'Robot & Frank' and Paul Simon Film Coming to Sarasota Film Festival

A Sundance Film Festival award-winner will open the 2012 edition of the Sarasota Film Festival.

The Sarasota Film Festival announced Wednesday that Jack Schreier's Robot & Frank will open up the festival on Friday, April 13 at . Schreier and actor Frank Langella from the film will attend the opening night festivities, according to the festival organizers.

“From the incomparable Frank Langella to the visionary Todd Solondz and the Academy Award® nominated Joe Berlinger, I am thrilled to welcome these cinematic trailblazers to our festival,” says Sarasota Film Festival Director Tom Hall.  “Their vital work exemplifies this year’s film program, which we will proudly announce in the coming weeks.”

Robert & Frank is a futuristic story of a retired thief, Frank, living alone and longs for the local librarian played by Susan Sarandon. Frank's son brings him a new robot with a perfect memory and will do anything to make Frank's life better. The robot is recruited to be an accompliance to Frank's thefts.

Liv Tyler and James Marsden also star.

The festival also announced its centerpiece film: Todd Solondz's Dark Horse.

Dark Horse is the story of Abe (Jordan Gelber), a confident young man who is stuck in a rut, according to the film festival. Living at home with his parents (Mia Farrow and Christopher Walken) and working for his father’s company, Abe can’t escape from his family’s expectations. But when he meets a young woman named Miranda (Selma Blair), things temporarily start looking up and Abe can’t help but believe he must be on the road to happiness.

Solondz will attend the festival as well, organizers announced.

Hall told The Herald-Tribune that he admires Solondz's work:

“This is probably Todd’s most accessible movie so far,” Hall said. “I’m a huge admirer of his work. His films are dark, dark comedies, but this one is maybe just a dark comedy and the lead character is sweet.”

Under African Skies will be the festival's closing night film. Directed by Academy Award nominee Joe Berlinger, the film follows the story of Paul Simon going tout to South Africa in 1985 to record with local musicians and how to play their music. That collaboration turned into Simon's 1986 album Graceland. Despite the popularity of hte album, Simon was accused of violating a cultural boycott of South Africa that was going on as countries tried to end apartheid in that nation.

“Each year, we strive to bring the best in film to our Gulf Coast community and this year’s festival will be no different,“ says Sarasota Film Festival Board President Mark Famiglio.  “We are excited for the opportunity to engage our audience with these tremendous films.”

Hall also told The Bradenton Herald that the festival is trying to bring in more celebrities to the festival:

"We are working to bring in as many as we can," said Tom Hall, the festival's director. "We are excited about Frank Langella, Jake Schreier and Todd Solondz but are casting as wide as net as possible."

Additional details of the festival will be announced to the media March 19.