Independent Streak Magazine -- Spring 2026

Savoir FaireFilm Festival

By Rachel Galvin

The Savoir Faire Film Festival wasfour daysof short film screeningsand partiesat Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale Thiswasthe second year for the festival.There used to be just one festival -- the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival,but last year,they split it in two Keeping the name for the feature filmsand adding Savoir Faire for the short films.

The judgesfor the festival thisyear not only included thisreporter,but also ChrisLeclere and Jose Vasquez.The poster wascreated by legendary artist Laurence Gartel.

Opening night included live music,deliciouslasagna and other food, including adessert bar with a chocolate fountain.Among the selection of different typesof filmswasa block of horror films(including afilm called ?No Sight of Night," with me asthe lead -- I did not judge that one). After each block,filmmakersand actors,etc were able to go down and participate in aQ&A. There also wasacomedy night with comic films, hosted by comedian,director and actor Wil Shriner.People could grab a bite to eat There were chicken nuggetsand wafflesand more The wrap party included pizzaand Budweiser,and awardswere given out.It wasa nice intimate festival with great networking for all

The28th Annual OUTShine Film Festival

The wait isover asthe OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival unveils itsfull film lineup for this year?sSpring Edition running April 23 ?May 3, 2026 in South Florida

Thisyear?sfestival will feature more than 20 international,North American and East Coast premieresfrom 20 countriesacross Miami-Dade and Broward counties!

Opening Night will feature the Spanish comedy "The Dinner" ("La Cena") on Thursday, April 23,at 7:30 p m ,at Miami Beach Botanical Gardens(2000 Convention Ctr Dr,Miami Beach)

The Centerpiece film,also from Spain, "Maspalomas," screensat the Koubek Center Theater (2705 SW 3rd St,Miami) at 7:30 p.m. on April 30.

Closing night will be on Sunday,May 3,at 6 p.m.,at Savor Cinema(503 SE6th St,Fort Lauderdale) and will feature the international premiere of the Canadian film "We?ll Find Happiness" followed by another first -- aClosing Night Community Block Party featuring food vendors,filmmakers,live performers, entertainment and more.

There will be a special recognition ceremony for Dustin Lance Black, director of "Rock Out," an excavation of the queer rootsof rock,punk and metal featuring Roger

Daltrey,Dolly Parton,John Reid,Danny Fields and more,on Monday,April 27 at the Paradigm Cinemas:Gateway Fort Lauderdale Cocktails& Cinema? screening.

An American screenwriter,director,producer, and LGBTQ+ rightsactivist,Black won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2009 for "Milk," a biographical dramabased on the life of gay rightsactivist and politician Harvey Milk,who wasthe first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California,asa member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

He also wrote the screenplay for the film "J Edgar" and the 2022 crime miniseries"Under the Banner of Heaven "

Can't make it to the festival?Don't worry.It also hasa virtual component The festival continueswith select filmsavailable for OUTshine At-Home viewing from May 4 - 10.

For moreinformationandtosecuretickets, visit outshinefilm.com.

FLIFF Kick-Off Party

By Rachel Galvin

On Feb. 15,the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival held itskickoff party at Savor Cinema.Those desperately wanting to know what wasin store for this year'sFLIFFattended Lisa Grigorian,president & CEO, and Steve Savor,chair,were happy to oblige,filling them in on all the details,including announcing celebritiesthat would be attending and some of the filmsthat would be shown The festival would be held Feb. 20-28. (See pg. 5 for details) They also unveiled the poster and had a vintage car out front perfect for photo opps

Film Review: "The Legend of Juan Jose Mundo"

By Rachel Galvin

Awww? the ?80s?big hair,Valley speak,mix tapesand landlines... Anyone who isnostalgic for that awesome erawill totally love the film ?The Legend of Juan Jose Mundo ?Much like a John Hughesmovie,thismotion picture captures teenage angst in all itsgnarliness

It featuresashy virginal Jewish girl,Julie Anna Mirodin who findsherself falling for Juan (Alexandro Byrd),an exchange student from Spain who comesto stay with her family.The problem is that Juan,who isnot very liked back home,getsa new sense of confidence in the US and finds himself very popular among the ladies He doesn? t seem to give poor Julie asecond look Will she ever get the courage to make him see her in anew way?

