Fort Lauderdale, FLORIDA
-
The 27th Annual
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF)
announced its official line-up for the 27th Annual event,
October 19 –
November 11, 2012.
Of the 200 films the festival presents,
78 are premieres including 14 World Premieres, 2 North American, 6 U.S.
Premieres, 3 East Coast, 31 Southeast and 22 Florida.
“This year FLiFF has one of the most exciting film line-ups in our history.
There are a number of
films
with all-star casts, a feature film directorial debut by one of our
most revered actor. The documentaries are enlightening and engaging;
some controversial, others political and some about Florida.
We also have 8 returning filmmakers and an expanding outreach program throughout Florida and on Grand Bahama Island,” commented Gregory von Hausch, President & CEO of FLIFF.
For the second year, FLIFF takes films and talent on location to Grand Bahama Island for a 4-day excursion from October 25th - October 28th at the Pelican Bay Hotel while films continue simultaneously in Fort Lauderdale at three area theaters - Cinema Paradiso (downtown), Sunrise Civic Center Theater in West Broward and Muvico Pompano in North Broward.
Celebrated television, film and stage actor,
Giancarlo Esposito, whose acting career spans over several decades has been named as this year's
Career Achievement Award
recipient at
FLIFF on Location: Grand
Bahama Island.
This year, FLIFF honors two of the brightest upcoming talents in Hollywood with the Star on The Horizon Award:
12 year-old actress and native of Fort Lauderdale,
Bailee Madison
who has had starring roles in
Bridge to Terabithia, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Adam Sandler's Just Go With It and is coming up in
Parental Guidance to be released this Christmas.
Garret Dillahunt, remembered for his roles in
No Country for Old Men, Winter's Bone and The Last House on The Left.
Madison will receive her award at a screening of
COWGIRLS N’ ANGELS in which she stars as
a feisty and rebellious young girl with fantasies of finding her father and is recruited to a team of young female rodeo riders.
Dillahunt will receive his award at the Southeast Premiere of
ANY DAY NOW, in which he stars opposite Alan Cumming in a true story of a gay couple who takes in a mentally handicapped teenager and
must fight a biased legal system to adopt the child they have come to love as their own.
FLIFF
kicks-off October 19 with the Opening Night VIP Celebration, hosted by
Warren Henry Auto Group together with Entre Nous, Arthur E. Benjamin and
the Trinity Diversified Film Fund at Gulfstream Park.
The
highly anticipated event features red carpet arrivals by celebrity
guests attending films opening weekend followed by an exclusive film
montage preview of films and talent featured at this year' festival.
The
film-themed evening includes signature cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a
silent auction and an elaborate display of high-end vehicles.
The Official Opening Night Film, presented October 20, is the Southeast Premiere of
The Sapphires (from Australia)
which received its debut during the Cannes Film Festival to a rapturous
standing ovation. The crowd-pleaser takes place in 1968 and features
some of the greatest Motown hits of the time as four young, talented
Australian Aboriginal girls, The Sapphires, entertain U.S. Troops in Vietnam, dodge bullets, learn about love, friendship and war.
Also screening opening day is: The Southeast Premiere of
Quartet,
two-time Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman's feature film directorial debut
starring Maggie Smith, Tom Courtney, Michael Gambon and Sheridan Smith.
Based
on the stage play of the same name, the film centers on four celebrated
opera singers whose annual retirement home fundraiser begins to unravel
when a former Grande Dame moves in. The Southeast premiere of
Deadfall directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, whose film
The Counterfitters
won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2007, is a riveting thriller
starring Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde, Sissy Spacek, Kris Kristofferson,
Treat Williams, Charlie Hunnam, Kate Mara. The Southeast Premiere of
How Do You Write a Joe Schermann Song, a brilliant and
sexy
musical centered around an Off-Broadway show, will be attended by director Gary King & star Christina Rose.
And, writer Domonic Paris, will attend the U.S. Premiere of his animated 3-D underwater adventure movie
Sammy's Adventures 2: Escape from Paradise, a favorite at this year's Cannes Film Festival and the sequel to the popular
A Turtles Tale: Sammy’s Adventures.
Lucy Mulloy, whose dynamic debut feature,
Una Noche set in Havana, walked off with three big awards at the Tribeca Film Fest.
Mulloy brings it to FLIFF for its Southeast Premiere.
The
film about three teens who escape from Cuba to Miami hit national news
when the two Cuban actors, Javier Nunez Florian and Anailin de la Rua de
la Torren, en route to Tribeca disappeared in Miami and resurfaced
announcing they had defected to the United States. From Cameroon comes NINAH’S DOWRY, celebrating its World Premiere with director Victor Viyouh in attendance.
