and strange and yet perfectly familiar and speaking to you in a language that you thought only you understood. TODD SOLONDZ is an auteur in the true sense of the word. His films are firestarters. They are also wonderfully human and accessible, brilliantly observed, funny, and breathtakingly real. He is the director of DARK HORSE, WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, HAPPINESS, PALINDROMES and many more. You must see him live and in person (and ask him your questions) in our Inside the Actors Studio style discussion!

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS NOW!

TODAY'S HOT LIST: EVENTS!

 (Click on event title to buy tickets now!)

IN CONVERSATION WITH PENELOPE ANN MILLER - Moderated by Peter Rainer 

1 PM SARASOTA HIGH SCHOOL

Penelope

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RED ALERT! RED ALERT! Film star JENA MALONE will be here for screenings of this movie. Don't miss your chance to see her join director Brian Savelson for our always amazing after-screening Q&As! It's RDW (Run Don't Walk) time to get thee hither to our box office inside the Regal Cinemas Hollywood 20 on Main Street or to get your fingers flying on your keyboard to CLICK HERE AND BUY TICKETS ONLINE! IN OUR NATURE also stars John Slattery from MAD MEN and Gabrielle Union! I've seen this film and I can tell you, if you're a fan of warm, wonderful and insightful films about family and love, THIS is your movie. If you grabbed a ticket for Lawrence Kasdan's DARLING COMPANION on Wednesday the 18th then you'll want to make your SFF experience complete by seeing this one either Friday the 20th at 8:00 PM (date night, dinner and a movie, go to the Half Shell Oyster House just a few doors down then come meet a movie star on a very contented tum, perfect!) or Saturday the 21st at 1:45 PM (get a nice lunch at the Half Shell and come on by — sounds like a plan to me!) 

THE INSIDER: Brian, the film feels very personal, very real. Was it based on actual events? Tell me what inspired this story.

BRIAN SAVELSON: Well that's funny that you ask that. Every time I try to explain this, I just seem to dig the hole deeper. I'm glad that it feels personal because I wanted for these characters to feel very real and familiar. What I set out to do was take the 'two couples go up to a cabin' setup

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Frank Langella! Penelope Ann Miller! Dominic Monaghan! Ashley Bell! Jena Malone! Jess Weixler! Jordan Gelber! Here's your chance to put film and TV credits to the names and to buy tickets to all their films and events here at SFF 2012!

                                                          FRANK LANGELLA                                                                 

THE TWELVE CHAIRS	DRACULA	NINTH GATE	SUPERMAN RETURNS	FROST/NIXON
Directed by Mel Brooks!	Recreating his electrifying Tony-nominated stage role!	Directed by Roman Polanski, with Johnny Depp!	Playing Perry White!	Oscar-Nominated performance. Directed by Ron Howard!

                                                             AND AT  SFF 2012...

ROBOT & FRANK	DROPPED NAMES BOOK SIGNING	IN CONVERSATION
Our  Opening Night film Friday, April 13th at the Van Wezel. Don't miss this incredible tale of friendship, family and forging your own fate.	Saturday, April 14 , 11:00 AM at Bookstore1!	Experience this one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear Mr. Langella discuss his incredible career! Saturday, April 14, 1:00 PM at Sarasota High School.
	CLICK FOR MORE INFO!

                                                         PENELOPE ANN MILLER 

THE FRESHMAN	AWAKENINGS	CHAPLIN	CARLITO'S WAY	THE ARTIST
Also Starring Marlon Brando and

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Read all about it, beginning with our In Conversation news! The always amazing Penelope Ann Miller from The Artist and the sensational Rory Kennedy (director of Ethel) have joined our astonishing In Conversation series this year. And the legendary and brilliant journalist and author David Carr (last year's Opening Night film Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times) will moderate our conversation with Todd Solondz, the eye-opening auteur behind our fantastic Centerpiece Film Dark Horse.) And we have the shining star of screen and stage Frank Langella from our Opening Night film Robot & Frank chatting it up with New York Magazine and NPR Fresh Air's David Edelstein in our Inside the Actor's Studio-style presentation. (Click here or on any of our four participants' names to buy tickets now for their In Conversation presentations!)

But wait, there's more In Conversation news! As part of our SFF@SCF program we are offering a free In Conversation in Manatee County, In Conversation with Women in Film. This panel discussion will be held Friday, April 20 at 5:30 PM at the Neel Performing Arts Center on the campus of The  State College of Florida. Panelist include Debra Zimmerman (Executive Director, Women Make Movies), Ingrid Veninger (Director, I Am a Good Person/I am a Bad Person) and more panelist still to be announced. So watch this space for the deets! 

FRANK LANGELLA BOOK SIGNING

Head over to Bookstore1 to reserve your copy of Frank Langella's brilliant, revealing and

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