April 2011 Blog Posts (33)

Sarasota Film Festival's Cinema Tropicale Celebration at the Sarasota Yacht Club was quite the celebration, giving  filmmakers a perfect introduction to our beautiful community. Film-lovers enjoyed spectacular views and food while mingling and dancing the night away. Now this event was the kind of party for which the Sarasota Film Festival is known! The parties continue this weekend with Friday's Night Under a Thousand Stars -  Beach Edition at the Ritz-Carlton Member Beach Club and…

Carmel Café and Wine Bar is a feast for the eyes.  A savory mix of fabulous flavors and romantic modern décor truly elevates this dining experience to one that satisfy’s on a sensory level that is truly indulgent!  Food can be amazing but when your surroundings are a bust, the diner is left with a void and a somewhat unmet need.  I love a dive…

Re-visit local history with Thursday’s screening of “Through the Tunnel.”  The film tells the story of the Lincoln High Trojans, the football team of the former Manatee County School for African American students prior to desegregation in 1969. When the young men of Lincoln High were integrated into Manatee High to form a single, powerhouse program, head Coach Eddie Shannon was their guide, leading his team beyond the ignominy thrust upon the team by the challenges of…

I remember the early years of the film festival when seats were empty and directors solicited people to fill the theatre for their film. But times have changed.  These days, virtually every theatre is filled to capacity. The full theatres mean good news for more than just the filmmakers. Popular demand is resulting in additional screenings being added for some of the sold-out films. So if there is a “sold out” film you’d like to see or a film just doesn’t meet your schedule, check again.…

This morning msnbc posted a study on new mothers and bad health habits.  While most times having a baby results in loss of sleep, poor eating habits, less exercise and the resulting weight gain, this does not always have to be the case.  Breast feeding burns many calories, so if that is an option, great.  Nap time is a great time to exercise, so consider the stroller, but don’t just stroll, get moving!  Try to get out each day if you can, and when you can’t, perhaps pop in an exercise video…

Narrative Feature Competition: Kinyarwanda

“Kinyarwanda” gets my vote as one of the top contenders in Sarasota Film Festival’s narrative feature competition. Inspired by true stories, “Kinyarwanda” entwines six different stories within one film, giving a face to those affected by the Rwanda genocide. Over a million men, women and children…

Cancer rates are not falling, and alarmingly, pediatric and adolescent cancers are rising. Many cancers develop slowly, over a long period of time, sometimes decades, so what your children are exposed to and consume now may increase their risk of cancer later in life. Children are little people. This means that exposure to environmental toxins and pesticides have a greater affect on them then on adults. It is true that many toxins (e.g. BPA and pesticides on foods) leave the body after a few…

War is hard, and sometimes coming home is even harder. K. Lorrel Manning’s film, “Happy New Year,” is the fictionalized story of Sgt. Cole Lewis, a marine who returns from Iraq paralyzed. Without available beds in the Veteran’s Hospital, Lewis is assigned to the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder wing of the under-staffed, rundown hospital.  After initial anger…

If you’ve ever thought that anything “green” is environmentally friendly, think again. Laura Israel’s documentary “Windfall” tackles the subject of wind energy from the personal viewpoints of residents affected by it. The prospect of leasing land to developers for the erection of wind turbines, an energy-efficient alternative to electricity, initially seemed…

Majical Miniatures, a 501c3 non profit animal rescue & rehab organization in Parrish, needs your help. A fundraiser has been set up to raise money to purchase a walk in aviary for rescued animals. The aviary cost $950. The fundraiser has raised $650 to date & will end on June 1st 2011. If you…

Documentary Feature Competition:  Better This World

sarasota film festival

Justice and injustice, loyalty and disloyalty, power and the abuse of power, manipulation, right and wrong, ethics and integrity…these are the topics that viewers are likely to ponder long…

At Majical Miniatures, we take in exotic, farm and wild animals for all sorts of reasons. Some are injured or abandoned, others neglected or their families simply cannot care for them any more. Whatever the reason, we pride ourselves on giving every animal that comes through our door the best possible care. It does not matter if they are here for a short visit before finding their forever home, released back into their natural wild habitat or if they are here to stay, we love them all.…