prince among slaves screening and panel discussion january 31

January 29, 2008 at 11:52 pm | In Events, Movie Theaters, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

Received via email:

NAACP, CAIR and WMNF 88.5FM invite you to attend the Tampa premiere and panel discussion of Prince Among Slaves on Thursday, January 31, at 6:30 p.m. at the Tampa Theatre.

WHAT: Tampa Film Premiere of Prince Among Slaves
WHEN: Thursday, January 31, doors open 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Tampa Theatre, 711 N Franklin Street, Tampa, FL

COST: $10

Tickets at Tampa Theatre or online at www.princetampa.org or by phone 813.514.1414.

ABOUT THE FILM:

In 1788 a young African Muslim Prince named Abdul Rahman is torn from a life a of power and privilege, thrust into enslavement in a strange land. There he endures unimaginable hardship, yet carves out a life, and through improbable circumstances, gains his freedom and begins a remarkable journey… This is his story.

PANEL DISCUSSION AFTER FILM TO FEATURE:

Michael Wolfe, Film Producer
Caroly Lighty, WMNF Host
Dr. Cheryl Rodriguez, USF Institute on Black Life
Eric Deggans, St. Petersburg Times Media Critic

EVENT CO-CHAIRS:

Ahmed Bedier, Executive Director, CAIR Tampa
Chloe Coney, District Director for Congresswoman Kathy Castor
Curtis Stokes, President NAACP-Hillsborough

EVENT PARTNERS:

Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival
Tampa Bay Film Commission
Hillsborough County African American Liaison
Muslim Student Association – University of South Florida
Black Student Union – University of South Florida
Jarvis El-Amin, Community Activist
Hakeem “The Dream” Aquil, Community Activist

Visit www.princetampa.org or www.tampatheatre.org for more info.

sunscreen film festival fundraiser february 7

January 29, 2008 at 10:18 pm | In Events, Film Festivals, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

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short circuit traveling film festival in tampa february 17

January 29, 2008 at 7:05 am | In Events, Film Festivals, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

Southern. Film. That’s all I really need to know. I’m hooked.

The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center is bringing the Short Circuit Traveling Film Festival to town on February 17 at 2 p.m. (in Ferguson Hall at the TBPAC). The film fest is partially funded by the Southern Arts Federation, an organization dedicated to promoting and producing Southern arts and artists.

Details about the scheduled films are available here. (There are five films from my home state of Georgia on the schedule. Woo hoo!) Other details (including a very thoughtful advisory about some of the films’ strong language) are available on the TBPAC website.

(h/t to Guzzo Brother #1)

oscar night at tampa theatre is february 24

January 27, 2008 at 1:32 pm | In Events, Awards/Award Shows, Movie Theaters, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

Received via email:

The excitement and glamour of Hollywood are coming to Tampa Theatre on Oscar Night. Guests can experience the thrills and surprises of the 80th Academy Awards® on Sunday, February 24, at Tampa Bay’s own Oscar Night® America–Tampa Bay sponsored by Ferman Motor Car Company. This is one of only 52 official parties sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that will be held across the country on Oscar Night.

“Oscar Night America parties give communities across the country the opportunity to both share in the excitement of Oscar Night and support worthy causes,” said Academy Executive Director Bruce Davis. “And it’s terrific that a worldwide television event can help benefit so many charities on a local level.”

Now in its ninth year at Tampa Theatre, Oscar Night® has become a tradition that film fans in the area look forward to as an evening with an elegant Oscar-worthy reception and red carpet festivities. Guests will feel like Hollywood stars by taking limousine rides around the block, walking down the red carpet through a throng of autograph seekers and paparazzi and being interviewed by Tampa’s own red carpet fashion commentator, “Roan Jivers.” The star of the evening is Oscar himself. Celebrating the movies has never been better than watching the ceremony telecast live on Tampa Theatre’s big screen.

Tickets are $130 for the VIP reception and $30 for general admission. Tickets are on sale now at the Tampa Theatre box office or online at www.tampatheatre.org.

Oscar Night® America–Tampa Bay begins at 6:00 p.m. with the Oscar Night® VIP red carpet arrivals and reception. VIP guests will enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, champagne, wine and beer during the reception and telecast. VIP guests will also receive the same official Academy Awards program distributed to guests seated at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland in Hollywood.