Julie isalso privy to dramaall around her in the hallsof her White Plains,NYhigh school.Her best friend,Suzanne (Hannah Kepple) hasher own issueswith boys Another friend isdealing with

racism Homophobiaand bullying are on display

These typesof situationsare certainly relatable to anyone who hasbeen in high school,especially back in those days. But,no matter the problem, everything wasbetter with atrip to the mall Life used to be so simple Those were the days!

Thisfilm isabit of aslow burn,but fun throughout with tonsof retro pop culture referencesyou have not seen for awhile The great ?80smusic alone isareason to tune into thisfilm The basement makeout parties,drinking gamesand friendship dramawill take you right back to your youth. The tension between Julie and Juan will make you root for her but you have to wait til the end to see if she getsthe boy

The young actorsin thiscoming-of-age film are up and comers Byrd will be in anew Disney Descendantsseriescalled ?Wicked Wonderland,? Mirodin isknown from such showsas?Star Trek: Strange New Worlds?and Kepple wasin ?Cobra Kai.?

The film,which wasbased on atrue story,wasjust shown at the Miami Jewish Film Festival and the Fort Lauderdale Intl Film Festival

40th Annual FLIFF

By Rachel Galvin

It ishard to believe it hasalready been 40 years It isquite a legacy that the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival hasleft behind,and much more to go

They celebrated the occasion in style, spreading beyond just Savor Cinemato include other locales,including Paragon Theater in Davie and Deerfield,NSUAlvin Sherman Library,the African American Research Library and Flamingo Gardens. They had an opening night block party at Savor Cinema,aclosing night in the courtyard of the Museum of Discovery & Science,aspecial event at the Baptist Health IcePlex Arenafor a movie about hockey called "Mr Goalie," celebrating the life story of famed goalkeeper Glenn Hall

And the fest brought in great feature filmsand plenty of filmmakersfrom around the world,as well ascelebritiessuch asChevy Chase and Paul Reiser,who are both featured in thismagazine.

Opening Night

The street in front of Savor Cinema was blocked off to make way for aspecial block party on opening night,February 21 The movie "Miami Nights" wasscreened to a large crowd with many of the actorsand director in attendance.

The film followed two war heroes,Mason Lane (Jeremy Sumpter) and Captain LisaGardner (Sydelle Noel), who rescue a famous journalist (Terrence Howard) and then struggle to get back to normal life when they get home

When temptation takesahold, some wrong decisionsare made and they

find themselves threatened by amob boss, played by Manu Bennett. Lane'sex girlfriend is also in the picture,played by Danay Garcia,adding another complication (without giving too much away).Also in the film was Jeremy Piven. He and Terrence Howard were supposed to be at the screening,but were unable to attend

There wasa Q&Afollowing the film and then everyone went outside for the block party,which included food and open bars,aswell aslive entertainment The car from the FLIFFposter was ready for photo ops.It wasa wonderful way to start the festival

B l o c k P a r t y

Actor Paul Reiser Honored at Screening

By Rachel Galvin

Known for such moviesas"Diner," "Beverly HillsCop" and "Aliens," and tv showslike "Mad About You" and "Stranger Things," actor Paul Reiser hasbeen aworking actor since the 1980s

On Feb.24,at Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale,he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.

They also screened amovie he produced and wasan actor in a few yearsago called "The Problem with People." The lighthearted film dealswith a longtime family feud.Reiser playsBarry,a Manhattan-based real-estate developer who issurprised with acall from a long-lost cousin,Ciáran?(played by Colm Meaney),from the homeland of Ireland He makesarequest -- he wantsBarry to come visit him to patch up the family riff to satisfy hisdying father's wish. Barry begrudgingly agrees.

Everything startsout swimmingly,but thingsstart going south when Ciáran?sfather suddenly diesand he getssuspiciousof hisnewfound relative. Somehow,the feud startsall over again. The back and forth isquite funny and comesto asatisfying resolution in asurprising way The movie is now streaming.

In addition to the film,there wasan Irish-themed party before,complete with Shepherd'spie Reiser took photoswith many of those in attendance.

After the film,before he waspresented with hisaward,areel of Reiser'scareer wasshown and then he participated in a Q&Aabout the film and hiscareer with producer,actor and director Wil Shriner asking questions

When asked by someone in the audience why he likesshowing a movie in a theater,rather than just going direct to streaming,he said,"I personally like sitting in the room and hearing where the laughsare,where the momentsare,where people get moved or not moved or where it'snot working."

