What to Watch:
​Feature Films

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FAIRYLAND
Narrative Feature

Following the sudden and tragic death of her mother, young Alysia is uprooted by her father Steve in hopes of restarting his life. They move to 1970s San Francisco where Steve develops his poetic and personal writing and begins to openly date men. Steve’s bohemian lifestyle clashes with the expectations of parenthood from both the outside world and Alysia herself, who occasionally wishes for less of the independence her father gives her. As Alysia grows into a young woman on the cusp of adulthood, their bonds and duty to each other are tested in painful and sudden ways.
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Based on Alysia Abbott’s 2013 memoir and elegantly told by writer-director Andrew Durham in his debut feature, Fairyland is a film about a family unique for its time but instantly recognizable. Actors Scoot McNairy and Emilia Jones beautifully capture the complex mix of fealty, embarrassment, and pride that are part of any father-daughter relationship, but especially one set in 1970s and ’80s San Francisco with its indelible legacy of loss and love.

​March 26 @ 4:00 pm
Burns Court Cinema 2
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L'IMMENSITA
Narrative Feature

Penélope Cruz stars as Clara, a Spanish woman who has relocated to Rome in the early 1970s to raise a family with Felice (Vincenzo Amato), her emotionally distant and frequently absent husband. From their new apartment, Clara sees a city in transition: the remnants of an old society washed away by the tastes of an emerging middle class. Even though the paint is fresh, and the appliances are new, the crushing expectations around family, desire, and gener remain as traditional as ever. Clara’s three children are likewise poised at a precipice, on the verge of adolescence and its myriad complications. Her eldest child, Adri (arresting newcomer Luana Giuliani), years for another life – an outsized, vibrantly-relized vision of a world where he simply gets to live as the boy he knows himself to be. Without an accepted vocabulary for talking about gender, Adri simply tells adults that he’s an alien from another galaxy.

March 27 @ 7:00 pm
Burns Court Cinema 1

March 31 @ 1:00 pm
Burns Court Cinema 2
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HUMANITY STOKED
Documentary Feature

Featuring world-famous skateboarders, scientists, artists, musicians, activists and educators, all of whom are skateboarders. The iconic cast, respected as leaders in their fields, reveal their unique experiences and insights on being human. Their perspectives on issues that affect humanity’s ability to move forward together are shaped by their own backgrounds, and often inspired by their love of skateboarding. The conversations focus on understanding fear, depression, addiction, education, activism, philanthropy, racism, sexism, homophobia, and the environment. The film’s purpose is to inspire deeper thinking, more empathic perspectives, and open conversations about human issues.

March 29 @ 7:15 pm
Burns Court Cinema 1

March 30 @ 2:15 pm
Municipal Auditorium
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TICKETS

Question and Answer

Stay after the film for a conversation & Q&A with the Indigo Girls Amy Ray, Emily Saliers and director Alexandria Bombach.

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HIDDEN MASTER: THE LEGACY OF GEORGE PLATT LYNES
Documentary Feature

George Platt Lynes began his career photographing celebrities, and it’s those portraits along with his extravagant fashion work that he’s best remembered for today. However, George’s heart, his passion, and his greatest talent lay elsewhere, in his work with the male nude. This work, sensuous and radically explicit for its time, has only recently begun being fully discovered and appreciated for the revolution that it represents – a man capturing his fantasies as a gift, a window to a future his camera saw coming before anyone else. From visionary art director Sam Shahid, HIDDEN MASTER features a stunning collection of photography from the 1930s-50s, uncovering the life of Lynes less known: his gifted eye for the male form, his long term friendships with Gertrude Stein and Alfred Kinsey, and his lasting influence as one of the first openly gay American artists.

March 30 @ 7:15 pm
Burns Court Cinema 2
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LOVE TO LOVE YOU, DONNA SUMMER
Documentary Feature

Shaped by Summer’s own reflections, the memories of close family, friends and colleagues, and filled with the sounds of Summer’s songs, Love to Love You, Donna Summer is an in-depth look at the iconic artist as she creates music that takes her from the avant-garde music scene in Germany, to the glitter and bright lights of dance clubs in New York, to worldwide acclaim, her voice and artistry becoming the defining soundtrack of an era.

A deeply personal portrait of Summer on and off the stage, the film features a wealth of photographs and never-before-seen home video footage – often shot by Summer herself – and provides a rich window into the surprising range of her artistry, from songwriting to painting, while exploring the highs and lows of a life lived on the global stage.

March 31 @ 6:00 pm
Municipal Auditorium
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BEING MARY TYLER MOORE
Documentary Feature

With unprecedented access to the Mary Tyler Moore Estate, friends, family, and colleagues, "Being Mary Tyler Moore" constructs an intimate mosaic of Mary's sixty-year career in show business. The film reveals a complex icon, full of compassion, empathy, and inspirational abilities, despite battling her own demons. At the same time, she tried to keep the pain of a tragic spate of unexpected personal losses from the public.

