Lance Around Orlando

These People (with NumberOneEmber and ThatGuyRoberto) Willingly Follow a False Prophet. Why Would They Do That?

Upon entering the Film Festival, I notice three oddly dressed people. Two guys and one girl were all dressed as, what I assumed to be, hippies. They all had beards–even the girl! I approached them and just had to ask what they were doing here dressed like this.

“We’re promoting Kumare,” Shriyantha Wimalasekera explains.

I hadn’t heard of this particular movie, but Chelsea -adorning the lovely false beard- explains to me that it’s a movie about a man who wants to “teach people to be their own guru. He’s a false guru and teaches people his own teachings. His own techniques are called Kumare and he’s made his own website of the false teachings called Kumare.org.”

“It won the audience award at SXSW in California and this is the east coast premier,” adds Jeffrey Pennett.

Maybe it was my spiritual upbringing, but I have to admit I was rather intrigued. So, I ask Shriyantha what he thinks of the movie.

“Kumare’s way of life is a reflection of yourself. It has strong support and it won’t disappoint; it’s not possible.” He says.

After a quick picture, they inform me that the director and star of the movie is going to hold a Skyped Q and A at the Tuesday showing. “He’s a spectacle,” says Jeffrey, “and you can italicize that.” (So I did.) It’s too bad I have school that day.

With that, I bid them adieu and head to Shorts 1. I ask Stuart, the guy standing next to me, if he had seen the shorts and what he felt about them.

He said, “I like shorts. You see a lot of creative stuff and if it’s terrible, it only lasts a short time.”

I completely agree. Although, many of the shorts in this program weren’t short enough. I’ll admit I did love some shorts such as Queen, The Other Side and Jim & Frank. Otherwise, I’d like to just skip over that experience completely.

When those films were over, I took the “hippie” group’s advice and headed to Kumare instead of the second set of shorts (which I’ve lost all faith in). I’d like to block out the short documentary that premiered before this movie as well. However! Kumare has to be one the BEST films I’ve seen all year and was certainly the best documentary I’ve seen in my life time (as far as I can remember). I’ll save the details of the movie for you all to find out, but let me say: it’s true, this movie does not disappoint.

This is One of the Most Powerful Films at this Year's Florida Film Festival

Audience Reactions
As Day 2 of the FFF begins, I realize I’m getting older. Staying up till 4am to finish blog posts, then driving an hour to the FFF later in the morning takes a toll. I find that I’m not overly optimistic. I realize they probably chose the opening night film because it was a local production–and the fact that it sold out two theatres indicates it was the right choice. And while it certainly wasn’t a bad movie, neither did it leave me feeling hopeful for this year’s festival.

So I begin the day with one of my favorite activities–interviewing theatre goers about their festival experiences…

“You can use my alias, Scott,” begins the first person I interview.  He has been attending the FFF since “the beginning.” His favorites are the docs and the shorts. He wants to tell everyone to “get off the computer and get down here to see some films.”  Meanwhile, his fellow theatre mate makes a disparaging comment about people who blog–pointedly looking in my direction–as he corrects my grammar. Then, suddenly, Scott recognizes that I’m the notorious LanceAround blogger. His eyes widen in obvious admiration.

Leonard Feinberg has been attending the FFF for 21 years. He’s looking forward to  some great films.  “All the films have been good,” he says, reminiscing about past FFFs. In the early years, he helped with the volunteer effort.

Someone who identifies herself as Gertrude is talking animatedly to her two friends. “Why did you pick me to interview?” she asks. “Because you looked like a  talker,” I respond. Her male companion nods emphatically. “You’re good!, says her female companion. (I admire her astute observations of my abilities.) “This is our first movie but we’ve come in years past,” her companion says. She goes on to point out, “They’re already primed with the beer,” as if that was not obvious!

A woman in a purple shirt wants to know if there is a line to be interviewed for the blog. “There was a line to get tickets, there’s a line to get into the movie, I’m wondering if there’s a line to be interviewed for the blog,” she laments. I tell her there’s no line and, just as she’s about to speak, the line into the theatre begins to move and I don’t have the opportunity to interview her.

Shorts 1
High Maintenance-Hilarious short about a man’s effort to impregnate his wife, despite his slutty mother-in-law’s interference.

