Sunscreen Film Festival: Feature Films, Workshops, Documentaries

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The 17th annual Sunscreen Film Festival kicks off its four days of independent film showings, acting/directing workshops, networking and parties in St. Petersburg on Thursday.

Opening night starts with red carpet photos at the AMC Sundial entrance followed by the world premiere and opening film of the festival, "Rose' All Day," directed by Marla Sokoloff, who is known for her roles in "Sugar & Spice" (2001) and "Dude, Where's My Car" (2000).

"Rose´ All Day" is an 80-minute feature film about a group of college friends who meet once a year for a Rose´ All Day pool party. "But after several years of careers and different life paths, maybe their friendship has finally run its course. The cracks in their relationships become all-consuming sinkholes filled with vomit, tears, confessions and broken penis sculptures," the Sunscreen Film Festival website described.

A variety of workshops start Saturday and more films will show throughout the day and night into Sunday. Los Angeles-based producer and distributor, Marty Poole, will share tips on how to get your film financed and distributed; executive director of the Baton Rouge Film Commission, Katie Patton Pryor, will host a workshop, "Film Incentives: How to Maximize State and Local Incentives for Your Film, and Where to Find Them" on Saturday.

Some of the Saturday feature films scheduled for screenings at AMC Sundial include "Heroes Of The Sea", "Love After War, Saving Love, Saving Lives" and "Sylvie of the Sunshine State,"

A Synopsis Of The Above Mentioned Feature Films Is Provided Below By Sunscreen Film Festival

• "Sylvie of the Sunshine State" directed by Sasha Levinson is a story about a second-grader Sylvie navigating the absurdities and emotional turbulence of her eccentric multigenerational Jewish matriarchy, a dad who lives far away and life gone virtual, seen through the lens of her filmmaker, single mom.
• "Love After War, Saving Love, Saving Lives" directed by Mitchell Tepper is a documentary about the journey of six injured veterans and their partners to find sexual healing. Gravely affected by both visible and invisible wounds, they return home from military service sexually and emotionally isolated. This film follows them as they dig deep for the courage and fortitude above and beyond what was needed for war to restore their sexuality and rebuild their romantic partnerships.
• "Heroes Of The Sea" directed by York Hovest, Katrin Eigendorf and Sabine Streich is a film that focuses on solutions from climate change to illegal fishing. York Hovest finds real heroes around the world who show us how to implement solutions. "Heroes of the Sea" is not just a cautionary appeal to humanity through shocking images. Rather, this film illustrates the positive message that we can all do something.

Sunday features three workshops: "Legal: Ask The Lawyer Panel Discussion (Panel)," "Writing: Pitch Fest! Workshop," and "Film Coordinating And Management."

"The Golden Age," written and directed by a French native, Jenna Suru, will be the closing feature film Sunday. The story takes place in 1967. A penniless Franco-American producer living in Los Angeles returns to Paris, following in his mother’s footsteps to flee the Vietnam War. He meets an ambitious French theater actress, who acts in small Parisian theaters in front of empty seats. Both desperate to change the world, they decide to embark on an artistic project together, ending up in a small village in the South of France: Saint-Tropez.

For full schedule details and to purchase Sunscreen Film Festival single tickets and passes, visit Sunscreen Film Festival's website.

Patch interviewed Jenna Suru, director of "The Golden Age" for a feature that will be published Wednesday. A feature story about "12 Months," that will be shown at Sunscreen Film Festival and was created by a Florida State University alum, Kelly Bandt, will run in Patch Thursday.