(Courtesy of Fabulous Art Foundation.)
SARASOTA | The Fabulous Arts Foundation will hold the 15th annual Fabulous Independent Film Festival Oct. 3-5 at Burns Court Cinema.
The festival highlights LGBTQ+ creators and voices in cinema by showcasing global films and creating events for the community. Each day consists of several queer film screenings.
“Cinema helps folks feel seen — and see themselves — in the world,” says Shannon Fortner, executive director of FabAF. “FIFF is about exploring identity and amplifying voices.”
Kicking off the festival on Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. will be the short film “RAM (Like the Verb)” and feature film “Velvet Visions,” followed by an after party at 99 Bottles.
Short and feature films will follow Oct. 4, beginning with “Pura Sangre” and “Row of Life” at 2:30 p.m. “Toni” and “Heightened Scrutiny” will follow at 4:30 p.m. and “the “Queer Legacy Project” will play at 6:30 p.m., preceding “Old Lesbians.”
In partnership with the American LGBTQ+ Museum, FabAF will present Old Lesbians X Young Lesbians, where guests can participate in a panel conversation with lesbians and queer women of all ages.
Moderated by Jess Pope, the panel seeks to bring together multiple generations. Gaye Todd Adegbalola, a Blues musician featured in the documentary, will subsequently perform live beginning at 9:15 p.m.
The after party will be held at the FAB LGBTQ+ Center, which opened in January. This year’s FIFF benefits its mission to connect LGBTQ+ Sarasota.
During the final day of the festival, short films “Becoming,” “Alyssum” and “Report from the Interior” will be respectively shown before feature films “Just Kids,” “Sugar Beach” and “Dirty Martini and the New Burlesque.” They screen Oct. 5 at 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
“We will continue amplifying LGBTQIA+ voices on the big screen at a time when our history is being erased,” Fortner says. “That only makes us want to show up even brighter.”
The Fabulous Arts Foundation will present the 15th annual Fabulous Independent Film Festival Oct. 3-5 at Burns Court Cinema, located at 506 Burns Ct. in Sarasota. After parties will be held at 99 Bottles, located at 1445 2nd St., and the Fab LGBTQ+ Center located at 1201 N. Lime Ave.
Visit FABAF.org for additional information. Festival passes and individual screening tickets are available via Eventbrite.
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