L Train-A powerful film, beautifully shot, telling the story of an impoverished teen in Chicago helping someone even less fortunate than herself. It was only after it was over I realized there was zero dialogue. That’s high praise.

Christmas is Ruined-A cute script about a rogue Santa Elf being interrogated for the disappearance of the most famous person on earth. A clever production that might have worked if it had competent actors.

Queen-Wow! Ryan Eggold gives a tour de force performance that is incredible in his role as a male cross dressing nightclub performer who’s phenomenal act is countered by the tragedies in his/her life.

Mouthful-This would have been a hilarious, well written and superbly acted film if only I didn’t have to watch its x-ratedness while sitting beside my daughter and a friend of hers from school.

Jim & Frank-This one might feel a little slow and a little disjointed. You might be tempted to let your mind wander. But when you understand the unexpected surprise at the end of the film, you’ll wish you had paid close attention the entire time. Then, like the audience at the screening I attended, you will gasp. You will love this film.

The Other Side-This is the kind of film you go to film festivals to see.  Smart, well acted, beautifully directed, it tells the story of an Israeli child living beside the wall who is an outcast within his peer group. When he encounters someone on the other side of the wall, his tender, thoughtful and heartfelt interactions will have an impact on you.

The lights come up and I’m slightly dumbfounded. I realize that this was probably the most powerful and, frankly, the best set of shorts I have ever seen. Several filmmakers come up for the Q & A

#1Ember Interviews Tony Borden

Tony Borden is the writer, director and played a lead in the short Jim & Frank. Without giving away the surprise ending, I am shocked to discover that he did not get any permission to do the portrayals in the movie. Afterwards, the LanceAround blog team catches up with him. He admits that he’s a little nervous about possible legal ramifications. He’s a little shy and seems genuinely surprised by the enormous amount of positive feedback his film is receiving. He’s quick to dismiss it, surmising that people are just being polite. We assure him this is not the case. Everyone we speak with really loves his film. In fact, at the press preview night, his was the only film that was selected to be shown in full.  That’s high praise at the FFF.

Ellis Cahill, a principal actor in Mouthful, likewise seems a little dismissive when I tell her that her performance was one of the best I have ever seen. She is quick to credit the script and the director. I am equally quick to correct her. Yes, both script and director were good–but the role was extremely difficult to pull off and she did so with a lot of depth.

Khen Shalem

Yet nothing prepared me for the interview I had with Khen Shalem, filmmaker for The Other Side. The most amazing aspect of his film was his ability to even-handedly portray both sides of the Israeli, Palestinian conflict. His movie, as told through the innocence of childhood, was as deep and thought-provoking as any movie I have ever seen.

Unbelievably, he spoke about his efforts to fund more films. When he showed potential financiers this movie, he found that he was often turned down because they felt the movie was too one-sided. But what made it weird is that each different financier would insist that one side–or the other–was shown in too favorable a light–each time it was a different side!

I sat and chewed on this insight for a long time. It was the perfect preparation for what I was about to experience in the next movie I would see–a documentary entitled, Kumare.

[NumberOneEmber’s Note: ThatGuyRoberto is a close friend of mine -the same age as myself- who joined LanceAround, SunnyStefani and I on our adventures at the FFF today. We watched Shorts 1 and Karame. Here is ThatGuyRoberto’s reviews of the films he saw]

ThatGuyRoberto

Shorts 1
I have a horrible memory and honestly can’t remember half of the shorts, but the one short that I do remember was The Other Side. It was moving, but in a different way than would be considered moving. The fact that no matter when the main character kicked the ball over the wall, it always came back even though the two towns were separated. The movie touches all the major problems that people face nowadays: bullying, wars, separation, loss, etc. I noticed they don’t say how he losses his brother; maybe to make the audience think. We hope that he was separated by the wall like in the boy’s dream. Perhaps he really was separated from his family when the wall went up.

As for the other shorts, like Mouthful, they may have had good acting. However, I didn’t like the subject. Otherwise, The Other Side was the only film I remember.

Then NumberOneEmber reminds me, “What about Queen?”

“Oh, Queen.” I reply.

