Executive Director Monica Varner wants you to look for a bunch of Tampa and Florida tie-ins at the Gasparilla International Film Festival this year.
“We’re trying to get a little bit back to our roots, and trying to do a little bit more with the local filmmakers this year,” Varner told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “Over time, the quality has gotten so much better with local films just because of the film equipment that’s available. So we’re able to show a lot more films this year on the local level. But we still will have the studio-recruited films.”
A documentary about local jazz matriarch Kitty Daniels, Maurice Jovan’s “WDED,” one that follows Ybor icon Tom DeGeorge and a film about St. Petersburg’s Girls Rock Camp are just a few local highlights from the GIFF’s 2020 lineup. Here’s what’s screening as of press time. Visit gasparillafilmfestival.com for the most updated information.
Gasparilla International Film Festival
March 17-22. Various locations
Downtown Tampa, Ybor City, Tampa Heights, Seminole Heights
gasparillafilmfestival.com
¡Come!A student-faculty short film, shot in Lakeland, which explores internal doubts of a young woman coming to understand both her roots and her place in the world. The Spanish title translates to “eat!” en inglés.
Back From the Brink A documentary by Dustin Jones, a Marine Corps veteran and filmmaker trying to understand the suicide epidemic among veterans through the lens of his former comrade, Bill Kirner, whose marriage and life are threatened by PTSD.
Beauty Is Skin Deep This thriller/mystery written by Jennifer Phillips and directed by Joe Davison was filmed here in Tampa Bay. A group of friends at Glenwood High School are marked as suspects when Ryan Murphy, Glenwood’s all-star running back, is found dead. As the investigation continues and graduation grows closer, the bodies start to pile up. Who will be next?
Ben SeSoto: For Art’s Sake Houstonian filmmakers Andrew Benavides and Michael Zapata film a Houstonian scene staple, photojournalist Ben DeSoto, as he reminisces and examines his work, capturing and documenting various genres of innovative music, such as punk rock and rap, as well as current events in
Celebrity Crush Directed by Oliver Robins, the film follows Emily Lynessa who is obsessed with actor Jonathan Blaklee. Lynessa’s plan to make Blaklee fall in love with her involves seduction, kidnapping and imprisonment. How will he escape?
Death at Dinner The comedic short film about a dinner party is packed with thespians, old Hollywood icons and a murder mystery.
Dia De Las Carpas Written by Marina Kato Hoag and directed by João Dall’Stella, the comedic adventure short follows a group of boys who help an undocumented girl reunite with her family. Little do they know, there’s some magical force on their horizon.
Dorset A four-minute short produced by Crimson Hands FX is filmed continuously in one-take. It follows a psychotic man who brings his girlfriend into a remote location within the Florida woods to kill her.
Fantastic Cars A father-son duo on the hunt for a used automobile get “seduced” by the car’s telepathy. Things are going to get weird in this Peruvian, eight-minute short directed by Maria De Sanctis.
Firecracker Director Brandon Demchak creates a drama involving an Iraqi war veteran struggling with severe PTSD.
Ghostal Galaxies Florida Southern College professor William Allen follows Lakeland resident and voice actor George Lowe’s life, even the most intimate moments like the loss of Lowe’s mother.
Girl Beast An awkward 12-year-old girl is bitten by a wolf, which might threaten her chances with the cool girls at school. Zoë DeLeon dives into puberty and women’s relationships in this almost entirely female cast and crew.
Hashtag In this award-winning sci-fi short by Ben Alpi, social media has taken over society (in a not too hard to imagine universe), an internet icon must overcome a computer virus to maintain her popularity.
I Will Not Say His Name The short from John Timmons and Kewaan Drayton centers around a young man who just committed a mass shooting; it questions whether taking away the notoriety of mass shooters will deter future incidents.
InstaBAND Bob Rose’s short tells the tale of the evolution of the music industry and how artists now must tap into the scene. Watch as three up-and-coming artists reach for stardom by utilizing social media and a smartphone.
Just the I.T. Guy Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts created a short following an I.T. guy who shows up for work at the FBI before being summoned for a bloody adventure above his pay grade.
Kitty Daniels Tampa Bay filmmaker Louise Krikorian’s documentary on self-taught Bay area jazz matriarch Kitty Daniels whose contributions to the local scene cannot be understated.
Lost Bayou Directed by Brian C. Miller Richard, the 87-minute narrative follows Gal (Teri Wyble) who is trapped in a cycle of addiction. Upon her father’s death, Gal travels to her father’s houseboat where she finds a preserved human body.