He compared the experience to when he doesstand-up comedy -- "In stand-up,every night,it's different," he said,adding that he did a stand-up comedy special afew yearsago called "Life, Death and Rice Pudding "

He added that showing something in atheater makesit "more of a real thing "

"Do you find that comedy haschanged?" asked Shriner

"No. Everyone saysthat," said Reiser,adding, "When 'Mad About You' started,I had stopped doing stand up just because I wasbusy. When it wasover, I didn't go out because I wasjust tired and I had little kids And so,when it wasall over,it had been 20 years.And when I went back,what struck me wasit wasexactly the same aswhen I was18 and went on stage for the first time,you know,when I wasin college.The world haschanged,and maybe subjects and contextshave changed And people have seen a thousand comedians,so you're standing on the

precedent of all that But,the act of doing it hasn't changed."

He added,"It could be a joke that works Tuesday,doesn't work Wednesday."

Shriner mentioned that Reiser also had a musical background,asking,"You wrote a musical,abook around Michael McDonald How did that come about?"

"Oh,Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers... I wasa fan.We became friends,and I used to ask him questions,just because I never understood hiscareer," said Reiser "I loved his music. I would ask him,'How could you be in Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers?Don't you have to pick a team?' And he would tell me,and then I'd forget I said,'You should write abook, so I don't have to bother you ' And he'd say,'I don't know how to write a book.' I said,'Well, I've written books I'll help ' So,it wasbasically hisstory,and I just helped him get it out."

To Shriner asking if there isanything else he would like to do that he hasnot so far,he added,"There'snothing that I'm itching to do, really I would like to go back to Ireland,and I'd like to lie down for awhile -- those two things "

"You've got such good work discipline. How do you keep that going?" asked Shriner

"Well,I'm lucky,and I get to do thingsthat I like We mentioned I'm working on thispilot, and I'm writing ashow for Fox with my 25-year-old son.And it'sabout a father and son, so I get to have thisexperience of watching him," said Reiser.

Shriner mentioned that hisfather wasalso a comedian,third-generation,and now he is watching hisown 39-year-old son work "When

I go in and watch him work,if he bombs,it's painful for me," said Shriner,adding,"He'sgot into voice acting "

Reiser also talked about meeting and working with ChrisCottam,who directed "The Problem with People." "I'm one of these guysthat never wantsit to direct," he said "Everyone wantsit to direct I don't I don't have that skill set "

Regarding working on the movie,he said,"I get to have my input I wrote it,I'm in it,and then you do all thisstuff,and then we'll figure stuff out together Well,all film isa collaborative."

"Anybody who'safilmmaker knowsit'sa collaborative," said Shriner."Nobody doesit alone It'sa collaborative effort "

The film and Q&Awere well-received with several people asking questions

The film festival wasjust one stop on Reiser's agenda.He also wasgoing to be performing at the Parker Playhouse the following day

Fun at theScreening

An Evening With Chevy Chase

By Rachel Galvin

Charming and confident... two wordsthat could easily define ayoung Chevy Chase,an actor whose bravado wasevident when he sprung into the mainstream on the TV show "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) Hispratfallsand deadpan humor were legendary. The way he could turn aphrase,or make a face,to get a laugh wasmasterful.Chevy Chase certainly had the audience in the palm of hishands.

Thiswasnot hisfirst time in showbiz.He was in ajazz rock band in college with the founders of Steely Dan and he worked asawriter for the SmothersBrothersand National Lampoon Radio Hour And he wasin the National Lampoon'sLemmings,which included music and comedy. It helped launch the careersof not only Chevy,who played drumsand piano along with doing comedy,but also John Belushi and Christoper Guest

Later,Chevy would jump into the film world,

in filmslike ?Foul Play?and ?SeemsLike Old Times," with Goldie Hawn,and later alongside a young Beverly D?Angelo asClark Griswold in "National Lampoon?sVacation" and itssequels. Each time waswith adifferent Audrey and Rusty ashischildren.The linesfrom those famousfilmsare still being quoted today

Other momentsof comedy gold included his part asFletch and also alongside other comedy greatsin ?SpiesLike Us?and ?The Three Amigos.?Another film that isoften quoted that he wasa lead in isthe golf comedy ?Caddyshack.?It seemshislist of hitsis endless.

