22 Annual April 05, 2013 to April 14, 2013

Each year the Florida Film Festival premieres the best in current, independent, and international cinema. Now in our 22nd year, we invite movie lovers to discover the world waiting for them in the dark. This year’s Festival features more than 160 cutting-edge films, some 100 visiting filmmakers and special guests, and special events you’ll never forget.

An oasis for both film lovers and filmmakers in the Southeast, the Florida Film Festival is an annual showcase for the best in American Independent and Foreign Cinema. This 10 day celebration of filmmakers and their art includes an American Independent Film Competition for features, docs, shorts, and animation, along with an International Showcase, Spotlight Films (those already with distribution), Midnight Movies, Florida Student Works, Special Screenings,Tributes, Special Guests, Panels & Seminars, parties, and more. The programming is dominated however, by the American Independent Film Competition, where films are eligible for Grand Jury Awards, Special Jury Awards, and Audience Awards.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The Florida Film Festival was named one of the top 10 festivals in the world by festival guru Chris Gore in his 2001 edition of The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, 2nd Edition. Nestled in at number eight (alongside such prestigious events as Sundance, Toronto, Cannes, Berlin, and SXSW), the Festival continues to showcase the best in American independent and foreign cinema.

In recent years, special guests and forum hosts included Barry Levinson, Cloris Leachman, Glenn Close, Ken Russell, Jon Voight, Emma Stone, Edward James Olmos, Allison Anders, Gabriel Byrne, Jason Lee, Joe Pantoliano, Ed Burns, Campbell Scott, James Caan, Alan Rudolph, Leelee Sobieski, Peter Falk, Judy Greer, Peter Bogdanovich, Chazz Palminteri, John Waters, Joan Chen, Anthony Bourdain, Jennifer Tilly, Malcolm McDowell, and Mary Stuart Masterston. Past years’ guests include Oliver Stone, Gena Rowlands, Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Steve Buscemi, and William H. Macy. Festival seminars have included such film industry notables as Bingham Ray, Victor Nunez and Blair Witch creators Dan Myrick and Ed Sanchez; cinematographers Haskell Wexler and Bill Butler; animators Bill Plympton and Corky Quakenbush; screenwriters Shane Black, Mike Werb and Guinevere Turner; distributors Bob Berney and Tom Prassis; and producers Gale Anne Hurd, Mike Medavoy, and Roger Corman.

The Florida Film Festival is pleased to announce it has been accepted as a qualifying festival for the Oscars in the category of both live action and animated short films. The winners of the Grand Jury Awards for Best Short in those categories will automatically qualify to enter the Live Action Short Film and Animated Short Film categories of the next years’ Academy Awards.

The Florida Film Festival’s primary sponsor is Full Sail University.