This year, movie aficionados will enjoy more than 30 films from genres including narrative features, documentaries, foreign language, and LGBTQ along with Florida-focused themes during the sixth annual Key West Film Festival.
The 2017 festival launches November 15 and runs through Sunday, November 19. The opening night film is the acclaimed “The Shape of Water,” starring actress Octavia Spencer in director Guillermo del Toro’s first offering to be produced in English. The movie is a romantic “creature feature” with an amphibious being and set in Cold War–era America.
The Shape Of Water – Official Trailer – Opening Night Film
The closing film, “Last Flag Flying” by director Richard Linklater, features actors Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne as Vietnam veterans on a road trip to bury one of the men’s sons.
Themed “Passion Meets Paradise,” the festival offers screenings and question-and-answer sessions with industry insiders and critics.
The event’s third annual Critics Focus program will be led by Kenneth Turan, film critic for the Los Angeles Times, and Joshua Rothkopf, film editor for Time Out New York. Other critics include Eric Kohn, Alison Willmore, David Fear, Jeffrey Wells and Steve Dollar.
The annual Brett Ratner Florida Film Scholarship will again honor a Florida student filmmaker with a $5,000 grant.
Films are to be screened at island venues including the San Carlos Institute, 516 Duval St.; Key West Theater, 512 Eaton St.; The Studios of Key West, 533 Eaton St.; and Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton St.
Social festivities are to be held at Audubon House & Tropical Gardens, 205 Whitehead St.; the Harry S. Truman Little Truman White House, 111 Front St.; Mangoes Key West, 700 Duval St.; and the Waterfront Brewery, 201 William St.
The festival’s second annual Golden Key for Costume Design event will honor designer Mark Bridges and includes a screening of the 2011 Oscar-award winner, “The Artist.” Deborah Nadoolman Landis of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present the award to Bridges via satellite.
A silent auction with film memorabilia benefits “the community at large affected by Hurricane Irma,” said Brooke Christian, festival founder and chairman.
The auction includes donations by actress Angela Bassett, Sony Classics, IFC Films, Magnolia Pictures, Lions Gate Films and others.
For additional event information, schedule and ticketing visit : keywestfilmfestival.com
Key West visitor information: fla-keys.com/keywest or 1-800-LAST-KEY
Social:
Keys Voices (http://keysvoices.com/)
