Sarasota Film Festival Announces Screening Lineup

The Sarasota Film Festival, which takes place April 5-14, has announced the opening, closing, centerpiece and spotlight films for this year’s 15th annual event.

A screening of Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Blackfish will open the 2013 Florida festival at The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on April 5. Directed by Barbara Kopple, Running From Crazy will screen as one of the festival’s Centerpiece films along with James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now. The Spotlight series includes Carlos Puga’s Burma, Justin Schwarz’s The Discoverers and the world peremiere of Will Slocombe’s Pasadena. Serving as the closing film for SFF on April 13, Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha will screen at The Sarasota Opera House.

In a press release, SFF Board President Mark Famiglio provided this statement: “As a leader in the cultural life of our community, The Sarasota Film Festival once again looks forward to introducing Sarasota to a new group of superlative films and artists. Our festival continues to thrive in no small part because of the support of our patrons and sponsors, and I know they share our excitement for this year’s event. ”

Throughout the event, several awards will be presented including the Impact Award to Mariel Hemingway for her advocacy of suicide prevention as well as honoring Lilli Taylor with the festival’s Career Achievement in Acting Award. The inaugural Independent Visions prize will also be awarded at the end of this year’s festival. The winning film of this coveted award will be offered a distribution deal with Brooklyn-based film company Factory 25.

“I’ve considered Sarasota Film Festival one of the top U.S. festivals for years,” Factory 25 founder Matt Grady said. “They consistently curate some of the most progressive, engaging, and polarizing indie films for their audience. Partnering with the SFF to give out this award just makes sense.”

For more information about SFF, visit the festival’s website here.

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