General admission begins at 7:15 p.m. and includes complimentary soda, house coffee and popcorn. The Academy Awards program pre-broadcast will begin at 8:00 p.m., followed by ABC’s live telecast of the 80th Annual Academy Awards on the big screen.

Oscar Night® America–Tampa Bay is possible because of the generosity of its marquee sponsor Ferman Motor Car Company. Contributing sponsors include Cabot Cheese, Tampa Bay Metro Magazine, Tommy Bahama Rum, The Whitlock Group, ABC Action News–WFTS-TV, and Wright’s Gourmet.

“Oscar Night is a great opportunity for us to give our guests the ultimate celebrity experience while raising money for Tampa Theatre,” said Sarah Pickett, Oscar Night Chair. “The Academy Awards ceremony provides the perfect backdrop to such a special evening.”

Last year, official Oscar Night parties raised almost $3 million for local charities in 47 cities. All money raised stays in the community. Only one charity party in a given market may participate in Oscar Night America, which makes Tampa Theatre the only Academy-sanctioned telecast location in the Tampa Bay area.

The Tampa Theatre, along with Oscar Night America hosts in other cities, isn’t going to let the writers’ strike get in the way of having some Hollywood fun and raising money for charity. The event is moving forward as planned. You can read more or purchase tickets on this page of the Tampa Theatre’s website.

gasparilla film festival partnering with the global film initiative

January 27, 2008 at 12:50 pm | In Film Series, Film Festivals, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

This should have been posted a while back:

The Gasparilla Film Festival and its parent organization the Tampa Film Institute are proud to announce an exclusive partnership with the Global Film Initiative (GFI) to represent their Global Lens 2008 Series in the Greater Tampa Bay area.

The GFI promotes cross-cultural understanding and diversity by presenting developing world feature films in major US cities, through their series entitled “Global Lens.” The GFI is considered one of the foremost leaders in developing and executing world film initiatives and boasts a board, comprised of well known, accomplished international filmmakers, such as Pedro Almodóvar, Lars von Trier, Mira Nair and Lucy Barreto, to name a few.

Films from Argentina, China, Croatia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Philippines and South Africa that will headline the Global Lens 2008 film series include:

  • All For Free (Sve Dzaba), Croatia
  • The Bet Collector (Kubrador), Philippines
  • Bunny Chow, South Africa
  • The Custodian (El Custodio), Argentina
  • The Fish Fall In Love, Iran
  • Kept and Dreamless (Las Mantenidas Sin Suenos), Argentina
  • The Kite (Le Cerf-Volant), Lebanon
  • Let the Wind Blow (Hava Anew Dey), India
  • Luzury Car (Jiang Cheng Xia Ri), China
  • Opera Jawa, Indonesia

At the conclusion of each Global Lens tour, the films are archived for preservation purposes and become part of the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Past and present partners of the Global Lens Series include:

  • The Museum of Modern Art in New York
  • The American Film Institute
  • The Chicago International Film Festival
  • Gene Siskel Film Center
  • Miami International Film Festival
  • Boston Museum of Fine Arts
  • San Francisco Art Institute
  • Sarasota Film Society and The Seattle International Film Festival

Any local educational, cultural or government organization wishing to work with Global Lens Series and the Gasparilla Film Fest should contact Jon Rosser at (813) 514-9962.

The festival’s website is www.gasparillafilmfestival.com.

film fan finding:cloverfield

January 21, 2008 at 8:41 pm | In Reviews, Movies, *Cloverfield | No Comments

If a large, seemingly-unstoppable monster of unknown origin suddenly attacks New York City and no one in our cell-phone-addicted, self-obsessed, it-hasn’t-happened-until-I’ve-blogged-about-it society records their last panicked moments with their camcorder, did the end of the world really happen?

If a movie needs a viral marketing campaign, scores of devotees providing explanations on message boards, and a “secret clue” revealed by playing the brief audio clip (from the end of the credits) in reverse in order to shore up the non-existent backstory and fill in the holes of the plot, is that movie worth a trip to the local cineplex?

Does Cloverfield’s unusual and somewhat intriguing first-person point of view make it any easier to sit through 80 stomach-churning, headache-inducing minutes of violently shaky, unsteady camera work?

Does suspending one’s disbelief enough to watch a monster/disaster movie in the first place make it any easier to overlook weak characters, lapses in continuity, hastily-conceived plot points and an unsatisfying ending?

If I hate a movie so completely that I was actively rooting for all the characters to die so that I could get the hell out of the theater, do I have to waste my time struggling to write a proper review that’s not sarcastic and grumpy?

