BEST REASONS TO BELIEVE THE LOCAL FILM SCENE IS ALIVE AND WELL
TIE: Coffeehouse Film Review/Education Channel's Independents' Film Festival
We don't need to tell you that the Tampa film scene isn't New York or L.A. or even Austin, but don't give up hope. Even out here in the hinterlands, there are signs of intelligent life. A small but dedicated band of Bay area filmmakers continues to quietly plug away, making and promoting their own movies and, in some cases, actually creating opportunities to get those movies shown.
Take the case of Coffeehouse Film Review, for instance, a free monthly showcase of local film and video work programmed by independent filmmaker Paul Guzzo. Coffehouse Film Review is presented on the second Thursday of every month at Studio 1515 in Ybor City, and the series' programmers make the solemn promise that every single film that's submitted will be shown (porn excluded, natch).
For an even more comprehensive and high-profile sampling of the area's loose-knit group of budding auteurs, check out the Education Channel's long-running Independents' Film Festival. This extensive and always intriguing program of films from the Bay area and beyond has become something of a local institution, airing every year on the Education Channel and followed by a live awards ceremony at Tampa Theatre, complete with a public screening of the festival's very best selections.
For many of the filmmakers, the occasion marks the first time their movie will have been shown before an audience of more than a few friends, and just being in the room with them when that happens is a very cool thing. Studio 1515, 1515 Seventh Ave., Ybor City, 813-307-6339, tooprod@hotmail.com or paulguzzo@hotmail.com; Education Channel, Time Warner Channels 18 and 21 in Hillsborough County, 813-254-2253, ext. 206, www.independentsfilmfest.com.
BEST VENUE FOR NON-MAINSTREAM MOVIES
Sunrise Cinemas
Our brief but intense romance with Madstone, followed by the bitter disappointment of that theater's unexpected crash and burn, left us thinking we might never be able to love another art house. But all that's changed recently, thanks to Sunrise Cinemas, which took over the Hyde Park space that Madstone vacated.
Sure, there were some apprehensive moments during those first few months, watching Sunrise trying to figure out how to survive while setting themselves apart from the pack. And yes, some of the theater's initial programming choices were really pretty lame, an erratically chosen smattering of the forgettable and the pseudo-artsy. But over the past year, Sunrise has successfully managed its own reinvention and created a strong identity for itself, transforming from that-place-that-used-to-be-Madstone to the best venue in the Bay area for seeing good movies that you can't see anywhere else.
On any given week, you're likely to find at least two or three promising non-mainstream movies showing up at Sunrise (recent offerings have included Murderball, Mysterious Skin and Kontroll), not to mention the numerous community-oriented programs, festivals and themed film series that the theater now hosts on a regular basis. After a bit of a rocky start, Sunrise has become our own Comeback Kid, and we couldn't be happier. 1609 W. Swann Ave., Tampa, 813-258-4646, www.sunrisecinemas.com.
BEST REASON FOR A FILM LOVER TO LIVE IN TAMPA
Tampa Theatre
In a city that often seems drab, culturally retarded and hell bent on destroying its own natural and historical resources, Tampa Theatre is a breath of fresh air. It's a gorgeous space, oozing history and class, filled with weirdly exotic bric-a-brac and funky little nooks and crannies where one can slip away for a moment to catch a glimpse of something you've never noticed before.
Best of all, though, are the movies. Tampa Theatre continues to show fascinating and often flat-out great movies of all sorts, and a great movie seen in an environment like this, among a community of fellow travelers, can become an exciting and even unforgettable experience. From art house hits like Broken Flowers and March of the Penguins to the umpteenth grand revival screening of The Wizard of Oz or Gone with the Wind, everything just feels a little more, well, substantial when you see it at Tampa Theatre. Factor in that nifty new marquee, the mighty Wurlitzer organ rising from the stage pit and that star-studded canopy ceiling, and there's no doubt that Tampa Theatre is one of our few genuine treasures. 711 Franklin St., Tampa, 813-274-8286, www.tampatheatre.org.