Chase got a chance to talk about some of these partsof hiscareer,aswell asthe new documentary about hislife,entitled ?I?m Chevy Chase? and you?re not,?using hisfamousline from SNL,at aspecial event aspart of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival on February 26 at Savor Cinema. A?Caddyshack party?washeld on the patio before the film and he posed on the red carpet alongside his wife,Jayni,and daughter,Cydney; hismanager and the director of the film,MarinaZenovich.

Following the film,they all participated in a Q&Amoderated by ChrisLeClere.Chase had many funny quipsthat got the audience laughing and often handed the mic to hiswife to answer questionsaswell.

Ashe stood and held up hisaward,he said, ?Marinaisthe one who made thiswonderful documentary I had a great time doing it and I feel that there wasa lot worse stuff that could have been said about me,?he joked,adding,?I also want to say that,despite all of that bad stuff,I think I'm genuinely agood guy and I love people I really love my life and I thank Marinafor showing that too ?

President & CEOof the film festival Lisa Grigorian presented him with apair of shoes donated by the party sponsor,William & Harry Golf Some of their team wassitting in the audience.

Then,Chevy sat and the Q&Abegan in earnest.

LeClere asked him,?What were some of the momentsthat really stuck out to you as unexpected asyou watched the film??

?Well,I didn't watch the movie,?Chevy joked but added,?I just loved the ideathat somebody could actually make adocumentary about me.?

He talked about some of the unflattering aspectsof the film and how it showsthat he wasunliked by some ?For the most part,I was really liked,?he said.

When asked what the favorite part of his career was,he said,?I loved it all?and talked about how wasonly at SNLfor a year,but his favorite part about that wasgetting to know Lorne.?Lorne and I are very close,?he said. ?And I just loved that he actually asked me to be in it. You know,the cast that I had wasrather small,obviously ?

Despite being there from the very beginning,Chevy did talk in the film about his disappointment for not being included to perform in the SNL50th anniversary special. He wasthere,but expected to at least get a line,but did not. There wasspeculation that it wasbecause of feelingssome had about him, something that would follow him in later years, including altercationsin hislast role in the TV show "Community " (The detailsof thiswill not be in thisarticle,but can be seen in the documentary,which isavailable online through CNNand on HBOMax,Hulu and Amazon Prime)

Despite any bad blood that may have been there between Chevy and hispeers,there isno debating hisimportance in the formation of SNLand the effect he had on the comedy world overall.

Jayni explained that before SNLeven began, Chevy had shot video that wascut together and shown on TVfor what wascalled Channel One ?Underground Television ?That sketch writing experience he brought to SNL. Nothing like that had been done before He helped Lorne and Michael O'Donoghue create the template. He did that,and it?sstill on for 50 years. You can? t take that away," she said

Changing topics,LeClere asked,?Hasthe successof ?ChristmasVacation?surprised you? In the theater,it wasahit and now it hasa massive cult following Hasthat surprised you ? the festivalsand thingssurrounding it??

?Oh,yeah,yeah I mean,I never knew that

would stand out among all of them. I never knew any one would stand out,so I'm lucky there You know,it'sthat time of year when people want to laugh and forgive. Thank God. It'sapretty good movie,?said Chevy,adding another comic statement:?It'shard for me to talk about my moviesin the sense that I don't know if they're good or bad except when it's written about.And once it'swritten about,I know they're all bad That'smy take ?

?We've been doing thistour of 'Christmas Vacation' for,I think,about four yearsnow,and what we hear over and over again isthat they see themselves,?said Jayni.?Everyone sees their family in thisfilm in some way,and it's about how everything goeswrong,and that's life And you have to just see the humor I mean,that'sour livesall the time.Everything's alwaysgoing wrong,and you just have to laugh about it ?

?Everything'sgoing right,baby,?added Chevy,which drew an "Awwww " from the audience.

To Cydney,LeClere asked,?I wasgoing to ask you -- growing up with him,how autobiographical are these films,and did you

FLIFFChair Steve Savor, director Marina Zenovich, Chevy's daughter Cydney Cathalene Chase, Chevy Chase, wife Jayni Chase, manager Erik Kritzer, FLIFFPresident & CEO Lisa Grigorian

well,I think.?