What isn’t there to say about Queen? This was a moving story about the troubles of a -for lack of a better word- Drag Queen who sings at what seems to be a gay bar, a bouncer trying to find his way in the world, and the struggles that face them in the aftermath of Nikki’s (the main Queen) break up with ‘her’ partner. I loved it. I felt sorry for Nikki, but the bouncer really should have been more helpful.

On another note, the next movie I saw began with the short documentary, Maurice. It was beyond awkward because I was in the accompaniment of NumberOneEmber’s father, coworker and her. I’m glad I won’t be seeing anything like that again outside the Florida Film Festival. It’s not that it was bad, just awkward.

Next, Kumare. This was the best movie I’ve ever seen in the history of my life – second only to the Star Wars Saga. Why? Because it pointed out that people are ignorant, blind, and that the good in man is found within man and not in the words of another man. I find it interesting that Kumare managed to trick all those people into believe he was a guru when he blatantly told them that he was a fake and just a simple man. When he did truly reveal himself, I wasn’t angry so much as disappointed with the 4 people turned their backs on him after he had shown them that they can be anything they wanted to be as long as they believed in themselves and became their own guru. It’s disrespectful that they did this, especially when they don’t try to understand his motives; they just walked out. Yet, I loved this movie.

That’s my view of the festival.

The Filmmakers for An Affair of the Heart During the Q & A

I arrive at day two of the FFF at noon, just in time to view An Affair of the Heart. I’m not sure if the theatre is so packed because it’s the first film of day two, or because people are eager to see this film. Then I realize this film is about the legendary Rick Springfield, not to be confused with Bruce Springsteen.
 
This film is about people’s devotion and ‘obsession’ to Rick Springfield. I was clearly the youngest person in the audience. The majority of the audience seemed to be obsessed, middle aged women (and some with their husbands that were clearly drug along for the ride). As soon as Rick Springfield first appeared on the screen, the audience went crazy. I thought I was watching a Twilight movie when the audience would hoot and holler any time Jacob would appear with no shirt on. Although Rick Springfield is not my generation, I’ve heard, as I’m sure many people have heard as well, his hit ‘Jessie’s Girl.’
 

David Dean

The film was beautifully edited, especially considering it involved music. After the film I meet up with David Dean, the editor and writer of An Affair of the Heart. The first cut took him 6 months to edit, from January to June of 2011. “I’m thrilled with the final product,” he says. “This is my first feature film I’ve edited.” David has been a professional editor for 30 years, mainly working on cable TV. He’s worked with the Travel Channel, Discovery, Jack Hanna and so much more. He’s hoping this opens some doors for him as a feature film editor.
 
There was 200 hours of film shot that David took down to just 93 minutes. He “loves working with music.” Producer and director, Sylvia Caminer, has been a filmmaker for 20 years, she even won an Emmy. During the Q & A she told us Rick’s wife, Barbara, was “off limits”, and his two kids. “He’s very protective of his family,” she said.
 
Melanie Lentz-Janney, who was also the producer and director, said the film “was 30 years in the making.” She was clearly the inspiration for this film as both David and Sylvia stated they were not fans going into it. “At 15 my whole room was decorated with Rick. I know I might sound psychotic but I went to college in his hometown,” said Melanie. For her, the main point she wanted to get across was “if you have something in your heart, pursue it.” 
 
Audience Reactions
After the film I ran into Jonathan and Natasha Chisdes. They were waiting to see the second set of short films. Natasha was quick to state her husband is a fan of the shorts. “I just love shorts,” says Jonathan, “they’re like little gems.” He goes on to say, “They’re very creative and great for a short attention span.” Jonathan says he has been coming to the FFF “every year since it opened in 1992, except for 3 years.” When I asked how many films he’s seen throughout the years, he paused for a while, couldn’t give me an exact number and stated, “I really don’t know.”  They’re looking forward to seeing Liberty Heights because it was the movie they saw on their very first date.

Renee Spends Some Time Chatting With LanceAround and NumberOneEmber

My eyes droop and my fingers get slower with every typed word. It’s 12:15 in the morning and Day 1 of the FFF was exhausting both emotionally and physically. Regardless, on with the show!