​To understand Mary Tyler Moore's life and impact, the documentary weaves Mary's narrative with an examination of the importance of her on-screen roles, her non-traditional influence as a powerful executive, her humanitarianism, and the indelible mark she left on feminism.

March 31 @ 8:00 pm
Municipal Auditorium
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IT'S ONLY LIFE AFTER ALL
Documentary Feature

Atlanta-based singer-songwriters Amy Ray and Emily Saliers began performing together in high school before becoming the acclaimed folk-rock duo Indigo Girls. After playing local clubs for years, Indigo Girls and their distinctive vocal harmonies slipped into mainstream consciousness in the late 1980s and early ’90s with a Grammy win and hit song “Closer to Fine.” Over the years, Ray and Saliers have maintained musical careers on their own terms with their resolutely political lyrics and commitment to LGBTQ rights and visibility. Since 1993, they have also found purpose in partnering with Indigenous activist Winona LaDuke in the fight for environmental justice.

​(Special April 1st Event)
Pre-Party @ 4:30 pm | Art Avenue
Showtime @ 6:00 pm | CinèBistro

TICKETS

April 2 @ 7:00 pm
Burns Court Cinema 2

TICKETS

Question and Answer

Stay after the film for a conversation & Q&A with the Indigo Girls Amy Ray, Emily Saliers and director Alexandria Bombach.

WATCH THIS

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LITTLE RICHARD:
​I AM EVERYTHING
​Documentary Feature

Little Richard: I Am Everything tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock n’ roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard’s complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon’s life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.

​April 1 @ 8:00 pm
Municipal Auditorium
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TICKETS

Question and Answer

Stay after the film for a conversation & Q&A with Producer Alexandra Barreto.

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What to Watch:
​LGBTQ Shorts

Stood Up was filmed in Saint Petersburg, and stars Kathryn Parks from Sarasota.

Stood Up

Christina and Sara find themselves stood up while they wait for their online dates to arrive. What happens during the course of the evening surprises them both. It's a story about connection, self-empowerment, and the joy of spontaneity. Maggie Perrotta makes her narrative directorial debut, Stood Up.
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TICKETS

What to Watch:
​Virtual LGBTQ Shorts Block

For the 3rd year, The Sarasota Film Festival has dedicated an entire block to LGBTQ+ short films.
​Purchase 1 ticket to view these 4 LGBTQ short films online.

WATCH LGBTQ SHORT FILM BLOCK

How to Carry Water

This punk rock fairytale doubles as a portrait of Shoog McDaniel — a fat, queer, and disabled photographer working in and around northern Florida’s vast network of freshwater springs, the state’s source of precious drinking water. For over a decade, Shoog’s photographs have transformed the way fat people view themselves and how a fat phobic society views fat bodies.

Human

A man wakes up naked in a field. There is nothing and no one around, just a lonely lighthouse and a tree. The man runs there for answers. "When the world is on the brink of World War III, I want to remind people of something we keep forgetting." - Director:  Khachatur Vasilian

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Lavendar

Willi, a closeted gay man, finds only joy when spending time with the man he loves, Hector. His world is shattered one day when Hector goes missing. Wanting to find out what happened to Hector, and dreading the worst, Willi sets out to find his love. As he navigates a Cold War-era world rampant with hate, he faces a decision that will alter his life, and the lives of those in his community, forever.

Inés Unfortunately

After getting her heart broken, Inés decides she must end it all… that is, until her perfectly planned suicide is interrupted by the ghost of her chatty Cuban neighbor.

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Where to Go:
​The SFF Parties

Opening Night
​Kick-Off Party

Saturday, March, 25th - 8:00 PM - 12:00AM
Art Avenue, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail

Get ready for an electrifying start to the Sarasota Film Festival! You'll be surrounded by the dazzling works of legendary artists like Salvador Dali, Pedro Pedrazzini, and Rodolfo Viola - at Art Avenue Gallery a high-end art gallery (next to Cinebistro). The price of the ticket includes 2 drink tickets.

TICKETS

Friday Night Disco
​Street Party

Friday, March 31st, 2023 | 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM
332 Cocoanut Avenue

​Sarasota Film Festival's annual Friday Night Street Party returns with a DISCO theme! Featuring disco music so feel free to dress up accordingly. Among the performers are disco bands, Kara Nally Band, Gustav Viehmeyer, Dj and more surprise guests. Food trucks. Drinks and dancing!

TICKETS

​It's Only Life After All Pre-Party, Film & Q&A.

Saturday, April 1st, 2023 | 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM
Art Avenue, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail

​Join SarasotaOUT.com for cocktails at Art Avenue Gallery located near CinèBistro before the Indigo Girls film "It's Only Life After All." 

TICKETS

Closing Reception & Film 'On a Wing and a Prayer'

Sunday, April 7th, 2023 | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Municipal Auditorium, 801 N. Tamiami Trail

Close the festival on a high note with our notorious wrap party. The red carpet event features cocktails and hors d’oeuvres followed by awards and the screening of 'On a Wing and a Prayer'

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