He added,?Through Chevy'scareer,and I've been doing thisnow for about 39 years representing actors,I have never seen the press,when we announced something really good that isgoing on in Chevy'slife or career,for some reason,they think it'sOK to say,yeah,we'll make thisannouncement. And then they give alist of all the things that happened in hispast So,it opensup these healed wounds. And it hasalways been like that for him And I look at it as, you know,it'sjust really unfair because he hasso many wonderful thingsthat he still accomplishesnow and isgoing to accomplish.

learn anything from thisdocumentary that you were like,oh,wow?"

She answered,?Yeah every time I see it,I love it more.I wasmoved to tearsof gratitude because I have something that I can always look at to see my dad,and just the truth of him saying,in my mind,'I'm alwaysamovie star.' And that'smy dad My dad isavery confident guy,and he'snot going to change. I mean,I think that'sabeautiful thing,to be who you are Yeah,and tonight,that wasreally like pointed to me.That that'swho he is."

?Thank you,honey,?Chevy said to her, adding,?In the end,it'sall about my family to me "

"I'm aChevy Chase'smanager,?said Erik Kritzer asthe microphone moved down to him "I've been working with the Chase family for about 25 years Before we made this documentary,we had offersfrom about 10 different production places.And they were going to make documentariesthat would have been acomplete puff piece. And Propagate, and CNNwasn't there yet,and Marinacame to us They said,look,we want to make areal documentary.And it'snot going to be apuff piece It'sgoing to tell your life And it'sgoing to tell it from different angles. Some you may like,some you may not like.And I thought it wasreally brave The Chase family decided together to put all that trust in Marinaand Propagate And the film came out really,really

"And the one thing that I think isbeautiful of thiswhole thing -- that you guysgot to see -- isthere are not many familiesthat can live in a scenario with a movie star asa father and have the normal life. The Chases really made sure that they all have The three daughtershave been raised so beautifully.

"And it'sthe truth I remember when I first got in businesswith you,Caley said to me ...she wasayoung girl she said,'Yeah,you know, mom and dad told me I've got to be careful who I made friendswith because you never know do they really like me?Do they like my father'scareer?' And they alwayswere well aware And I just think it'sbeautiful And I'm just blessed to be part of their family and then close with them. "

Cydney said,?Yeah,I just got divorced like three yearsago and I moved back in with my parents And I'm just so I'm putting it all out there ... But I'm just so grateful for mom and dad And I'm very proud of both of you I'm just thrilled And,you know,I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but here with you guys.?

Asked what wascut from the film that she wished she did not have to cut,Marinabrought up Doug Kenney,who wasChevy'sgood friend who died falling off a cliff in Hawaii,which may have been suicide

"He wasmy best friend," said Chevy,talking about the toll hisdeath took on him "He passed the day after I left him in Hawaii by committing suicide. Maybe he wasjust happy that I wasgone Whatever he passed and that

isavery big thing." Jayni added that they were not sure it wassuicide.

Marinasaid that she wanted to include it.It wasone more thing that happened in Chevy's life that took atoll on him But it did not work out to include it.

Jayni said,?So what I think one of the things that'simportant to understand about Chevy is that he leadswith hisheart In our relationship, honestly,he'sthe romantic and he'sthe one who'staught me to sit down and talk about thingsmore I grew up with older brothersand I kind of would just move through.But I learned, and then I have daughters He'shelped me be more of awoman than I wasbefore I met him."

She added,"That'swhat I would like to share more with the world isthat part of Chevy.And the comedy comesfrom a generosity of giving He wantsto give you the laugh He wantsto make you feel good.He wantsto give you that joy And like he sees,ashe says,the release We all need arelease,especially now. Oh,my God.So that'swhat I would want to share.?

?Oh,honey,there'snothing wrong with Trump ? Oh,I'm sorry," joked Chevy,adding, "I?ve known him for 50 years

?Have you??asked LeClere.

?Yeah,he'sgotten really great," Chevy joked. Changing topics,LeClere asked,?Speaking of Florida,you were here for filming Caddyshack in Fort Lauderdale. Any good memoriesof Fort Lauderdale or anything that you want to share??

?Well,you know,honestly,I didn't get around Fort Lauderdale much.We were stuck in a sort of motel and golf course place,which I love I mean,it wasfun It really made usfeel that we were in the place we should be to make the movie,obviously So,I didn't get to see much of Fort Lauderdale," said Chevy,then joking,"And I'm not really looking forward to it But we're bound to see some of it ?

