Dubbed “the grande dame of film fests in the Sunshine State” by Indiewire, a website that caters to independent filmmakers, the Florida Film Festival is one of only a handful of cinema showcases in the world—and the only one in Florida—to be accredited as a qualifying festival for the Oscars in three short-film categories: Live Action, Animation and Documentary.
The annual event—held at Enzian, the region’s beloved arthouse cinema—will mark its 35th anniversary this year. (The theater itself turned 40 last year.) Dates for the festival are April 10 to 19, with its eagerly anticipated Opening Night Party on Friday, April 10, at 8 p.m. at the Tiedtke Amphitheater and Belvedere behind the Winter Park Events Center.
There’ll also be an opening night screening of a featured film at both Enzian and the Regal Cinema at Winter Park Village—usually with stars or filmmakers present. At press time, however, the film selection process had not been finalized. In total, there’ll be more than 180 films in a variety of genres shown over the course of the event.
Tickets to the Opening Night Party—which will feature live music with craft cocktails and cuisine from local vendors—are $75 each. Also available are packages that include the Belvedere bash plus the kickoff screening at either Enzian ($125) or the Regal ($100).
Matinee passes for all eligible films are priced at $125, while binge passes for evening films are priced at $350. Film-lover passes, which are priced at $675, offer early entry and access to exclusive parties. A $1,500 producer pass offers all these benefits plus many more, including a filmmaker welcome party.
Enzian is located at 1300 South Orlando Avenue, Maitland. For more information, visit floridafilmfestival.com or call 407.629.1088.