The outside of the theatre was crowded with people and inside was no different. Several volunteers were trying to steer people into the two theaters showing Renee. We were lucky to get 3 seats together in the front row. As I sat through the introduction of the film, playing a game on my phone (much to my father’s disapproval), the spoken intro felt as though it ran the same length as the film.

The opening animated film, Fresh Guacamole,was great for a precursor to the depressing and emotionally unnerving topics of the opening night feature film; it was fun-spirited and made everyone laugh which is just the mood to be in to endure such raw emotions that the following movie would bring.

Renee is a fictionalized account based on the life of a real young woman addicted to strong drugs, alcohol and self-harm; in this case, cutting her arms with a razor blade. I got the opportunity to sit down with Renee herself and discuss the movie. She hadn’t actually known about the premier until several days beforehand. However, she had seen the movie before with her family: which she revealed to me as being quite awkward.

 “The film is intense and surreal,” she tells me. “Fantasies are fantasies for a reason. What really happened would have been more graphic.”

Most movies about drug abuse advocate against it, but this film is much more real than that. This film told the story of a girl who was ‘to write love on her arms’. This story, about one person’s experiences, highlights, bolds and italicizes that we have flaws. We’ll fall rock-bottom sometimes. And sometimes hope seems intangible.

Renee tells me, “Maybe your scars aren’t on your arms: maybe they’re internal; we’re human and that’s okay.”

When her story was released to the public, Renee developed into a kind of role model for others who are experiencing similar “chemical unbalancing” – not disorders: a word Renee doesn’t use for people with “everything under the sun” as she describes her own unbalancing.

“Life is a balancing act,” she says. “I’ve come to accept the pressure and responsibility of being a role model, but I still have to be Renee; I never asked to become this.”

Renee herself has been to rehabilitation 3 times –the movie being set during the second. She was sober for 3 years after relapsing that final time and almost lost her life.

“I’ve let down all those people.” She explains. However, Renee still hopes to be able to smash the chemical unbalances.

If this movie and speaking to Renee has taught me anything, it’s that people make mistakes and we have to except that failing is a major part of life. The most important thing is that we are honest with each other and ourselves. The word “secrets” play a major role in the film.

“You have to be transparent and honest,” Renee confides, “especially in relationships with parents, a significant other, and friends.”

And I mean to.

Both Theatres Were PACKED For The Opening Night Film

I couldn’t make this stuff up. Really I couldn’t. And I don’t know how it always seems to happen to me…

Today is the opening film of the 2012 FFF.  It is so popular they are showing the movie on two screens at the Regal Theatre in Winter Park. Both theatres are packed. As members of the press, I’m worried there won’t be enough room for SunnyStefani, NumberOneEmber and myself in the theatre. It’s already 20 minutes past the film’s scheduled start time.

We finally get into the theatre and manage to nab the last three seats all the way down in the front row. We’re just in time as the President of the FFF, Henry Maldonado, is beginning his introductions.

I glance over at NumberOneEmber. She’s playing a video game on her phone! I glare at her.

“You’re here to work for the LanceAroundOrlando Blog,” I remind her. (Using a voice an editor can only use if he is also the blogger’s father!) “Put away your phone and find someone to interview.  Get a good angle on the story. Make it personal. Make it real,” I continue, “The theatre is filled with people who have worked on this movie. Why don’t you try talking to the people sitting behind you. They might have been involved in making this film.”

NumberOneEmber rolls her eyes (as only a blogger can do if she is also the daughter of the editor!) and puts away her phone. She does not speak to the person behind her. I shrug my shoulders and turn back to Henry’s introductions.

Henry's Introductions

By this time Henry Maldonado is, as he likes to say, “going on and on” with his introductions at the front of the theatre. He is introducing the opening night film. It’s entitled, Renee and is the true story of Renee Yohe who has struggled with addiction and self mutilation.

The film is a powerful story, masterfully directed and acted. It was filmed entirely in Central Florida where all of the action actually took place. The cast and crew include many locals, often associated with nearby Full Sail University, The Dave School, the University of Central Florida and/or Valencia College. Although there are times when it drags, it is an impressive work, if also very depressing.

