NEWS

Welcome To Our New Website!

site Isn't it wonderful? Over the last few months we've worked hard to review, reorganize and refresh our entire online presence, bringing you the streamlined version you see here. We sincerely hope you will find it easy to use, navigate and engage wtih us. Click around and explore, or read on for more about the functionality.

Overall, we really wanted to simplify both the site's look and its architecture. Thus the basic black and white with SFF-themed accent colors setting off the really important stuff: our films, events and outreach programs.

Check out the new navigation at the top of the page, too. To the far left you'll find general info under the "About SFF" drop-down menu. Want to know more about this year's Festival including the films and events to be featured? Chose the "2012 Festival" drop-down for lots of options related to our annual festivites in April. The "Outreach" menu has info on our education department and community partners and the "News" tab holds info for press as well as the link to our in-house blog, a great source of constant updates on all things SFF. If you want to donate to, volunteer for, or sponsor The SFF, you'll find all those options under the "Support SFF" tab. Feel free to contact us to learn more about anything if browsing the site still leaves you wanting more.

In addition to the new design and navigation setup, our web solutions team, Destiny Group, built our new site using a content management solution called Joomla that gives us the

THE INSIDER: Are You the Voice of SFF?

SFF-campaign-2012 We certainly think you could be. To know for sure, we need you to come one, come all to our inaugural Town Hall from 5:30 to 7:30pm. on Wed., Feb. 8 at the Selby Public Library (1331 First St., downtown Sarasota). Let your voice be heard. If you have a question about SFF, ask it! If you've got an opinion, raise it! Heck, if you've got some rabble, rouse it!

Prepare to be enlightened and invigorated by a fun and fast-paced presentation about upcoming programs and as we drop the beat on a sizzling selection of tantalizing tidbits about how the festival is put together. Scheduled to appear are Tom Hall, our dedicated Director, Magida Diouri, our powerhouse Programmer, Veronica Pastore, our amazing Associate Director of Marketing, a cast of thousands, and at least 542 elephants. (Well, maybe just more wonderful staff from the festival.)

Afterward you'll have your chance to get all your burning questions answered, your opinions and ideas truly heard.

The buzzword behind the scenes at SFF 2012 is "inclusively". (See? Your friendly neighborhood Insider is always there to help you peak behind the curtain.) What does that mean? Veronica Pastore explains, "We want to include our entire community and are providing not only this forum but also new tools and media with which they can connect to us."

Speaking of which, I was privileged to attend our sensational launch event at the sumptuous Half Shell Oyster House on Main Street, just down the street from the Regal Hollywood