Sunscreen Film Festival returns April 30-May 3 in St. Pete, featuring hundreds of films, and hosting workshops, panels and events across downtown.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg-Clearwater Film Society Inc. announced its full line-up and list of events for the 21st annual Sunscreen Film Festival.
The Sunscreen Film Festival is set to take place from April 30 to May 3 at various venues in downtown St. Petersburg, with screenings primarily taking place at Greenlight Cinema and AMC Theatres Sundial.
The festival is expected to showcase over 200 films from a vast array of genres, including documentaries and animated shorts, from filmmakers from Florida, the U.S., and international artists.
“As Tampa Bay’s longest-running mainstream film festival, Sunscreen continues its mission of celebrating independent cinema while connecting filmmakers and audiences from around the world,” the founder of the festival, Tony Armer, said in a statement.
Sunscreen Film Festival began in 2005. It was founded by Tony Armer and Derek Miner. In its 21st year, the festival is the longest-running mainstream film festival in the Tampa Bay area.
The Sunscreen Film Festival will use the new Greenlight Cinema Lounge for the first time as its central hub for educational workshops and industry panels to create a space for filmmakers and audiences to connect and learn, organizers said.
Beyond film screenings, the festival will host multiple events, such as the Opening Night Party at Nova 535, a Friday Filmmakers Party at the Imagine Museum, and its Awards Ceremony and Karaoke After Party will take place at Coastal Creative.
Tickets are available at the festival’s website. You can purchase tickets for single films, day passes, film-only passes and all-access, some of which include admission to parties, workshops and events.
Opening night of the festival will feature The Legend of Juan José Mundo, a film about friendship, identity and teenage life during the 1980s, the organizers say. The film is directed by Michael Walker and written by Walker and Susan Gomes.
Organizers highlighted that the festival also aims to celebrate independent films, and they announced that this year’s event has films representing a multitude of countries, including France, Slovenia, Canada and Spain. Florida-based films and filmmakers from across the U.S. will also be featured.
Among the documentaries in the lineup, Fighting for Florida explores the culture and history surrounding Florida athletics. Saber, filmed in Lakeland, will be presented during the festival as well.
Students will also have a space to showcase their work. Organizers of the festival said they will present films from college and high school students.
As part of the festival, Sunscreen will host workshops and panels about screenwriting, acting for film, directing, production, financing and film distribution.
The awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 3, at Coastal Creative in downtown St. Pete, awarding filmmakers in 18 festival categories, including best narrative feature, best documentary feature, best short film and best director, among others
