MAITLAND, Fla. – Florida Film Festival is back this weekend in Central Florida, showcasing over 170 films over a 10-day period.
The festival kicks off at the Enzian Theatre, with some showings at Regal Winter Park Village, on Friday, April 11, and runs through April 20.
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The films’ storytelling vary from documentaries to animated shorts to Florida features and more.
“From poignant comedies to experimental short films, from music documentaries to gut-busting midnight movies, the 34th Annual Florida Film Festival has something for everyone,” a release reads.
According to the Florida Film Festival, there were 2,919 submissions from 119 counties and a committee and programming team finalized the submissions to 183 films representing 40 countries.
Here’s a look at some of the films in various categories and their descriptions provided by the Enzian Theatre’s website:
Opening Night Film
When people outside Orlando talk about Orlando, the first thing that usually comes up is Disney: an icon on the map, often cited by longtime locals as the thing that built the city, and—to a certain type of mindset—destroyed the city. Visitors of all ages, from near and far, experience a childlike innocence while walking down Main Street USA as the legendary princesses wave hello. But beneath the shine of the “happiest place on earth” emerges a darker side to the magic, and sometimes taking only pictures, making only memories, and buying only mouse ears just isn’t enough. Joshua Bailey’s brilliant, hilarious, and jaw-dropping exposé delves into the history of mischief, scandal, and thievery at Walt Disney World, and reveals the black-market underground that ultimately leads to the theft of an animatronic valued at nearly a half-million dollars. Stolen Kingdom features key figures from the park’s urban exploration community, each sharing their unique stories. As the narrative unfolds, early-Disney era pranks and antics are shown to have inspired more recent crimes, culminating in a truly unbelievable mystery. What begins as a tale of friendship and passion ends with one lingering question: Who stole Buzzy?
Spotlight Films
Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones, Where the Crawdads Sing), and Lee (Will Poulter, The Bear) are preparing to leave their Kansas home for a bright new life in California once Lee returns from the Korean War. But their newfound stability is upended by the arrival of Lee’s charismatic brother, Julius (Jacob Elordi, Saltburn), a wayward gambler with a secret past. A dangerous attraction quickly forms. When Julius takes off for Las Vegas to make his fortune, Muriel’s longing for something more propels her into a secret life of her own, betting on racehorses and exploring a love she never dreamed possible. Told in a timeless melodramatic grandness that evokes this works of Douglas Sirk (All That Heaven Allows) and the new queer dramas of Todd Haynes (Carol, Far from Heaven), acclaimed director Daniel Minahan (Halston, Deadwood) and screenwriter Bryce Kass’s gorgeous adaptation of Shannon Pufahl’s acclaimed book is a study in the smoldering desires that lay just below of the surface of mid-century propriety.
Nicolas Cage stars as “The Surfer,” a man who returns to the idyllic Australian beach of his childhood, intent on conquering the crystalline waters with his son, while looking to purchase back his grandfather’s seaside home. But his desire to hit the waves is thwarted by a group of locals, led by Scally (Julian McMahon, Nip/Tuck), whose mantra is “don’t live here, don’t surf here.” In this intense psychological thriller, Cage affects every frame with a kind of frantic nervous energy that threatens to explode at any second. Fueled by humiliation and anger, he is drawn into a conflict that rises in concert with the punishing summer heat. Drawing on a rich history of unhinged “Ozploitation” classics like Wake in Fright and Fair Game, director Finnegan and screenwriter Thomas Martin send Cage on a merciless journey of both inner and outer turmoil, pushing him closer and closer to a breaking point that would make the Gold Coast’s legendary waves look tiny in comparison.
Animated Shorts
The director of The Test (FFF 2023) levels up her stop-motion animation to Švankmajer tier with this eerie gothic tale about a janitor in a decrepit movie theater who sees his surreal dreams come to grotesque life when a nightmarish monster threatens his beloved home.
Aaron Blaise, director of Disney’s Oscar®-nominated Brother Bear, brings us this beautifully hand-drawn tale of a lonesome polar bear exploring the diminishing Arctic tundra in search of a friend. A bittersweet and ultimately heartwarming story supported by Polar Bears International and The National Parks Conservation Association.