The
US Premiere of SEX, LIES & SURGERY is a hysterical French farce and
director/star Artus de Penguern will bring the film himself from Paris.
October also offers the Florida Premiere of
Here, an adventure-romance involving two travelers directed by Braden King and starring Peter Coyote, Ben Foster and Lubna Azab
The Florida Premiere of
Shadow Dancer a provocative thriller about one woman’s incredible fight to protect her son, starring Clive Owen and Andrea Riseborough (
W.E.) and directed by Academy Award winner James Marsh
(Project Nim, Man on the Wire).
And, Southeast Premieres including:
A Late Quartet, directed by Yaron Silberman
, examines the professional and personal relationships of a world-class string quartet, played with precision
by Christopher Walken, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Mark Ivanir.
All In
(La Suerte En Tus Manos), a romantic comedy
from Argentina, is
directed by Daniel Burman (
Every Stewardess Goes To Heaven) and starring Valeria Bertuccelli, Norma Alejandro and Jorge Drexler, Luis Brandon.
As Luck Would Have It,
a
bitingly funny and often perverse satire on reality television and the
personal effect of today's economy directed by Alex de la Inglesia,
stars Spanish comedian Jose Mota and Oscar nominee Salma Hayek.
Smashed,
directed by James Ponsold,
stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul in a
story of
a young married couple whose bond is built on a mutual love of music, laughter and drinking.
A Better Life
(Une Vie Meilleure) poses the question
c
an love and passion survive all
in this moving and incredible emotional roller coaster of a film
directed by Cedric Kahn and starring Guillaume Canet, Leila Bekhti.
The Other Son (Le Fils de l’autre),
directed by Lorraine Lévy is a moving and provocative tale of two young
men – one Israeli, the other Palestinian, who discover they were
accidentally switched at birth.
FLIFF's kicks-off November with the Centerpiece Film, the Southeast Premiere of
Stuck, Stuart Acher’s delightfully kinky comedy about the morning after a one night stand starring Joel David Moore (
Avatar, Dodgeball)
and Madeline Zima (who doubles as Executive Producer). Using flashbacks
in the creative fashion to tell the story, Acher magnificently puts the
puzzle together leading to discovery and lots of laughs. The film will
be followed by The Centerpiece Party in the Maxwell Room at the Downtowner Saloon.
The Closing Night Film, November 10, is the Florida Premiere of
Silver Linings Playbook
starring Bradley Cooper, Robert Deniro, Jennifer Lawrence and Jacki
Weaver. Written and directed by David O. Russell, the seriocomic love
story is about a man who loses everything and is determined to rebuild
his life and reconcile with his wife. Things get complicated when he
meets a mysterious girl who offers to help him, but only if he'll do
something very important in return. As their deal plays out, an
unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear
in both of their lives.
The film will be followed by The Wrap Party at Villa de Palma.
November also includes: The Southeast Premiere of
The Sessions,
based on the poignantly optimistic autobiographical writings of
California-based journalist and poet Mark O'Brien (John Hawkes), written
and directed by Ben Lewin, tells the story of a man confined to an iron
lung who is determined - at age 38 - to lose his virginity. With the
help of a sex therapist
(Helen Hunt) and the guidance of his priest (William H. Macy), he sets out to make his dream a reality. The Southeast Premiere o
f
Junctio
n, writer/director Tony Glazer’s high octane thriller that
follows four strung-out meth-addicts who discover a dark secret about a homeowner during a burglary.
The Florida Premiere of
Tales of the Nigh
t,
renowned
animation auteur Michel Ocelot's first foray into 3D animation, weaves
together six exotic fables each unfolding in a unique locale. The
Florida Premiere of
Tio Papi, a heartwarming story about a
bachelor who reluctantly becomes Tio Papi to his sister’s six children,
is directed by Fro Rojas and stars Joey Dedio (Musical Chairs),
Elizabeth Rodriguez, and Kelly McGillis.
The day prior to the Presidential election, FLIFF features two political films.
Party Crashers, directed by Travis Burroughs, is an engaging look at the grass-roots movement and the rise of The Tea Party.
Grassroots,
is Stephen Gyllenhaal's bittersweet, uplifting comedy based the true
story of the 2001 Seattle City Council election and candidate Grant
Cogswell an unemployed music critic who likes to dress up as a polar
bear.
After voting on November 6, attend the Election
Night Festivities at Cinema Paradiso free with your "I VOTED" sticker
and catch the Florida Premiere of
Mr. Cao Goes To Washington, followed by the election coverage on the big screen both inside the
theater and outside on in the courtyard. Drink and food specials will be available all evening.
Mr. Cao Goes To Washington
is director S. Leo Chiang's intimate look at Representative Joseph
Cao’s term as the first elected Vietnamese-American Congressman
representing the 2nd district of New Orleans.
