Gasparilla International Film Festival Unveils 10th Year Anniversary Lineup
Suncoast Credit Union Gasparilla International Film Festival (GIFF) has announced the official program for its 10th year anniversary in
Tampa, Florida. The 10th annual festival will be held March 30-April 3 at the Tampa Theater and Ybor City’s Carmike Cinemas. With 115 films, the
festival will host international and regional premieres of narrative features, documentaries and short films around the world, special tributes, master
classes, panel discussions and much more.
This year’s special tribute will celebrate the many accomplishments of Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony winner Rita Moreno. GIFF
will honor Moreno with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Also, her film, “Remember Me” will screen at the festival.
A jury of industry professionals and acclaimed filmmakers will be presenting awards to competition films in the following categories: Narrative Feature,
Documentary, Spotlight and Shorts.
Highlights include:
Opening Night Film (Narrative)
“Eye in the Sky” (UK):
Academy Award winner Helen Mirren stars alongside Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman and Iain Glen in this timely thriller about a terrorist-targeting drone mission
that becomes a flashpoint when a civilian girl enters the kill zone. Directed by Gavin Hood.
Closing Night Film (Narrative)
“Everybody Wants Some” (USA):
A group of college baseball players navigate their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood. Starring Zoey Deutch, Tyler
Hoechlin, Ryan Guzman, Blake Jenner. Directed by Richard Linklater
Narrative Features:
- “Precious Cargo” (World Premiere)
:
After a botched heist, Eddie, a murderous crime boss, hunts down the seductive thief Karen who failed him. In order to win back Eddie’s trust, Karen
recruits her ex-lover and premier thief Jack. Starring Bruce Willis, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Claire Forlani. Directed by Max Adams. - “Embrace Of The Serpent” (Colombia. Florida Premiere):
Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. The story of the relationship between Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and last
survivor of his people, and two scientists who work together over the course of 40 years to search the Amazon for a sacred healing plant. Starring: Jan Bijvoet, Antonio Bolivar. Directed by Ciro Guerra
- “Ma Ma” (Spain. Florida Premiere): A
woman recently diagnosed with cancer forms an unexpected bond with a soccer scout (Luis Tosar) whose wife has been gravely injured in a car
accident. Starring: Academy Award winner Penélope Cruz. Directed by Julio Medem - “Love and Friendship” (France/Netherlands. Florida Premiere):
In the 18th century, the seductive and manipulative Lady Susan uses devious tactics to win the heart of the eligible Reginald De Courcy. Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Chloe Sevigny. Directed by Whit Stillman.
- “The Daughter” (Australia. Florida Premiere):
A young man returns to his dying hometown and discovers a dark family secret that could tear apart the lives of those he left behind, in this
contemporary adaptation of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck.
Starring: Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush, Ewen Leslie, Paul Schneider, Miranda Otto, Anna Torv, with Odessa Young and Sam Neill. Directed by
Simon Stone. - “The Debt” (USA. Florida Premiere):
A hedge-fund honcho puts through the deal of a lifetime: the redemption of a billion-dollar debt owed by the Peruvian government to its citizens. The
quick buck soon turns into a nightmare. Starring: Stephen Dorff, Alberto Ammann, Carlos Bardem, and David Strathairn. Directed by Barney Elliott
- “The Adderall Diaries” (USA. Florida Premiere):
Based on the bestselling memoir by Stephen Elliott, The Adderall Diaries is the story of an author paralyzed by writer’s block and an escalating drug
dependency who is sucked down the rabbit hole of a high-profile murder case. Starring:James Franco, Ed Harris and Amber Heard. Written and directed by Pamela Romanowsky - “One More Time” (USA. Florida Premiere):
After one too many big city problems, Jude heads to the Hamptons home of her father, an over-the-hill crooner desperately charting his musical
comeback. Starring: Amber Heard, Kelli Garner and Christopher Walken. Directed by Robert Edwards.
