WEDNESDAY May 20

9am - 11:30am: 'Up with Indie Releasing'
Specialty releasing is due for a rebirth. Industry execs will look forward to the next wave of independent distribution. How can a film maximize its theatrical life and beyond?

3pm - 6pm: CANNES TRIVIA NIGHT!

The interactive panels of “Virtual Cannes” are available at Downtown Sarasota “Restaurant Suzette” (23 Lemon Avenue North) where they are offering a daily happy hour with appetizers and discounts for Sarasota Film Festival Members.

For more information visit www.sarasotafilmfestival.com

Some of the events coming up this week:

TUESDAY 5/19
9am-10am: In conversation with Eli Roth
The director of "Hostel" and "Cabin Fever" talks about his double life as an actor in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" and director of "Hostel" and "Cabin Fever." Moderator: Tim League (Director of Fantastic Fest & Founder of the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin)

WEDNESDAY 5/20
9am-11:30am: Up with Indie Releaseing
Specialty releasing is due for a rebirth. Industry execs will look forward to the next wave of independent distribution. How can a film maximize its theatrical life and beyond?

WEDNESDAY 5/20
3pm-6pm: Cannes Trivia Night

THURSDAY 5/21
10am-11:30am: In Conversation with Terry Gilliam
The director of "Brazil," "The Fisher King," and "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" talks about his past, present, and future. Moderator: James Rocchi (Critic and Journalist, MSN Movies & AMCtv.com)

The interactive panels of “Virtual Cannes” are available at Downtown Sarasota “Restaurant Suzette” (23 Lemon Avenue North) where they are offering a daily happy hour with appetizers and discounts for Sarasota Film Festival Members. For more information visit www.sarasotafilmfestival.com

Directed By: Jim Granato
Director Jim Granato, Subject Pat Spurgeon of ROUGE WAVE Expected to Attend

Directed By: Dia Sokol
Director Dia Sokol Expected to Attend!

Goodbye Solo
Mon, Mar 30th at 5:00pm

At the heart of this gorgeously crafted modern American story lies a testament to the challenge of sustaining one’s dreams. Solo, a kind and witty Senegalese immigrant, is making his living as a cab driver in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to support his new wife and her young daughter. A dedicated optimist, Solo works to inspire hope in others, and thus in himself, in order to continue to pursue the goal of becoming a flight attendant. When Solo discovers that one of his cab clients plans to commit suicide, it becomes his chief mission to inspire new hope in this man in order keep him alive.
            
The End of the Line
Mon, Mar 30th 5:45pm

Imagine a world without fish, say the filmmakers, scientists and ocean experts behind THE END OF THE LINE. They say that by 2050, current fishing industry practices will result in a total collapse of global fish populations, and that our oceans will no longer yield the food on which millions of people around the world depend to survive. Through the teachings of scientists and industry experts, the film offers real examples of fish and sea creature population decline, and in some cases, extinction. This film is a must-see for anyone who loves fish; especially those of us who like to eat them. (Also playing on Tue, Mar 31st at 6:00pm)
             
Christo & Jeanne-Claude
Mon, Mar 30th at 7:00pm
Director Michael Blackwood Expected to Attend

Christo and Jeanne-Claude met in Paris in 1958 and so began an extraordinary adventure in art, a series of spectacular public art works in many parts of the world that reached its climax in February, 2005 with the opening of The Gates in New York's Central Park after more than 20 years of negotiation and struggle. In this portrait, the indefatigable duo reviews all their main projects since 1958 beginning with their small wrapped objects. Major emphasis is placed on their decades long effort to obtain permission for the Wrapped Reichstag project - a landmark event in the history of both art and politics.

Tickets can be purchased: Online at www.SarasotaFilmFestival.com, by phone at 941.366.6200 or in person at the Box Office, 1991 Main street, Main Plaza, Sarasota.

Late Night Lounge at ESCA (1888 Main St.) - Continue the festival spirit after-hours on Monday by visiting ESCA - enjoy their late night club, featuring a value wine list, full bar, nightly entertainment and casual dining in the bar upstairs. Go to ESCASRQ.com for a menu and events. Everyone deserves a night out!

Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love
Director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi will attend!!
3:15pm TODAY (Sunday, Mar. 29)

One of the most popular singers ever to emerge from the African continent, Youssou N’Dour is an icon to millions of music fans around the world. In 2004, N’Dour, a devout and moderate practitioner of Islam, released the album EGYPT, a collection of songs dedicated to the Senegalese Muslim tradition. But controversy arose around the world over the album’s religious content. Featuring powerhouse musical performances, I BRING WHAT I LOVE is a document of the battle over EGYPT, a battle N’Dour wages with tolerance and understanding, determination and song.

Tickets available NOW (and going fast!) at the SFF Box Office - 1991 Main St, Main Plaza.

http://filmguide.sarasotafilmfestival.com/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/eventnote.php?EventNumber=1109

All Panels are FREE and hosted at ESCA, 1888 Main St, Sarasota (across
from the Hollywood 20) unless otherwise indicated.

11:00 AM FLORIDA - THE FIRST HOLLYWOOD
Shawn C. Bean Writer and film historian reveals one of show business’s best-kept secrets: that it was the humble cattle town of Jacksonville, Florida, not glitzy Hollywood, California, that served as America’s first filmmaking capital in the early 20th century.

11:00 AM MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURE HISTORY
(1991 Main St, inside Main Plaza)
with Richard LaRiviere, Director
An exploration of the museum’s collection, one of the most comprehensive available and consisting of over 10,000 artifacts.

THE 11TH ANNUAL REGAL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP

SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL

March 27 thru April 5, 2009

Films/Competitions/Events/Tributes/Parties/Special Guests

Featuring: Steve Buscemi ~ David Carradine ~ Christo & Jeanne-Claude ~ Nick Dawson ~ Illeana Douglas ~ Antonio Ferrera ~ Ben Foster ~ Woody Harrelson ~ TJ Jagodowski ~ Norman Jewison ~ Oren Moverman ~ David Ortiz ~ Joe Pantoliano ~ David Pasquesi ~ Bill Paxton ~ Paul Schiff ~ Richard Schiff ~ Jon Voight ~ and more!


The 11th Annual Regal Entertainment Group SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL will get underway on Friday evening March 27, 2009 and run through Sunday, April 5, 2009.  The Festival will be presented at Sarasota’s Hollywood 20 Cinemas with Opening Night at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, Closing Night Tribute at the Sarasota Opera House, screenings and conversations at the Historic Asolo, and other area venues.

This year’s Festival will present over 160 narrative, documentary and short films from the U.S. and around the world throughout the 10-day event.  There will be the acclaimed programs Sarasota audiences have embraced over the years such as the “A Conversation With…” series held at the Historic Asolo Theater; Tribute Awards, film competitions in the narrative, documentary and short film categories – and, of course, audience award competition in all categories; our award-winning Outreach and Education Programs; and there will be three exciting new sidebars – the Green Cinema Now! Program and two retrospective presentations - Being Hal Ashby: Mind of A Hollywood Rebel and Environmental Spaces: Christo and Jeanne-Claude On Film.  And, of course, there will be the events, soirees and glamorous parties that the Sarasota Film Festival does so well.

Tickets for individual films go on sale to the general public on Friday March 13 at 11:00 AM at the Festival Box Office, 1991 Main St, in Downtown Sarasota.  Tickets are also available on the Festival website at www.SarasotaFilmFestival.com...

To read the rest of the Press Release, download it by following the link on this page.