.
This year, eight (8) filmmakers are returning to FLIFF with their new films.
Darcyana Moreno Izel (
Avidente /2011), returns with the World Premiere of
Dark Amazon, a supernatural thriller shot deep in the Amazon jungle of Brazil. Writer/director and actor,
Artus de Penguern (
Gregoire Moulin vs 'Lhumanite/2001) brings the U.S. premiere of his new film
Sex, Lies and Surgery, a spoof on American medical dramas like ER and Grey's Anatomy.
Laura Colella (
Stay Until Tommorrow/2004) attends her Southeast Premiere of
Breakfast with Curtis, an off-beat story
featuring a cadre of quirky characters who live in the same charming but funky abode.
Rob Margolies (
Lifelines/2008) returns with the Southeast Premiere of
She Wants Me
, a hilarious and original feel-great comedy starring Josh Gad, Kristen Ruhlin and Hilary Duff.
Daniel Schechter (writer,
The Big Bad Swim/2006) returns with the Southeast Premiere of his funny and at times bittersweet buddy pic
Supporting Characters and
Ishai Setton who directed Schechter’s
The Big Bad Swim, returns with the Southeast Premiere of his own film,
The Kitchen, an ensemble comedy set entirely inside a kitchen
starring Dreama Walker and Matt Bush
.
In 2002, student filmmaker
Victor Viyuoh entered FLIFF's Kodak International Student Film Competition and won the short
narrative section with his film
Mboutoukou. Fast forward twelve years and Victor, now a professional filmmaker, returns with the World Premiere of
Ninah's Dowery,
about a wife of 7 years whose escape from an abusive husband sets off
an incredible series of events with a whirlwind of suspense, thrills,
and adventure set across the Cameroon landscape.
Go Ganges! by
Josh Thomas and J.J. Kelley, the comic pair of Dudes on Media and the makers of the Emmy nominated documentary
Paddle to Seattle, capture the danger,
joy and significance of the Ganges as they travel the mighty river by any means possible.
On
Sunday, November 11, FLIFF celebrates Veterans Day with four premieres
of films honoring military heroes, families whom have lost a loved one
to war and remembering historical events that
changed the face of wars.
If I Should Fal
l,
with special guest Military Advisor, Rick Ryan,
this modern
All's Quiet on the Western Front, defines the tragedy of war through a families loss of an only son.
True Story of WWII Hero
, with special guests co-directors Jozef Lenders, Connie Barron, and subject of the film, Harry Beeman who, in the film,
tells the vivid stories of one of the unsung heroes in his own words. Beeman saved many lives as a Navy
swimmer and a Gunners Mate First Class.
At 90 years of
age, Harry recalls every event and battle with great detail from brief
encounters with two future presidents to his opinion of famous Japanese
Admirals.
Dive The
USS Atlanta follows a team of scuba divers to the Solomon Islands where the ship was sunk during one the most chaotic and close-range naval battles in U.S. history took place.
The
story is told through interviews with the divers, veterans who had
served on the ship and through the most extensive footage of the wreck
shot to date.
Shady Lady is the epic docu-drama that portrays the story of the B-24 Liberator aircraft that set off from Darwin on Friday, August 13, 1943 on what was the world's longest ever bombing mission of WWII.
After 16 hours and 35 minutes the fuel ran out forcing the crew to crash land
on a remote salt pan in NW Australia.
With
help from the Aboriginal Community, Shady Lady amazingly flew again.
Active military personnel and veterans will receive free admission. This
Veteran’s Day Tribute sponsored by Wayne & Marti Huizenga.
A
competition festival, FLiFF will recognize films for awards in
categories including: The Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress/Actor,
The Independent Spirit Award, the Audience Favorite, among others.
The
Awards Presentation will be held November 10 at the World famous
Copacabanna Supper Club in downtown Fort Lauderdale, a retro-glamorous
restaurant with authentic Latin cuisine and music.
There
will be seven (7) Meet The Filmmakers events hosted by Florida Atlantic
University and presented by Florida State University's School of Motion
Pictures which also sponsors the High School Film Competition featuring
films from 12 student finalists' from around the globe.
The College Film Competition will feature films from 4 finalists.
In
addition to nightly gatherings and parties at trendy area venues, there
will be a brunch cruise aboard Sundream Charters’ yacht, The Caprice.
FLIFF
celebrates Halloween on October 31 with the BOO-tacular for families
including hayrides, a scream and costume contest, a not so scary movie
and of course lots of treats. Late night is reserved for horror fans and
and feature
Dark Amazon and a Halloween Short Film Program with themed drink specials all night.