Making Herstory A documentary about the ever-inspiring campers and counselors at St. Petersburg’s Girls Rock Camp.
Mentally Al The comedy directed by Joshua Edleman follows 60-something-year-old comedian Al Lubel as he navigates show business.
Mom’s Day Off Director David Ebert takes on a comedic screenplay written by Caitlin Brodnick and Julia Kelly.
Mother Stands for Comfort A Florida sheriff in Fogg County doesn’t see too much action… until it’s time to investigate a missing persons report. The small production was directed by Nick Smith and Daphne Lewis.
Mr. Pita Meets a Monster When a real estate officer enlists the help of Oscar the handyman to fix up a house before selling it, some supernatural events start taking place. Get ready for this thriller written and directed by Garrett Brown.
Musica Cabana A cinematic film about Cuban music, independently-financed for a six-figure sum. Kurt Hartel—who holds a doctorate in physics—is at the helm.
Never Give Up Director Jonathan Schörnig follows Mekon, who’d been making music as long as he could think before having to flee Nigeria in 2014 after his parents were murdered.
Skyman From Daniel Myrick, who co-directed “The Blair Witch Project.” It’s a faux-documentary about UFO abductions. Just don’t bring your stepdad who keeps insisting that “Tyler Durden” really is the author of that fake news story on his Facebook feed.
Sleepwalker A Marvel fan project created by Josh Noftz and Joe Bariso. If Noftz makes it to Tampa, it’d be interesting to hear him say what happened when the comic book company came calling.
Something Like Loneliness A short film that premiered at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival. It’s about neighbors who barter sounds captured in food storage containers—but the sounds come from fragments of past relationships and the hopes and disappointments that remain.
Surfer Vs. Crocodile Not the latest Fox reality TV game show, but a Drew Petrimoulx’s tale about a surfer who lost his leg in a crocodile attack and returned to the same beach one year later to surf again on his prosthetic leg.
W.A.S.P. Bill Suchy’s documentary about the true story of the first woman to pilot a U.S. military aircraft during World War II premiered on Orlando’s WUCF-PBS station over Memorial Day weekend.
Swipe Niels Bourgonj’s movie about what happens when a girl finds out that she has a match on a dating app with a stranger, despite swiping him to the left moments ago. She starts to fear that the man is dangerously close to her. You’ll never go on Tinder again.
The Brewchurch Aaron House sets the camera on a group of beer lovers who also love Jesus. Sounds like an MTV reality show, but it’s actually a short documentary.
The Return of the Panther Tim Tetzlaff eight-minute short about the future of Florida’s favorite—and every endangered—big cat, which has to learn how to live with the humans encroaching on its habitat.
The Shade After showing at Tampa’s iHorror Festival, Nicholas Canning presents his film about a mother and daughter being preyed upon by a foreboding entity at GIFF.
The Watchmaker Japan-ophiles, go see Master Japanese watchmaker Takumi Oshiro as he completes one of his greatest masterpieces. The short is only five minutes long.
The Widow Mary Kane Marc Dahl and Evan Smith bring a Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival favorite to GIFF. It’s a story of a widow who learns more about her dead husband than she’d like to know.
They Won’t Last A 30-year-old commitment-phobe is forced to think about marriage after attending her friend’s perfect wedding alongside her hopeless romantic boyfriend… who fucking proposes to her. She said “no,” and, well, we gotta see this one.
Two Weeks With Tom Michael M. Sinclair, a Tampa filmmaker whose byline appears on Creative Loafing Tampa, followed Ybor City lifer and Crowbar co-founder/GM Tom DeGeorge for two weeks.
Unholy Mole A David Bornstein film about a selfish man who sells the soul of his unborn child to the devil in exchange for forcing his wife to make guacamole for him. What could go wrong, right?
When It Breaks Todd Tue follows Konrad Wert during a film that shows what happens when an educator runs away from teacher burnout by turning to his musical side career as a means to tour the country with his family while engaging teachers, parents, and audiences in a conversation about the current state of special education.
Willy Goes Way Back Ryan Wagner’s short film surrounding Willy, who agrees to be a pilot-tester for a suspicious doctor’s secret project. Two things he doesn’t realize, however, is that the man he is talking to is not, in fact, a doctor, and that Willy is about to embark on a time travel adventure.
Yvonne’s Kitchen A student film which follows Yvonne Hylton through her life in Rochester, New York as she navigates a 12-year journey with early-onset Parkinson’s Disease.
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This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2020.