But for the moment, Henry continues his introductions. He is now pointing out people from the production who are in the audience. He acknowledges the director, producers, writer and several others. Finally he concludes by saying, “Oh, and Renee herself is here in the audience as well. Where are you Renee?”

Renee Was Sitting Right Behind Them

Suddenly, a meek little voice comes from the seat directly behind NumberOneEmber and SunnyStefani, “I’m right here,” says Renee.

SunnyStefani and NumberOneEmber shoot me a “how did you know that” glance. I just shrug my shoulders.

Honestly, I couldn’t make this stuff up.

The Cast, Crew and Even Subjects of the Opening Film During the Q & A

After a 16 hour day of work and the FFF, I finally make it home. I must admit I was not overly pleased to see this years’ opening film, Renee. NumberOneEmber and I arrive just in the nick of time for tonight’s film. We meet up with LanceAround who is waiting in the Press line. To our surprise, Renee is showing on not one, but two screens. After all the standbys are let in, the LanceAround team flocks to the only seats left available in the front row.

Filmed in Orlando, Renee is the true story of a troubled teenage girl addicted to cocaine. The film focuses mainly on her 5 days of detox before rehab. Nothing like starting off this years FFF with a depressed, drug obsessed movie.

Kat Dennings as Renee

After the film we wait for the Q & A session with the people involved in the making. There were a lot of them, including the actual Renee and Jamie Tworkowski, who was a central character in the film and a big supporter of Renee. Jamie founded the non-profit organization, To Write Love on Her Arms, which helps people, like Renee, who cut themselves. It became a viral sensation after Jamie posted a story about Renee on MySpace.

The script for the movie was 3 years in the making. It took 6 months for the re-writes, 6 months for the editing and just 25 short days of filming. During the credits a disclaimer appears saying despite the fact the film was based on a true story, it is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. So LanceAround asks the real Renee, who was in theatre, what aspects of the film were true and which portions were “everything else.” She replies, “people being people and being flawed was true. This recovery thing is a process and not perfect.” At the end she states, “Usually people are dead when they make movies about them, but I’m still alive so it’s pretty cool.” The audience laughs.

During the Q & A someone from the audience asks what the main point they wanted to get across to people watching. Jamie stated it was to inform and educate people, but “on a bigger level, save lives.”

This comment really caught me off guard because at no point during the Q & A did anyone from the production of the film state anything about where to get help or the fact that Renee was, in fact, clean and sober. For those of you who struggle with addiction, depression, self-injury, or even attempted suicide, there are many organizations out there that can help. How can you “save lives” without giving people information that will help save them?

So I would like to provide the following information:  If you don’t have family or friends to talk to, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at (800) 273 – TALK [8255]. If you are in need of drug rehab or treatment, please call the 24 hour addiction line at (877) 530 – 6575.

If you’re going to touch on a serious subject that’s based on a true story, I recommend showing people how to get help.

[Editor’s Note:  I could not be prouder of Number One Daughter. She is completing her Junior year at Osceola School for the Arts where she is majoring in Creative Writing. Her goal is to one day be a professional writer, fiction and/or screenplay artist. I’ve seen her work. I know she’ll succeed! Today we’re very proud to introduce her as our newest correspondent. With that, she has decided to modify her nom de plume to become a mix of her artistic pseudonym, Ember, along with how she’s been known to fans of LanceAroundOrlando since our inception–Number One Daughter. From now on she will be known as NumberOneEmber!  She attended the FFF Sneak Preview with SunnyStefani and myself. As someone who has attended the FFF since she was thirteen, today she gives an unexpected teenage view on the “dangers” of attending the FFF. I hope you find this teenage perspective as thoughtful and eye opening as I did–LanceAround]

NumberOneEmber

I’m going to try to maintain an optimistic outlook on this year’s FFF as only an angsty teenager can, espcially since I enjoyed last years FFF so much. This means I’m obviously not going to complain about how sexually explicit some of this year’s entries look or how not even half of them look appropriate for someone my age. I’ll simply keep hoping that intriguing documentaries like First Position and thrillers like Stuck are just as amazing as many of the clean films I saw last year.

