Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival<\/a> is hitting a milestone that every cultural organization aspires to reach, but only a select few manage. This year, it marks its 40th anniversary with films, parties, and appearances by big-name special guests. At a time when similar regional festivals are increasingly endangered, FLIFF\u2019s latest edition will spotlight 50 films across several Broward venues, including Savor Cinema, Cinema Paradiso, and Paragon Cinemas, among others.<\/p>\nHal Axler, the festival\u2019s managing director, says FLIFF\u2019s operating principle \u2014 using \u201cthe art of cinema to bring people together, celebrate diverse storytelling, and foster and incubate filmmakers within the community\u201d \u2014 has not changed over its four-decade tenure. But he says the festival has worked hard to keep up with the times.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn an era where content is always at our fingertips,\u201d Axler explains, \u201cfilm festivals must create a truly immersive, shared experience with every screening \u2014 something that goes beyond just watching a movie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regional festivals such as this one are instrumental in connecting audiences with art and culture, boosting local economies, and providing platforms for networking and professional development. But they face two key obstacles: ever-diminishing funding and ever-expanding competition in the attention economy.<\/p>\n
To battle against the tides, FLIFF relies on innovative programming targeted to its unique audiences, and this year\u2019s lineup is no exception. Actor and comedian Paul Reiser will present his latest film, The Problem with People, a culture-clash comedy about family and forgiveness, followed by a conversation and an Irish-themed party. Chevy Chase will also join director Marina Zenovich to discuss her profile of the comic, I\u2019m Chevy Chase and You\u2019re Not, which celebrates Chase\u2019s comedic career without shying away from his many controversies. A Chaddyshack-themed party will follow the screening and panel. On the more serious side, Oscar-nominated actor Terrance Howard and Emmy winner Jeremy Piven will screen their new crime thriller, Miami Nights, which, true to its title, was shot in South Florida.<\/p>\n
No less special than these marquee events is the festival\u2019s robust documentary lineup and collection of LGBTQ+ films. Axler is eager for audiences to connect with documentaries such as Land of Mustaches and California Scenario. He admits that these films \u201coften receive less attention,\u201d but \u201care consistently outstanding,\u201d which explains the festival\u2019s focus on the medium. One selection that has already received significant attention is Guy Harvey: The Documentary, which explores the artist\u2019s ocean conservation efforts. FLIFF added a second screening after the first one sold out quickly. Another film, Mr. Goalie, spotlights the life of Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Glenn Hall.<\/p>\n
While Mr. Goalie may satiate the post-Heated Rivalry hockey frenzy, there\u2019s queer representation to be found elsewhere on the lineup: documentary Inside the Oasis: The Story of South Florida\u2019s Gay Mecca, contemporary fare like the comedic Myrna\u2019s Deal with the Dead, or the romantic If You Should Leave Before Me. If meta-self-discovery is more your niche, there is a fascinating potential double feature between Exit Interviews and Two Times Jo\u00e3o Liberada. The former is a poignant journey of self-understanding as a filmmaker interviews all of his exes. The latter queers the historical biographical film as an actress and director clash over telling the story of Liberada, \u201ca gender-nonconforming figure persecuted during the Portuguese Inquisition.\u201d<\/p>\n
While this year\u2019s programming ranges from world cinema to local productions, all selections are rooted in connecting audiences with singular storytelling. Looking ahead to the next 40 years, Axler hopes to maintain the same community engagement that has sustained FLIFF from the VHS age to the streaming era. The film festival experience \u201csimply can\u2019t be replaced,\u201d Axler says, \u201cno matter how comfortable the reclining chair or large the TV at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Friday, February 20, through Saturday, February 28, at various venues. fliff.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chevy Chase will attend the FLIFF screening of his documentary, I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not. FLIFF photo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":161247,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[1943,249,251,250],"class_list":{"0":"post-161246","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-lauderdale","8":"tag-festivals","9":"tag-fort-lauderdale","10":"tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","11":"tag-fort-lauderdale-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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