A Full Day of Films at the Sarasota Film Festival

[Amy Warren, LMHC / WQ Mag Columnist]

What a great day of films at the Sarasota Film Festival! War and Love in Kabul was a fabulous film – a real life documentary of true love in Afghanistan. Part of UNIFEM’s films through women’s eyes, the film gives a tragic look at the reality of women and love in a country where daughters are bought and sold – a country where the need for money breeds naïve terrorists and women yearning for love. The true story shines a light on genuine love and what women will go through to keep it. But in a country where the realities of arranged marriage give the message “If she must suffer marriage, there should be an advantage,” personal happiness for women is often forsaken. I highly recommend this film which will be shown again Monday, April 12 at 3:15 p.m.

If you’ve never experienced the art of short films, Sarasota Film Festival is the place to start. The Narrative Shorts 2, a series of five short films which I watched today, will be shown again on Sunday, April 18th at 8:15 pm and is definitely worth seeing. Scott Tuft, director of Makeup, is in Sarasota for the festival. Tuft said his interest in the intensity of strangers led him to make the film. You’ll be surprised at the outcome in this fourteen minute film when one woman allows a stranger to apply makeup to her face. Another short film, Successful Alcoholics takes a humorous look at the realities of alcoholics in denial.

Writer and director Andrew Sarno and most of the cast were on hand for the screening of Joel and Julie, a narrative feature filmed in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area. Interacting with his wife’s relatives inspired Sarno to put real life family dynamics on the screen. Film viewers will find an unusual twist in that the cast is composed of the family members themselves. As the Malizia family re-enacted particular incidents in their lives with little variation, Joel Malizia was particularly compelling. With much of the dialogue being spontaneous, the low-budget film currently runs at 59 minutes. Interest in the film is resulting in Sarno working on a full length feature.

Believe it or not, I’ve yet to finish my film-viewing for the day. I’m looking forward to seeing The Joneses with Demi Moore and David Duchovny tonight. The film received rave reviews after yesterday’s screening. All in all, it’s been a great day at the film festival!

[admin]

Great movies this year Amy...I also enjoyed Daniel & Abraham a movie shot on a $10,000 budget...very good