Kathy A. McDonald The 39th Fort Lauderdale Intl. Film Festival (Nov. 8-17) anchors South Florida’s cultural calendar. The non-profit FLIFF offers an eclectic lineup of independent features, international debuts and documentaries, with 100 films on the slate including eight world premieres and 17 U.S.
premieres. FLIFF serves the region’s diverse and engaged audience, according to Steve Savor, president and CEO of FLIFF. “We seek films beyond the headlines that cannot be seen at other major and regional fests,” he explains.
This year’s festival opens with a gala at the guitar-shaped Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and a screening of director Ash Avildsen’s “Queen of the Ring,” the story of pro wrestler Mildred Burke (played by Emily Bett Rickards), the first-ever, million-dollar earning female athlete.
FLIFF embraces its oceanside environment and locale: festivities conclude at the Pier Sixty-Six resort’s super-yacht pavilion (Fort Lauderdale is home to one of the world’s foremost boat shows) with the world premiere screening of “Grander.” The documentary chronicles director and sports fishermen Anthony Hsieh’s pursuit of a prize marlin.
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