Sarasota Film Festival
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The Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) has been held annually since 1999 in Sarasota, Florida. The festival is held in April and has become one of the top ten independent festivals in North America. Please reference Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Longboat Key Observer, Sarasota Herald Tribune, Bradenton Herald, Sarasota and SRQ Magazines since inception.
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Sarasota Film Festival’s mission is “to present unique and high-quality cinema in a festival atmosphere for the purpose of educating, stimulating and entertaining audiences” and remains its guide as it selects and organizes in-festival and year-around activities.
[edit] History
Following the demise of the Sarasota French Film Festival in 1996, Dr. John D. Welch began researching and planning an independent film festival to promote economic development and bring film production to Sarasota and the West Coast of Florida. He brought together a group of film enthusiasts and civic leaders to organize the first Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) in 1998. Jody Kielbasa was hired as the Executive Director in the Spring and the first “mini-festival,” featuring eight independent films, six actors (Jon Favreau, Marlee Matlin, Jonathan Silverman, Penelope Ann Miller, Peter Sarsgaard, Samantha Mathis) and a gala fundraiser was held in January, 1999. Subsequently the SFF has grown to an annual ten day event with over 200 hundred films, more than 250 filmmakers in attendance, multiple special events, symposiums, panels and conversations featuring leaders in the film industry.
Through the years, many of cinema’s leading actors, directors, producers, and filmmakers were honored, including Alan Alda, Robert Altman, Kevin Bacon, Robert Benton, Steve Buscemi, Leslie Caron, Chevy Chase, Patricia Clarkson, Jill Clayburgh, Bryan Cranston, Billy Crystal, Geena Davis, Olympia Dukakis, Richard Dreyfuss, Sam Elliott, Peter Falk, Louise Fletcher, Todd Haynes, Marcia Gay Harden, Woody Harrelson, Rutger Hauer, Tippi Hedren, Werner Herzog, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Felicity Huffman, Allison Janney, Norman Jewison, Shirley Jones, Kevin Kline, William H Macy, Wendy Mallick, Howie Mandel, Ismail Merchant, Rita Moreno, Edward Norton, Robert Osborne, Bill Paxton, Christopher Plummer, Sidney Pollack, Jeff Probst, Jeremy Renner, Gena Rowlands, Tom Selleck, Brooke Shields, Patrick Stewart, Rod Steiger, Charlize Theron, Robert Towne, Michelle Trachtenburg, Stanley Tucci, Liv Ullman, Jon Voight, Paula Wagner, Patrick Wilson, Michael York and many others.
In addition, SFF developed a nation-wide, award-winning Outreach and Education program involving over 10,000 students during the festival, offering the community free year-round Moonlight Movies and monthly Screenwriters' Circle workshops.
The festival works with many non-profit organizations including: FSU/Asolo Acting Conservatory, Film School of Florida State University, Ringling College of Art and Design, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, First Step of Sarasota, Florida Film Commission, Florida West Coast Symphony, Girls, Inc., John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, State College of Florida, Manatee County Arts Council, Rowlett Magnet School for the Performing Arts, Sarasota County Arts Council, School Board of Sarasota County, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, United Nations Development Fund for Women, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, YMCA Community Coalition for Children, Young Professionals Group of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.
In 2010, Variety referred to The Sarasota Film Festival as "the acme of regional film festivals."
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