Fort Lauderdale Film Festival organizers say its sponsors have stepped up this year to offset state funding cuts to arts and culture programming.
The festival was one of the many arts organizations in Florida negatively impacted by Gov. Ron DeSantis’s veto of arts funding this summer.
“We lost a lot of money we were looking forward to, but we will still continue to give back to the community that is supporting us,” said Lisa Grigorian, the festival's board chair.
This year's 39th annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, which began last Friday and runs through Sunday, features more than 100 films and documentaries. Screenings are all over the county.
“This year we’ve got 35 countries, 100 films, we’ve got something from every genre, anything you want,” said Grigorian. “We've got filmmakers coming in from all over the world.”
Films will be shown at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Cinema Paradiso in Hollywood, Gateway Theater in Fort Lauderdale, the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center, The David Posnak Community Center in Davie, Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale, Paragon Ridge Theater in Davie, and Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale.
READ MORE: South Florida arts community reeling from DeSantis veto of millions of dollars in state funding
The festival includes screening of films at local cinemas as well as much grander events.
On its opening night, an event was held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood. The night revolved around the screening of the film “Queen of the Ring” a biopic of trailblazing female wrestler Mildred Burke.
There was a red carpet set up with a string quartet, as complimentary prosecco and popcorn were passed around.
And then, the doors to the theater were opened to reveal a rock band and a wrestling ring.
Coastal Championship Wrestling was brought in by the festival organizers to pay homage to Burke, and held a number of matches before the audience was let into the screening area.
CCW promoter Alex Chamberlain said the production was supposed to be a background element of the event, but he wasn't surprised that it drew most of the pre-show eyeballs.
“Being a wrestler you try to be humble about it, ‘oh you guys are gonna be in the background’ um no, everyone’s gonna pay attention to this,” he said, “It's very loud and it draws the eye in, I mean, a person punching a person will always draw a crowd.”
Other events include tonight’s free showing of “Color Book” at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center with free food and live music. It's part of the festival's effort to engage the county’s Caribbean community, because as Grigorian says, “Film is for everybody.”
Also happening Wednesday night is an event for the festival’s centerpiece film. “No Address” will make its world premier at Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale. The film explores individuals dealing with the impacts of homelessness. The event includes a pre-screening dining, and all proceeds will go to The Salvation Army.
The festival’s finale party will be held this Saturday and features a showing of “Grander," a film about a man pursuing his dream of catching a 1,000-pound marlin. The screening will be held at a pavilion on Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale, with an afterparty hosted on a superyacht with music from a Jimmy Buffet cover band.
Showtimes and a full schedule of festival events are available at FLIFF.com.
The film festival has a lengthy list of sponsors: Broward County Cultural Division, Community Foundation of Broward, Funding Arts Broward, Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency, Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel, Heal the Planet, John Knox Village, Memorial Healthcare System, RNDC, Steven Savor, Scott Bennett, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, The Estate of John B. Mager, Truist Wealth, Provocativo, Kerwell, Red Chair Catering, Stella Artois and RNDC.
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