- “Little Men” (USA. Florida Premiere):
Jake is a quiet, sensitive middle schooler when he meets the affably brash Tony at his grandfather’s funeral. The budding friendship is put at risk,
however, when a rent dispute between Jake’s father, Brian and Tony’s mother, Leonor, threatens to become contentious. Starring: Greg Kinnear, Theo Taplitz, Michael Barbieri and Alfred Molina. Directed by Ira Sachs - “A Beautiful Now” (USA. Florida Premiere):
As a beautiful dancer balances between reality and fantasy, she asks her friends to help her figure out the passions and relationships that have shaped
her identity. Starring: Abigail Spencer, Cheyenne Jackson, Collette Wolfe. Directed by: Daniela Amavia
- “Puerto Ricans in Paris” (USA. Florida Premiere):
Two Puerto Rican NYPD detectives head to Paris to track down a stolen handbag. Starring: Luiz Guzman, Rosie Perez, Rosario Dawson. Directed by Ian Edelman - “The Black Coat’s Daughter” (USA. Florida Premiere): Beautiful and haunted Joan makes a pilgrimage across a frozen landscape toward a prestigious all girls prep school where Rose and Kat find themselves
stranded after their parents mysteriously fail to retrieve them for winter break. Starring: Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka, James Remar, Lauren Holly. Directed by Osgood Perkins - “The Truth About Lies” (USA. Florida Premiere):
A desperate, unemployed man (Fran Kranz) who lives with his mother weaves an ever-growing web of lies to impress a beautiful woman. Starring: Fran Kranz, Odette Annable. Directed by Phil Allocco.
Documentaries
- “Hair I Go Again” (World Premiere):
Facing a mid-life crossroads, two longtime friends risk everything as they set out to fulfill their dreams of achieving rock & roll stardom. Directed by: Steve McClure. - “Hano! A Century in the Bleachers” (Florida Premiere):
Meet Arnold Hano, 93, legendary sportswriter and social activist. Baseball fan, war veteran and storyteller emeritus: few have lived and chronicled the
American experience as extensively. Directed by: Jon Leonoudakis. - “Smart” (Florida Premiere):
Groundbreaking feature-length documentary about a group of highly trained, adrenaline-fueled professionals who risk life and limb to rescue animals.
They’re Los Angeles’ Specialized Mobile Animal Rescue Team! Directed by Justin Zimmerman - “No Greater Love” (Florida Premiere):
U.S. Army Chaplain Justin Roberts goes on missions with the legendary NO SLACK battalion in Afghanistan in 2010/2011 armed with only a camera. Directed by Justin Roberts.
Cuban Sidebar: Films focusing on Cuba
- “Craving Cuba” (World Premiere):
A Cuban-American woman seeks to understand her true identity. Directed by: Zuzy Martin Lynch - “The Forbidden Shore” (World Premiere)-
The amazing diversity of contemporary Cuban music is gorgeously explored in Ron Chapman’s third documentary feature. Chapman captures the full gamut of
what’s happening now in Cuba, both the most exciting artists and the distinct musical scenes they move In. Directed by Ron Chapman. - “Havana Motor Club” (Florida Premiere):
Reforms have offered opportunity in Cuba but the children of the Revolution are unsure of the best route forward. For a half-dozen drag racers, this
means last-minute changes to their beloved American muscle cars, as they prepare for the first sanctioned race in Cuba since 1960. Directed by Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt
Florida Focus :
World premiere of independent films made in Florida
- “Waiting on Mary” :
A struggling actor, traumatized by a brutal divorce, assumes the personality of a colonial character he played at a failed amusement park as a way of
retreating from his pain. Directed by: Corey Horton - “Bear With Us” :
A modern farce about a guy who attempts to propose to his girlfriend in the most romantic way possible, but his plan falls apart when a ravenous bear
stumbles on their charming cabin in the woods. Directed by: William Stribling. - “Dooder And the Lighthouse” :
Dooder Parker is eighty-six and full of life. When the historic lighthouse in his hometown becomes doomed to fall into the Gulf, his recounting of
local history evolves into a reflection on his love for his wife. Stories intertwine to paint a portrait of a vanishing way of life. Directed by: Clayton Long & Lisa Long
In addition to feature length films, GIFF will present over 70 short films. Short film blocks include:
- “LOL”: Comedic short films
· “Films on a Mission”: Short films focusing on a specific cause
· “Thrill Ride”: Thriller, action, and horror short films.
· “Love is In the Air”: Romantic short films
· “ Motion Tunes”: Short films related to music
· “Save the Drama”: Drama short films
· “Films 101”: College made short films
· “High School Film Showcase”: GIFF’s high school filmmaking competition sponsored by Suncoast Credit Union
Additionally, Gasparilla will feature in-depth, informative Industry Panels, including, Meet The Press, Casting Directors, “The Performance” Actor’s panel,
Special Effects, Do’s, Don’ts for a Film Festival Run and “The Pitch.” Additionally, GIFF is proud to welcome Academy Award nominated animator Bill
Plympton (1987’s Your Face).
For more information on all the films to be screened and industry events, please go to:
