The Key West Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday, featuring over 20 features and shorts, from student and independent films through to Florida-based documentaries and major international productions.
Now in its 14th year, the festival will be taking place across historic Key West with both screenings and social events.
Michael Tuckman, the festival’s art director, said the location makes it more than just a site for film screenings and awards, but a place to find community. Despite its varied offerings, organizers like to keep a tight-knit feel compared to other festivals.
“ I think it gives a sense of community ... Everything is just so walkable and if you do need to get between Old Town and New Town, it's a quick 10-minute Uber or plenty of shuttles that go back and forth. I think it's a way of really bringing people together, without having that huge of a carbon footprint," he said.
READ MORE: Key West Film Festival to honor Miami filmmaker Ondi Timoner with Golden Key Award
The festival will be headlined by feel-good film Eternity, starring Miles Teller and Elizabeth Olsen, and Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet. In the documentary section, Miami-based director Billy Corben's latest film, Cancelled: The Paula Deen Story will lead the way, with Corben taking part in a Q&A.
There will also be a strong line-up of foreign language movies, with Oscar contenders such as Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia, Brazil’s The Secret Agent and No Other Choice, from Korean heavyweight Park Chan-wook. Student films will be highlighted in their own category.
The KWFF will once again shine a light on a group of storytellers that don’t work with directing and writing: costume design, which is honored at the festival more than any other event in the world.
The festival is presenting a Golden Key Award to Deborah L. Scott, the costume designer behind James Cameron’s Avatar franchise, and Michael Mann’s Heat.
“ It's something that we wanted to recognize as an art in filmmaking. It's often said that the costume designers create the characters; How they construct them is how you see the character on screen," Tuckman said.
The festival also brings in a new category this year, FloriDocs, highlighting Florida-based documentary filmmakers. Documentaries include Outlaws Of The Everglades, Summer of ‘83, and The Python Hunt, directed by Rob Hoovis, Gaspar Gonzalez and Xander Robin respectively.
Tuckman said the category is "not necessarily films about Florida or that take place in Florida, but films that come from Florida filmmakers,” such as in Summer of ‘83, a film which tells the story of “ arguably the greatest college world series ever played, which featured no Florida teams at all.”
Among the other films being showcased are Ondi Timoner's All God's Children and All The Walls Came Down. The Miami-born filmmaker will be presented with the Golden Key Award for Excellence In Documentary Filmmaking at this year’s festival.
As is tradition, the festival’s final screening will be an outdoor music themed film, this time celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the release of outlaw country documentary Heartworn Highways, featuring the music of Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and more.
“ I think that's important, to have not only the top films before they come out and release, which we do like no other festival, but also making sure we're carving out things that you're only gonna see here in Key West," Tuckman told WLRN. "And that's what makes it really special.”
But it's not just about the film community — along with film-lovers — appreciating their work and passion together, Tuckman said. It's also about enjoying Key West together.
“ There's no better way to see that sense of community than late Saturday night at Bobby's Monkey Bar when the karaoke party really starts after people have been running around for five days," he said. "The whole community's together there belting out their favorite tunes.”
The festival takes place throughout different venues in Key West and runs through Saturday, Nov. 16. Visit the festival's website for full program information along with a schedule of events.