?I think it'sbeautiful here,?said hisdaughter

?I grew up in New York City,?said Chase.?The country of New York isbasically where we are from We live in Bedford And,it'sjust lovely where we have aquiet,very quiet,life.

"Um Our house isconstant chaos," Jayni snapped back,which garnered alaugh.

"I have a very quiet life. I just sit back and listen to the chaos," said Chevy. "But,no,we live wonderful lives God,I couldn't have wished for more."

Jayni added,"Now we have a grandchild,a granddaughter,18 months... Ivy." Ivy isthe daughter of their daughter Emily,and Jayni revealed that she isalso expecting aboy.

LeClere asked Chevy,?How much of something like 'CaddyShack' did you just improvise?I've heard you were great on set with just those throwaway lines?

?Yeah," Chevy said,"Caddyshack wasvery improvised We knew where we were going to be,where we were going to stand, all the essentialsfor the crew,et cetera But,we also knew the basisof what the scene isabout."

He added,"When you see a scene with me and Bill Murray,we didn't have one until Harold Raimis,the director,thought,'We've got to have ascene with Chevy and Bill And I agreed And so did Bill,I think ...It'shard to know what Bill thinks And,um,and we did that "

He continued,"And,um,boy,you know, comedianstry to make each other laugh a little bit on the set.It'sathing. You just try to get the other guy to crack.You know,you don't want to crack,never,never crack And I got Billy cracking.You know,it'sjust the tiniest bit when

I said,'Um,yeah,we have apool and a pond.A pond would be good for you. That wasjust sort of made up at the time " When Chevy said,that he could see the faintest smile from Bill. "I knew I had him," he said

LeClere continued,?Do you have a favorite project,afavorite film,a favorite show,that one that just isyou?

?Oh,my favorite?I would say Fletch," said Chevy.

Jayni added a story about Fletch She said, ?So,Cydney wasthe only child,and we would go visit Daddy alot And I'd witnessfirsthand, [director] Michael Ritchie would have Chevy shoot ascene by the script,and then he'd say, 'Alright,you do what you want ' And that'swhat made it into the movie.Because Chevy's always,asyou can tell,he'salwaysthinking of thingsthat are funny So,in other words,he wasimprovising the entire film,and it'sthe most Chevy That'sthe Chevy that we live with."

LeClere asked Chevy,?So,isthere anything that you didn't do that you'd still like to have done?"

?Of course.I love doing what I do," said Chevy,who went on to talk about ageism, talking about how they see this82 year old but not realizing he can still function.He added that he felt he can still do everything he was doing at 30.Maybe other 82 year oldscan't,but he felt he could.Although in the documentary, it talked about how he had heart failure and wasput into a comafor eight days. His cardiomyopathy may have been caused from drug usage.Thisincident,in 2021,led to memory loss,something that seemsto still affect him While the frailty of hiscondition wasevident with him coming to the event in a wheelchair,he stood without problem and posed for picturesand waved at the crowd before sitting for the Q&A. Hiswill seems strong and hisjoy at getting a laugh from the crowd.

LeClere continued,?What filmswere you inspired by growing up?"

?Well,my father took usto movies,and he loved the Marx Brothers. I also loved the Marx Brothers,but I learned alot about Charlie

Chaplin and Buster Keaton and Ernie Kovacs," said Chevy,

"Isthat where the physical comedy came in? Because,I mean,SNLon day one,you were nailing that physical comedy that hasn't stopped since," said LeClere.

"Yeah,but I played a lot of soccer,and I boxed.So that'stwo thingswhere I wasvery physical,and I grew up that way And,you know,I had an older brother who did what he could to get me down,and he did He wasgreat

And my father wasvery physical We learned tennisfrom the age of four,you know. And that'sthe way it was I became a long-distance runner for many years. When I met Jayni,I wasstarting that And so,obviously, running isa big deal And I could still do that if I set my mind to it,but I don't care about it," said Chevy

While Chevy wasinspired by hisfather,he had problemswith hismother and stepfather, who were abusive,which wascovered in the film.Hisfather had divorced hismother when he was4 He talked about hismother waking him up slapping him. In the film he said,"I felt like thisisan out of control woman,who I look back on and feel sorry for ...She wasphysically abusive to me." According to some of the people interviewed in the film,Chevy used comedy asadefense mechanism,a way to mask what wasgoing on inside It also probably led to some of the depression he experienced.

