Saint Augustine Film Festival: Here’s what’s playing

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Those of you craving an indie film or two can get your fill at the Saint Augustine Film Festival in America’s oldest city.

Passes are on sale at staugfilmfest.com, available in three tiers that start at $75 for the festival held Jan. 11-14.

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Here’s a list of which films are playing and when:

Thursday, Jan. 11

• • Astolfo, a retired professor evicted from his apartment, decides to move into an old noble but decrepit palace, the last remnant of his family patrimony in a remote village of Abruzzo, where he hasn’t been for decades. Soon enough, as a newcomer, he befriends a vagabond, a retired chef and a young handyman. A group of four live harmoniously at his place when he comes across Stefania, a charming and generous woman of his age. Astolfo falls in love and struggles with feelings he thought belonged to the past. Encouraged by his loyal group, Astolfo makes a brave step and learns delightedly that it’s never too late to fall in love.

• “The Extortion” (2023) Dir. Martino Zaidelis | 2:30 p.m. @ Lewis Auditorium

  • Alejandro, an airline pilot, is hiding a secret. When Intelligence Service agents discover it, they blackmail him. Alejandro will be submerged in a universe of intrigue and corruption, placing him and his loved ones in danger, while he attempts to escape alive, no matter the price.

• “Alta California” (2023) Dir. Andrés Taboada | 4:45 p.m. @ Lewis Auditorium

  • Inspired by a spring-break trip south of the border, a young Mexican immigrant looks for a better life in the one place he knows he will find it: back in México. What begins as a typical Spring Break flick, subtlety shifts to an inventive comedy with great pathos as to what is happening in the world. But don’t let me bring your head down, this is a fun, surprising movie with great comedy, and yes, wonderful humanity. The two buddies, Carlos (Alejandro de la Torre) and Austin (Corbin Dean Porter) give the persona of typical college kids on break, but through it all we see the love, respect and concern for each other’s well-being. Director/writer Andres Taboada deserves the credit for making this small movie into something much bigger than itself.

• • Behind the Smoke is a representative voice of every firefighter who suffers from injuries on the job ranging from hazardous smoke effects, back injuries, cancer, and PTSD. “I was called to save lives, who is called to save mine?” This film features gripping interviews with firefighters from across the country and their personal stories of sacrifice with the job. Some local firefighters from St Augustine, Jacksonville, Gainesville and south Florida are included.

Friday, Jan. 12

• • “Sirens and the Seashell Queen” (2022) Dir. SK Shore

    • Three real-life merpeople find community and creativity in their pursuit of mythical alter egos. Carrie finds meaning in breaking the generational cycle of water-related trauma for people of color. Merman Akylis dives into a female-dominated profession. Iona, a military vet, started collecting shells and creating art to cope with symptoms of PTSD. All three are part of Florida’s mermaid community, where they swim in the otherworldly beauty of Florida springs and create a world of their own.

  • “Ciranda Feiticeira” (2023) Dir. Lula Gonzaga, Tiago Delácio

    • Janaina shares with her mother the ritual of fishing on the island of Itamaracá. They face the pain and the beauty of the cycles of life with dreams, poetry, and music.

  • “Out of Water” (2022) Dir. Madi Stine

  • “Marina The Fire Eating Mermaid” (2023) Dir. Joel Kaplan, Linda Corley

    • The captivating journey of a remarkable woman named Marina. This often-whimsical film showcases a renown mermaid’s awe-inspiring talents while highlighting her beauty, brilliance, bravery and brawn. From the breathtaking spectacle of wing walking high in the skies to the thunderous rhythms of her mesmerizing taiko drumming, to her intriguing underwater performances, Marina’s life is a symphony of multi-dimensional artistry. Through this film, viewers are transported into Marina’s world, witnessing her undying sense of humor that she infuses into all her passionate endeavors. Also woven throughout the narrative is an empowering message about achieving goals and living life to its fullest despite one’s age, as the 51-year-old Marina seeks out her next chapter.

• • Jonathan Luna was a young Federal Prosecutor in Baltimore. In 2003, he was murdered the evening before a plea was said to be offered. Now, disturbing revelations fuel this multimedia documentary on the unsolved, 2003 murder of Jonathan Luna.

• “Artist Unknown” (2023) Dir. Cinder Chou | 3:00 p.m. @ Lewis Auditorium

  • Juniper, an insecure martial artist, must find out the origins of a painting after two thieves try to steal it from her. This fun, suspenseful, clever film is a delight. Chou’s script is fresh and inventive. She cast a talented group led by Kerry Lacy and Sonia Mena in the leads. The supporting ensemble each hold up their end as well. The movie reminds me of one of my vey favorite films, Stanley Donen’s CHARADE, starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. Unlike that classic, Chou wrote it as well.