No, no, no, no and hell, no.

Film Fan Finding: C-

tampa film review still needs films for february

January 21, 2008 at 1:54 pm | In Events, Film Series, For Filmmakers, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

The Tampa Film Review has had two cancellations (due to scheduling conflicts) for the February show. There’s now a 30-minute time slot that needs to be filled. If you have a short film you’d like showcased at February’s TFR, please email paulguzzo@hotmail.com ASAP.

Otherwise, Guzzo Brother #1 will probably put on a puppet show or something to kill time. (He’s a nice guy and all, but please, for the love of God, submit your films and save us all!)

gasparilla film festival closing night ceremony

January 20, 2008 at 7:31 pm | In Events, Film Festivals, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

I’m extremely tardy in posting this bit of news from the Gasparilla Film Festival:

WENDY RYAN TO HOST GASPARILLA FILM FESTIVAL CLOSING NIGHT CEREMONY

Popular Tampa Bay television personality Wendy Ryan will be the hostess for the Gasparilla Film Festival Closing Night/Awards Ceremony taking place on Sunday night, March 2, 2008 at the Florida Aquarium.

Ryan is the co-anchor of the 6 and 11 o’clock editions of ABC Action News, as well as being an active leader in the Tampa Bay charitable community. For over a decade, Ms. Ryan has been highly profiled on broadcast news and financial journalism programs in such markets as Los Angeles, Miami, and Tampa Bay.

The Closing Night/Awards Ceremony is the capstone event of the 2008 Gasparilla Film Festival-Tampa Bay’s biggest film festival party. In addition to filmmakers, directors, distributors and other industry professionals from around the world, the Closing Night/Awards Ceremony will feature an awards presentation with several cinematic stars, including Tampa’s own Brittany Snow.

About the Gasparilla Film Festival (GFF): GFF is Tampa Bay’s largest independent film festival and is operated by the Tampa Film Institute, a 501 © 3 organization dedicated to advancing film education and community involvement in film within the Tampa Bay area. The 2008 Gasparilla Film Festival is scheduled for Wednesday, February 27 - Sunday, March 2 at the historic Tampa Theatre, Channelside Theatres, Ybor City, and the Florida Aquarium. Sponsors of the Gasparilla Film Festival include: Wachovia (Presenting Sponsor), St. Pete Times, tbt*, Navigar Advisors, Marshall Entertainment Insurance, Stella Artois, Bright House Networks, Cigar City, Don Vincente de Ybor, Hilton Garden Inn, State Film Commission, Tampa Bay and Company, Tampa Film Commission, Teco Streetcar Systems, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, WEDU (PBS), The Law Firm of Knopik Varner Moore, IADT, Sheraton Sand Key Resort, Kodak, Rover Technologies, MORE-TV 32, Indiewire, Ferman, Throwdown Beverages, Emerge Nutrient Infused Water and Pickett Public Relations Group.

(Received via email) The GFF’s website is www.gasparillafilmfestival.com.

faq:is there a mailing list for local events

January 20, 2008 at 7:08 pm | In Movies, FAQ | No Comments

Dear Tampa Film Fan:

I was curious. Is there a mailing list for all the individual events that pop up — the screenings, the reviews, etc.? I want to try to attend them all.

Thanks!

Dear Reader:

If you’re asking about my blog, it’s possible to subscribe to TampaFilmFan.com via email, so the blog posts are emailed to you instead of your having to actually visit my site. (On the right-hand side of the main page there’s a “subscribe via email” option.)

In addition to writing about particular events on my blog, I post all events that I find out about on the Event Calendar page, using Google Calendar. You can subscribe to the Tampa Film Fan Event Calendar (through Google/Google Calendar) … the subscription button is on the Event Calendar page of my blog.

I’m sure there are other events and screenings in the Tampa Bay area that aren’t included on my site, but I update the calendar with all events that I find out about.

Hope this helps.

This post has been added to the FAQ page.

campus movie fest coming to university of south florida

January 20, 2008 at 6:38 pm | In Events, For Filmmakers, Film Festivals, Movies, Tampa Bay Area | No Comments

Received via email:

Campus Moviefest is coming to The University of South Florida! Tuesday, February 5, at 12 p.m. at the USF campus. Sign up at www.campusmoviefest.com. To see more details and RSVP, visit
http://ut.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=6806720204.

Congrats, USF student filmmakers. And good luck!

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