This year, live performances by dancers, local and national bands and musicians are paired with films:
Yoskiko Carlton on the Koto (Japanese Harp) at the screening of
Dog Years, about an emotionally withdrawn Japanese-American, forced to battle with the ghosts from his past when he returns to Tokyo.
Violinist/guitarist,
Ed Horowitz, who played with fellow musician David Bromberg in the 70's will perform at the Florida Premiere of
David Bromberg: Unsung Treasure.
Acclaimed tenor from Florida Grand Opera,
Rolando Polo, takes us
on a journey of Cuban music with the South Florida Premiere
Una Noche.
In addition, Jazz musician,
Randy Bensen will perform in a stand-alone concert the evening of October 26.
World class Argentinean Tango performers,
Gabriel Toppino and Mariana Hamel will perform at the Southeast Premiere of
All In
and
Irish Dancers from Aranmore Academy will perform at the Florida Premiere of
Shadow Dancer.
Tickets:
Most Films are $10 general admission, $8 seniors & students and $6 for FLIFF members.
Film Events and Parties are priced separately.
The
festival FAST Pass offers free admission or considerable discount for
all films and events and free entrance daily to the Whole Foods Festival
Cafe, with complimentary gourmet foods and a full bar in the VIP
section of the canopied courtyard.
Cost of the FLIFF Fast Pass is $395 for FLIFF Members and $450 for Non-Members.
FLIFF
Membership offer a variety of levels and provides discounted pricing
and some free films during the film festival and year-round at Cinema
Paradiso.
Membership prices start at $75 general / $35 for
students.
Theaters:
About Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF)
FLIFF is the top rated film festivals in Florida
and has been honored with four major grants from The Academy of Motion
Pictures Arts & Sciences. FLIFF operates its own year-round art
house named Cinema Paradiso as it is housed in an original structure
built as a church in 1926.
Renovated and completed remodeled into a state-of-the-art facility with stadium seating in plush blue velvet chairs from Paris,
a huge canopied Courtyard and a full bar. Cinema Paradiso presents
foreign films, America Indies, children’s films and a French, Spanish
and Italian mini fests throughout the year. A monthly Cinema A La Mode
program pairs a cooking/tasting demonstration with a
film. Retro Reels brings back classic films. Splatter-Rama pays homage
to B Films in the horror genre. During the first week of December, The
CAN Film Festival for Charity provides three days of holiday films with
the only admission being two cans of food or one new toy per person, all
donate to charity. FLIFF’s Outreach Program is second to none as the
festival blankets not only South Florida but, also take films to
Daytona, St. Augustine, Tallahassee and Grand Bahama Island.
FLIFF is recognized by The Broward County Commission as one of five Major Cultural Institutions of Broward County.
About FLIFF On-Location
FLIFF On-Location brings the Fest to Grand Bahama Island
(Oct 25 – 29) where a special deal includes the overnight cruise aboard
the Bahamas Celebration, your own cabin, and accommodations at Pelican
Bay Resort for 4/5 nights, all films and parties and air back to Fort Lauderdale. On board The Celebration you will mix and mingle with the filmmakers. When you arrive the next morning a limo takes you to Pelican Bay,
which is situated just a pleasant stroll along the waterfront to The
Marketplace. The Opening Night Film, SAMMY 2: Escape from Paradise (an
animated family film about a
brave sea turtle) takes place outdoors at beautiful Taino Beach
on a jumbo 30' screen. In addition to the films, the parties are great
and plentiful. One of the highlights with the filmmakers is the drive
your own jeep tour of the island, led by a tour guide with CB radio in
each jeep. Following the Sunday Awards ceremony and reception,
BahamasAir flies you back to Fort Lauderdale (a 30 min flight). There is also an option to take the Fast Ferry, Baleria direct from Fort Lauderdale to GBI.
The Fest also celebrates in historic St. Augustine
January 17-20, 2013. The magnificent Casa Monica is the host hotel and
you’ll be there for the spectacular Light Up St. Augustine nightly
through Feb 1st. Stay at The Casa Monica or The Saragossa B&B for
three nights and receive a complimentary badge good for all films and
the three signature parties. The Opening Night party takes place in the
early 19th century Antebellum mansion, The Markland House on Thursday,
January 17. The event is inside and out on the great lawn. The Florida
Party is Saturday night in the incredible Alcazar Hotel built by Henry
Flagler in 1887. The Alcazar (listed on the National Register of
Historic Buildings also houses the famed Lightner Museum.) The Closing Night Dinner is back at The Markland and is prepared on the lawn by Carrabbas
Italian
Grill. So join us for The Guinness World Record for Longest Film
Festival in the world as we take ‘a vacation from ordinary film'. For
details write
info@fliff.com