But despite thisbackground,he wasable to have acareer that skyrocketed and to have an affect on the world through hishumor in a way that continuesto mean much to so many people.

The large audience that attended the screening of hisdocumentary and stayed for the Q&Aisevidence for the love people have for thissuperstar.

In closing,Chevy said,"I very much appreciate being here. I love this. I love the actual real people.It'sjust wonderful.I'm so glad I have my daughter and my wife here,and mostly Marina,for making the movie we saw tonight And,of course,my manager "

Caddyshack Party

"Our Family Pride"Screens

By Rachel Galvin

The screening of the pilot "Our Family Pride" on February 27 at Savor Cinema aspart of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival brought in many membersof the cast and crew,including actor Garrett Clayton, who flew in and won aCareer Achievement Award.

The film wasdirected and produced by adream team of Glen Evelyn (also lead actor) and Dominic Giannetti.The plot followsJaimie (Evelyn) asa father of three who comesout asgay and hasto deal with the fallout that revelation hason hisfamily The film waslighthearted,heartfelt and delivered laughs.

The pilot hashad several screeningsalready and each time hasbrought in a large crowd, receiving alot of support from the LGBTQ+ community.Thisreporter wasalso honored to be among the cast!

"HelloBeautiful"ShowstheHard Truth About Cancer

By Rachel Galvin

Willow Boutrouswasa successful model,jet-setting around the world,but at home she isfighting with her rebellious teenager daughter and trying to be accepted by her mother-in-law While that may seem a battle enough to contend with,her life isabsolutely derailed when she isdiagnosed with Breast Cancer. While her relationship with her mother-in-law shiftsin an unexpected way, her conflict with her daughter just seemsto further spiral.Meanwhile,her work hasto take a backseat and her relationship with her husband hasnow taken a hit aswell

Thispowerful film,called "Hello Beautiful," isbased on the true story of writer Christine Handy It not only showsthe effect that Cancer hason the people around you,but also the brutal toll it takeson the body

The film isatough watch.Seeing everything from the chemo treatmentsto her hair falling out,to her unable to get out of bed or even curled up under atable in pain isterrible,but a hard truth.

The movie wasshown at Savor Cinemain Ft Lauderdale on February 25 aspart of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.

Before the film,she sold and autographed her book "Walk Beside Me" based on her life during a reception on the patio. Her friend Carl Berkelhammer,who isalso on the film festival Board, introduced her before the movie and told apersonal story about hismother having breast cancer Following the film,there wasa Q&Awith Handy in which her oncologist gave some important information about the disease and encouraged everyone to get screenings.

Her book isavailable on Amazon Formoreinformationonher,visit ChristineHandy.com.

At "HelloBeautiful"Screening

a r t y

At The Museum of Discovery & Science in Fort Lauderdale on February 28,Guy Harvey screened adocumentary about his life in the IMAXtheater and signed merchandise for eager fans Harvey isawell-known artist,conservationist and philanthropist

Thisevent wasalso the wrap party for the film festival. There wasanautical theme and many dressed for the occasion Besidestalking with Harvey,guestscould grab something to eat in the courtyard and then bust amove to '80smusic provided by The Pixels It wasafun night and away for those in charge of the festival,and their friends,to let loose now that the event wasthrough.

[For thosewhomissedthisyear'sfilmfestival,SavorCinema haseventsyear-long.SeeFLIFF.comformoredetails.]

FLIFF Award Winners

Best Film

Wordsof War

Best Foreign Film

The Spell of Forever

Director:Ryan Zheng

Best American Indie

Legend of Juan Jose Mundo

Director:Michael Walker

Best Florida Film

NewsWithout aNewsroom

Director:Oana Martisca

Best Documentary

Uvalde Mom

Director:Anayansi Prado

Best Documentary

My Underground Mother

Director:Marisa Fox

Best Florida Documentary

Inside the Oasis

Director:Andy Perrott

Best Director

JamesStrong for Wordsof War

Best Cinematographer

Oliver Shaw for Aftershocks

Best Editor

Pablo Proenzafor Uvalde Mom

Best Musical Score

Tone P. for Immutable

Best Music

Kishi Bashi for CaliforniaScenario

President?s Award

Mr. Goalie

Director:Ryan McInerney

PERFORMANCEAWARDS:

Best Actor

Roque Ruiz for AWalk Along the Borne; Jason Isaacsfor Wordsof War; Vladimir Vdovichenkov for License to Love