• ″Golden Vanity” (2023) Dir. Max Abram | 5:00 p.m. @ Lewis Auditorium

  • After an unhinged stage crash at a 1967 awards show, faded movie star Mabel Montgomery-Mayflower flees and barricades herself in her mansion to tape-record her life story. In a solo tour-de-force, Melora Hardin (NBC’s THE OFFICE) powerfully and painfully embodies the end product of Hollywood’s use-them-up and spit-them-out machinery. Drunk and alone, GOLDEN VANITY is Ms. Montgomery-Mayflower’s last chance to preserve her horrifying, hilarious and unreliable truth – one last shot to relive the glory days, before it’s too late.

• ″The Senior” (2023) Dir. Rod Lurie | 7:00 p.m. @ Lewis Auditorium

  • 35 years after getting kicked off his college football team, 59-year-old Mike Flynt decides to return to the gridiron for his last year of eligibility and prove to his family, former teammates, and himself that it’s never too late to tackle your dreams. Based on the true story. Michael Chiklis, at age 59 portrays Mike Flynt, a flawed everyman, who overcomes his age, his mental demons and the preconceptions of his teammates 40 years his junior. Mary Stuart Masterson shines in one of her best performances of her brilliant career. And Rod Lurie shows again that he is a masterful storyteller.

Saturday, Jan. 13

• ”Sidney” (2022) Dir. Reginald Hudlin | 11:00 a.m. @ Lewis Auditorium

  • Sidney Poitier was one of the most gifted and talented actors in the history of cinema. He set a new standard for Black actors in Hollywood as a leading man, becoming the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Lilies of the Field (1963). He acted in the Golden Age of Hollywood, became a key figure in the civil rights movement, served as a diplomat, and directed and produced highly successful films. Through it all he became husband to two wives, the mothers of his six daughters. Sidney the documentary takes viewers through the life and career of Sidney Poitier in his own words, through narration captured in an in-depth interview conducted by producer Oprah Winfrey, and in the words of his family, friends and those whose lives he influenced most.

• ”Rather” (2023) Dir. Frank Marshall | 3:00 p.m. @ Lewis Auditorium

  • The film traces one of the most fascinating television news personalities, Dan Rather, providing details on growing up in Texas and breaking into the national scene beginning with the Kennedy assassination. It follows his meteoric rise, his stumbles, downfall, and ultimately, Dan Rather reimagined. Depending upon where you get your news, it could be said that all reporters, print and broadcast are heroic – if they are honest and maintain their objectivity. In that arena, Dan Rather was a Super Hero. Steady, calm, brilliant and able to withstand the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Following the screening, there will be a Zoom with Dan Rather.

• “Alta California” (2023) Dir. Andrés Taboada | 5:00 p.m. @ Lewis Auditorium

Sunday, Jan. 14

• • An account of the life and career of Rosalie Abella, a former member of the Supreme Court of Canada, who immigrated to Canada as a child after her parents survived the Holocaust. What may appear on the surface as a rather dry documentary, is anything but. Rosalie Abela is Canada’s Ruth Bader Ginsberg. A maverick always championing the neglected, underserved people, of any color, race or creed. Aside from her judicial chops, Abela is a hoot. Funny, self-deprecating with a twinkle in her eye, a completely entertaining interview. The film has terrific archival footage from the 1930s forward. Details of her parents in the camps are riveting. Other everyday footage from life in the 1960s, makes that decade of unrest seem so much simpler than today’s confrontations.

• “Rather” (2023) Dir. Frank Marshall | 1:30 p.m. @ Alcazar Room

• • She was the first in a long line of celebrities to suffer from an eating disorder during an era when the vastly misunderstood phenomenon brought shame and public humiliation. For the first time, we hear Karen Carpenter’s personal struggle in her own voice through never-before released recordings and through the legendary voices of those who knew her and were inspired by her music. As the #1 American musical act of the 1970s, the Carpenters were on top of the world, producing a string of pop masterpieces, including “Close to You,” “We’ve Only Just Begun,” and “Rainy Days and Mondays.” But behind closed doors, Karen’s quest for perfection resulted in low self-esteem, a disheartening love life, and a public battle with anorexia nervosa, which ended with her untimely death at the age of only 32. Forty years after her death comes KAREN CARPENTER: STARVING FOR PERFECTION, a captivating, revealing, and unvarnished documentary providing astounding new insight into the singer’s tragically short life and enduring musical legacy.

• “7000 Miles” (2022) Dir. 0py Glazer | 5:00 p.m. @ Lewis Auditorium

  • A passionate pilot is challenged by her grandmother to live her life on her own terms but finds herself at a crossroads when that could mean revealing her grandmother’s long-buried secrets. When Jo, a young pilot, returns to Molokai, Hawaii in 1977 for her grandfather’s funeral, she discovers that her grandmother’s quickly encroaching short-term memory loss reveals some long-hidden secrets. She’s determined to discover if her grandmother is an infamous aviatrix, why she’s hidden on this island for so long, and if the truth will change her career and fortune.

All descriptions are courtesy of SAFF2024

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