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

Read more ...

We are proud to present NYU@SFF, our inaugural program presented in association with NYU Tisch School of the Arts.  Working with student filmmakers, producers, curators, professors and alumni to create a program of films and events at this year’s festival, The SFF is thrilled to provide a showcase for NYU Tisch filmmakers to share their work, ideas and vision in our community.  The 14th Annual Sarasota Film Festival runs from April 13, 2012 through April 22, 2012.

The partnership between The SFF and NYU Tisch School of the Arts presents a unique opportunity for NYU Tisch School of the Arts students to work with the SFF in multiple disciplines, from filmmaking and film curation to non-profit arts management.  In return, the Festival provides an important interdisciplinary platform for members of our community and the film industry to engage with outstanding films from NYU Tisch School of The Arts students and alumni.

“We are aware of the global reach of NYU Tisch School of the Arts and we are proud that they have chosen our festival as a home for their filmmakers,” says Sarasota Film Festival Board President Mark Famiglio.  “Over the past several years, we have developed a vibrant relationship with NYU Tisch School of the Arts and we are excited to announce this formal partnership," Famiglio continued.

"I am very proud of the MFA and combination MBA/MFA students who have taken on this project with such enthusiasm," says SFF Board Member and Tisch School of the

Read more ...

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

Read more ...