Documentary Features Competition
¡Quba! follows a diverse group of LGBTQ+ activists as they advocate for enshrining the family code (marriage equality) into the Cuban constitution. Ramon Silverio and Adela Hernandez, who have been working in this movement for over 40 years, join with younger activists, Las Isabellas, in Santiago de Cuba, as well as Ulises Suarez and Cenesex director Mariela Castro in Havana. After decades, Cubans were able to create a bridge between the Cuban government (Cenesex) and the population despite the vitriol of the evangelical Methodist church and the ever-present machismo embedded in Cuban culture. Activists both inside and outside the government creatively move the country to be more inclusive, more tolerant, and more aware that LGBTQ+ equality is an essential component of the revolution. This story of love uses music (Los Zafiros!) and performance to stimulate joy and justice along the way to Cuba becoming the first Communist government in the world to include LGBTQ+ human rights.
“The Lost Wolves of Yellowstone”
On January 12, 1995, wolves returned to Yellowstone National Park, 50 years after their elimination. On that fateful day, Mollie Beattie carried the first Canadian-born wolf, Alpha Female Wolf #5, into Yellowstone’s experimental acclimation enclosure. From that day forward, their lives would be forever connected. The first female director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Mollie Beattie’s journey to this monumental moment included a brief stint as a fashion model in New York and a life-changing Outward Bound expedition that inspired her to pursue a career in environmental science and conservation. In-depth interviews with the key players at the center of the historic Yellowstone wolf reintroduction keep us on the edge of our seats as they guide us through the story as it happens. Director Thomas Winston’s (producer of Path of the Panther, FFF 2022, and “Chasing Ghosts,” FFF 2020) latest is a thrilling document of this historic undertaking—accented by gorgeous cinematography (also by Winston) and incredible 16mm film footage, recovered and restored for the very first time.
Florida Features
As they search the woods of Walton County, Florida, for an elusive black bear, a father (Jason Burkey) weaves a tapestry of stories to share his deep passion for conservation with his smartphone-obsessed son (Max Ivutin). Blending Don Bluth-inspired animation with breathtaking wildlife photography, the film immerses viewers in the wetlands of Florida’s panhandle, showcasing animals so effortlessly, it’s easy to forget they are untamed creatures in their natural habitat. Making his directorial debut, Arix Zalace embraces the Sunshine State’s natural wonder all while channeling early ‘80s and ‘90s family classics like The Amazing Panda Adventure and Fly Away Home. The Paper Bear is a heartfelt journey for audiences of all ages to explore the state’s indigenous folklore, observational science, and the devastation of life-threatening natural disasters we sometimes struggle to explain to our kids.
For ten days in the sweltering South Florida summer, the Everglades turns into the wildest stage imaginable for one of the strangest competitions on Earth: The Python Challenge. From seasoned pros to wide-eyed newbies chasing a crazy story, hundreds of contestants from all over the world descend on the swamps with the intent of hunting the invasive Burmese python. But this bizarre contest immediately takes a backseat to focus on a handful of unforgettable participants whose larger-than-life personalities, big ambitions, and truly bizarre motivations take center stage. Whether they’re in it for the prizes, the thrill, the cause, or the pith, their unique personalities steal the show. Three-time FFF alumnus director Xander Robin (“Are We Not Cats,” 2013) and two-time FFF alumnus producer Lance Oppenheim (Some Kind of Heaven, 2020) have teamed up to document this wild, beautiful, jaw-droppingly bizarre ride through one of the most unconventional competitions you’ll ever witness.
There will also be special events, such as “An Evening with Mia Farrow featuring Rosemary’s Baby.” Farrow stars as Rosemary Woodhouse, a young wife who believes her child is not of this world.
The films will be screened at the Enzian Theater and Regal Winter Park Village. Individual tickets are $13 each and some passes are still available as of April 9: The Producer Pass ($1,500) and Film Lover Pass ($675).
Click here for a look at the full schedule and to purchase individual showtime tickets or passes.
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