BEST NEW TREND ON THE LOCAL MOVIE FRONT
Free Movies
The only thing better than a really good movie is a really good free movie, and Tampa is suddenly swarming with 'em. Freebie programs have been popping up all over the place recently, from Sunrise Cinema's ongoing Saturday morning Free Family Flicks (featuring classics and contemporary hits such as Madagascar and Black Beauty) to the Wednesday morning children's program AMC was hosting over the summer (now discontinued, presumably until next summer). And don't forget those party-like Movies in the Park outdoor screenings at Old Hyde Park Village on the first Thursday of every month. Bring a picnic basket and open a bottle of wine while you hang out beneath the stars and take in big screen fare like Phantom of the Opera (Oct. 6) and Casablanca (Nov. 3). Even the popcorn's free. Movies in the Park, 742 S. Village Circle, www.oldhydeparkvillage.com; Sunrise Cinemas, 1609 W. Swann, Tampa, 813-258-4646; AMC Veterans 24, 9302 Anderson Road, 813-243-4955.
BEST PLACE TO RENT MOVIES THAT ISN'T ONLINE
Video Renaissance, Sarasota
Despite every so-called expert in the home entertainment industry spending much of the past few years predicting the imminent demise of the little mom 'n' pop video store, Sarasota's Video Renaissance is still very much alive and kicking. The shop is looking so robust, in fact, you almost expect it to step up and announce, in its best Mark Twain drawl, that those reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated.
The shelves of this narrow little shoebox of a store are more tightly packed than ever with tapes and DVDs of the latest and greatest films on the planet, but it's relatively easy finding what you want because everything is organized according to genre, director, country of origin or any number of other convenient categories.
Still can't find that special DVD you're searching for? Never fear. The staff here will be more than happy to point you in the right direction — and even happier to steer you toward something you've never heard, but that you'll soon be taking home to discover you've found your new favorite movie. Conveniently located just a hop, skip and jump from downtown Sarasota, Video Renaissance is a cine-temple devoted to the strange and the beautiful, chock full of rare and wondrous items, and worth making a special trip just to check it out. 2243 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, 941-925-2780.
BEST LOCAL FILM FESTIVAL
Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
There are three major film festivals in the Bay area, and all three seem to be in transitional modes this year. The Tampa International Film Festival, the most seriously cinema-minded of the batch, and the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image, the most whimsical and experimental (with forays into political essaying), seemed at times almost to be exchanging identities last year, a blurring that might have been exaggerated by the two events taking place in an overlapping time frame. The date conflict has been fixed (TIFF will debut in a new early-February slot this year, while YFMI remains ensconced in April), but everything else is up for grabs.
And then there's the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, currently breaking in yet another program director — Joseph Cook — in what is beginning to look like a revolving door of curators. Still, the signs are all pointing toward TGLFF sticking with a proven formula that's drawn ever larger crowds through the years, making this one of the biggest events of its kind in the country.
The line-up for this year looks to be another intriguing mix of creativity, commercialism and unqualified craziness, and expectations are running high. The 2005 festival should be a landmark year, if only for the input of one Ronda Storms, a woman whose name might have destined her for a career as a TV meteorologist, but who instead became one of the biggest unintentional supporters of the arts the Bay area has ever seen. Storms' misguided actions have so energized thinking members of both the gay and straight communities, that the upcoming Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival might just prove to be a rallying point for passions beyond our wildest dreams. Tampa Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Oct. 6-16, 813-253-3333, ext. 3425, http://tampafilmfest.ut.edu. Runners Up: Tampa International Film Festival, Feb. 3-11, 813-253-3333, www.tampafilmfest.com; Ybor Festival of the Moving Image, April 4-9, 813-253-7674, www.yborfilmfestival.com.
lance.goldenberg@weeklyplanet.com
This article appears in Sep 21-27, 2005.