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Silver Jubilee
Alexandria Bombach’s documentary centerpiece about the 40-year collaboration between Indigo Girls’ Ray and Saliers will screen in the music, directed by women and LGBTQ focus sidebars.
Another film in the music program, the East Coast premiere of “Love to Love You, Donna Summer,” is sure to be a crowd pleaser, thanks to the disco queen’s ties to Florida.
Directed by Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano, “Love to Love You” mines an archive of previously unseen film footage, photos, artwork and recordings to tell the story of the multifaceted artist.
Audience members eager to put on their dancing shoes and get their hustle on won’t want to miss the SFF disco street party on Friday, March 31, near the intersection of Cocoanut Avenue and Fourth Street. Famiglio expects the shindig to draw more than 1,000 revelers.
“You never know who’s going to stop by,” he said, remembering the year the festival got a call from the road manager of the rock band Aerosmith. “At first, we thought it was a hoax, but it turned out they were coming to support their sound engineer,” who was involved in the film festival.
Rounding out the music program is “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” which also appears in the African American and LGBTQ sections. Using archival footage and interviews with family members and musicians, as well as Black and queer scholars, Lisa Cortés’ documentary rips away the whitewashed veneer of the musical superstar Richard Penniman.
In terms of boldface names, the SFF’s documentary lineup doesn’t disappoint. In addition to “It’s Only Life After All,” the program features
“Being Mary Tyler Moore,” an intimate portrait of the groundbreaking actress; “Judy Blume Forever,” a Prime Video release about the trailblazing author; Barbara Kopple’s “Gumbo Coalition,” about a crusade against the resurgence of white supremacy and “Invisible Beauty,” which profiles model-turned activist Bethann Hardison, who knew “Black is beautiful” before the fashion industry got woke.
Among the world premieres at the 25th SFF are Sam Shahid’s documentary, “Hidden Master: The Legacy of George Platt Lynes,” about a fashion photographer who found fulfillment celebrating male nudes; “Losing Grip,” which follows Shane Wiskus’ obstacle-filled journey to the Olympics and “Perfectly Good Moment,” Lauren Greenhall’s erotic revenge fantasy.
Films making their East Coast premiere at the SFF include “Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection,” about the pop superstar’s fatal struggle with eating disorders; “A Small Still Voice,” which profiles a soul-searching chaplain wrapping up a yearlong residency; and Swedish director Lasse Hallström’s “Hilma” starring Lena Olin as an artist able to connect with people of varying backgrounds.
Like its counterparts around the country, the SFF offers festivalgoers the opportunity to interact with those behind some of its featured films. For instance, after the March 31 screening of the animated documentary “The Conspiracy,” directed by Maxim Pozdorovkin, producer Caroline Hirsch and local leaders of the Jewish community will participate in a panel discussion.
Unspooling in the Jewish focus program along with “The Conspiracy” is Matthew Mishory’s “Fioretta,” about genealogist Randy Schoenberg’s search for the gravestone of his oldest known ancestor, who died in the 1600s in Venice, Italy.
It’s nearly impossible to live in coastal Florida without being aware of how extreme weather can wreak havoc on everyday life, and the SFF has a lineup of films addressing envi- ronmental issues. Among them is the world premiere of Joshua Bryan McLawhorn’s documentary “Unfiltered: The Truth About Oysters.” In “no ways ‘preachy,’” according to the festival’s program notes, the film takes an honest look at the ecological reality of Florida’s waterways. Also focused on Florida’s environment is Eric Bendick’s “Path of the Panther,” which follows efforts to protect the wild cat and other species in Florida’s Everglades. on
The SFF isn’t just an event that presents films and brings together the community’s cinephiles; it is a competition as well. The jury for narrative films includes IndieWire Executive Managing Editor Christian Blauvelt and documentary filmmaker Bombach.
Serving on the documentary jury are Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz partner Victoria Cook, Hamptons International Film Festival Executive Director Anne Chaisson and veteran film public relations executive Katie Martin Kelley.
