A year ago SFF director Tom Hall strolled up to me at our Selby Gardens press launch event and said, "I have a prediction for you: Christopher Plummer, Best Supporting Actor Oscar-win for Beginners in 2012." And if you watched the presentation on Sunday, you know he nailed it!

Christopher Plummer made a lasting impression at SFF with his wit and candor, his air of both old Hollywood and new. Most impressive of all was his stunningly heartfelt performance as a man who delivers two startling revelations to his son: first that he is dying of cancer and second that he is gay. The performance earned Mr. Plummer not only an Oscar, but also a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award (the British Academy Award) as well as wins and nominations from a host of film critics awards, the Screen Actors Guild, the GLAAD Media Awards, the Independent Spirit Awards and so many more. Now you can see this movie again and even take it home. It is currently available on DVD, Blu-ray, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and many other platforms!

Here is a special treat for you loyal readers. The complete video of Christopher Plummer's In Conversation With interview from SFF 2011!

2011 youthFEST favorite The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore also triumphed at the Academy Awards taking home the prize for Best Animated Short Feature! Huge props to filmmakers William Joyce (award-winning childrens book author and illustrator) and Brandon Oldenburg (who has worked on films such as Robots and Spy Kids

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Today we continue getting you up to speed on the big screen, big budget happenings with some of your favorite SFF alums—including this guy, who's about to be seen as Caesar Flickerman in "Hunger Games". Sounds like a fairy tale come true, don't ya think?

Speaking of fairy tales, when you think of Hansel and Gretel, should you think A) 'trail of bread crumbs', B) 'uh, let's pass on desert, evil witch', or C) 'Sarasota Film Festival'? The answer is C, of course! But wait, how do we leap from SFF to a big screen version of a classic fairy tale? Sound like an impossible mission (hint, hint)? The answers await you in this installment of Six Degrees of SFF!

Ever since a little film called "Alice in Wonderland 3D" by Tim Burton made one beeeelion dollars (no lie, that was it's worldwide gross) movie studios have been scrambling to develop big-budgeted lavishly-produced high-concept renderings or re-imaginings of classic fairy tales. And many of them star or feature SFF alums. Starting with...

 "Jack the Giant Killer". Yup, that's right, beanstalk and all, I kid you not. And featured in the film is SFF alum (and Oscar nominee) Stanley Tucci as Lord Roderick. Playing Jack is Nicholas Hoult from BBC's "Skins," Tom Ford's "A Single Man," and "X-Men: First Class" where he got blue and furry as Beast... another fairy tale reference! Ewan McGregor (from SFF's "Beginners"), Bill Nighy and Ian McShane help round out the cast under the direction of Bryan Singer ("The Usual Suspects",

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