Best Actress

TriciaHelfer for Hello Beautiful

Outstanding Performance

Youssef Bougerrafor Autisto

Best Supporting Actress

Cao Yang for The Spell of Forever;

Brooklynn Prince for California Scenario

Lifetime Achievement Award

Chevy Chase,Paul Reiser

Career Achievement Award

Garrett Clayton for Our Family Pride

Star on the Horizon

Alexandro Byrd for Legend of Juan Jose Mundo

(Flamingo Gardens' Panther,Sabal, wasalso given a'Star on the Horizon' award)

Audience Favorite Award ? Mr. Goalie

Rachel Galvin

Sun & Stars Film Festival

By Rachel Galvin

The Donald M.Ephraim Sun & StarsInternational Film Festival© (SASIFF),presented by MorseLife,returned January 25 to February 6 The festival presented 28 films,including award-winning documentaries, gripping dramas,historical tales,LGBTQIA+ stories,comedies,thrillersand more.For many of the screenings,some of the people behind the making of the film were in attendance

The festival opened on January 25 at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach with the funny and heartfelt coming-of-age story ?Ethan Bloom,?about aJewish boy who wantsto become Catholic,much to the chagrin of hisfather Director Herschel Faber and screenwriter Maylen Dominguez were in attendance.(The film iscurrently in atheatrical run)

The event also included apre-party with light bitesand beveragesin the Cohen Pavilion followed by the screening in the Rinker Playhouse there one hour later

The festival also presented the inaugural Donald M Ephraim/Terri Sriberg Award for Cinematic Excellence to Film Commissioner Michelle Hillery, head of the Palm Beach County TV& Film Commission.

The festival wasnot only in the Palm Beach area but also moved down to Delray before coming back to Palm Beach

The closing night wason February 6 at Glazer Hall in Palm Beach It included the screening of the documentary ?AMan with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole," which explored how the iconic designer fused fashion and activism over four decadesto champion causesfrom AIDSawareness to LGBTQIA+ rights.

Kenneth Cole and director Dori Berinstein were slated to be present for an audience discussion.The event also included acocktail hour before the event

Didyoumissthisyear'sfestival?Thereisalways next year.Formoreinformation,visit sasiff.org.

Pictures from Opening Night (L to R): Barbara Scharres, artistic director, interviews "Ethan Bloom" director Herschel Faber & writer Maylen Dominguez; Donald Ephraim and Terry Sriberg spoke about the festival and added some comic relief; Herschel Faber & Maylen Dominguez; Barbara Scharres; Michelle Hillery gives speech after receiving award; "Ethan Bloom" actor LJUgarte & ISfounder Rachel Galvin

43rd Annual Miami Film Festival Announces Line-Up

On March 10,the room waspacked within the Miami Dade College Padron Campusfor the kickoff party for the 43rd Annual Miami Film Festival. Thiswasthe night that Executive Director JamesWoolley and Director of Programming

Lauren Cohen would reveal the line-up for the upcoming Miami Film Festival,which will be held April 9-19.

Woolley announced that the favorite venueswere back,including the Olympia Theater and the newly renovated Freedom Tower? and he made a huge announcement that they will be managing the Tower Theater! The large crowd in attendance gave huge applause in response

Cohen talked about the great honorees who will be in attendance receiving honors,including Bob Odenkirk ("Breaking Bad," "Better Call Saul,"),who will receive a PreciousGem Award,and Adam Scott

("Severance") and Matt Bomer ("Magic Mike"),who will receive aVanguard Award,as well asLili Reinhart ("Riverdale") and Danielle Brooks("Orange isthe New Black"),who will receive Art of Light Awards SoniaManzano, who played Maria on "Sesame Street," will also be honored There will be other celebsin attendance and filmmakers too

There are so many special events,including ?Princess Diaries?shown outside at the Vizcaya, ?Whiplash?with afull jazz orchestraplaying live with the composer,and many others. They showed trailersfor some of the filmsand they have some real winners!

They also talked about the effortsthey make to give back to filmmakersand how thisyear they are giving $15,000,but people could also donate to the fund to make it even bigger They said that applicationsare up now to apply.

After their presentation,people could mingle and look at some of the film posters,or ask about all of the thingshappening at thisyear's festival.

For more information,visit Miamifilmfestival.com.