I’ve always looked forward to Short Films in the past because I found them easy to follow, quick and to the point. However, I’ve always wondered why the FFF doesn’t ask the filmmakers to put ratings or extreme content warnings before their film plays. Two years ago, I was watching Foreign Shorts with my parents and a friend. We were somewhere around the 3^rd or 4^th short and, so far, they were all very entertaining. Suddenly, one starts playing that is so sexually explicit that my mother has to remove my friend and I from the theatre to shield our innocent 15 year old eyes and ears. It completely ruined the experience of the FFF shorts to the point where I’m discouraged from returning to them this year.

As much as I appreciate the artwork of young film makers, I would much rather they place a small warning before the videos about its content. That way, I won’t be caught off guard again and can make sure the film I’m watching is appropriate for my age. I’ll attend the FFF this year, but I’ll choose a seat close to the exit.  Also, other parents in the audience can know if their child should be watching the next film. Until that happens, this year I’ll stick to First Position; which is a documentary about ballet dancers and NOT an explicit animation of someone’s wife cheating on her husband while he’s at work (like one of the short films I saw two years ago.)

Let’s keep it positive and clean for the kiddies like me, folks.  🙂

SunnyStefani and # 1 Daughter Chat with FFF President Henry Maldonado

It’s that time of the year again. The 2012 Florida Film Festival is right around the corner. Wednesday was the Official Sneak Preview for this years FFF. I attend along with LanceAround and Number One Daughter. We got to watch a couple shorts and a lot of trailers, but it was really just a tease of what’s to come.

This year features 168 films from 31 countries out of over 1,700 entries. Based on the previews I saw, here are some of my ‘must sees’ of this years festival: Headhunters, First Position, The Gruffalo’s Child, God Bless America, and John Dies at the End.

God Bless America is on my list because of my sick sense of humor (or other people’s lack thereof.) The blood was initially what caught my attention, but it also seems to have a comedic twist about it where I just can’t help but laugh.

I recently started watching a TV show called White Collar. It’s about an art thief and counterfeiter who gets caught and works for the FBI. When I saw the preview for Headhunters, I was automatically drawn to this film for the resemblance and the action. You can’t live a luxurious lifestyle without stealing art, right?

After the Sneak Preview Henry Maldonado, the President of the Florida Film Festival, stops by our table to say hello. Henry’s enthusiasm is always infectious. He really loves movies. Although he even teases himself about his propensity for going on and on as he speaks, it always makes me smile to see what a big kick he gets out of every film he sees.

Henry asks us to reach out to all our readers and remind them that the Florida Film Festival is very personable and friendly. Tickets are only $10 a film; about the same as any other night at the movie. And these are excellent films that rarely don’t get seen in wide release at your local theatre. If you’ve never seen a movie at the Florida Film Festival, Henry asks us to remind you to give it a try this year.

LanceAround promises Henry we’ll spread the word for him.

My personal love for horror films continues to grow every day, and this year appears to have some ‘mind blowing’ films that I must see! April 13 – 22 can’t come soon enough for me. I hope to see you there.

Join the Conversation with LanceAround at the 2012 FFF Apr 13-22

For the third year in a row from April 13 -22, 2012 the LanceAroundOrlando blog team is proud to be an official blogger for the annual Florida Film Festival. I go with SunnyStefani and Number One Daughter to the Official Sneak Preview for the FFF, which is held at the Enzian Theatre in Maitland, just north of Orlando.

 The theatre is packed with various journalists, sponsors, volunteers and FFF staffers. Every year the festival grows larger and larger. There’s a palatable buzz in the air that only occurs in an event like this where film lovers of all types get together to share their joy for this remarkable industry.

Just Three More Weeks Before the FFF!

During the Sneak Preview, Henry Maldonado, the President of the FFF, stops by our table to chat with us. I ask him what he wants me to say to our readers. He’s quick to speak about the differences between the FFF and other film festivals. “Sometimes those other festivals are loaded with ******** who are arrogant and stuffy and only interested in sealing their next deal,” he says. “Tell your readers how friendly we are.”  I ask him if I can quote him on that. He gives his trademark impish smile and says, “Maybe you should just say I called them ‘idiots’!”

But his message is clear–this festival is one designed for people who truly love movies and who simply enjoy a great night at the theatre. Tickets to each individual movie or selection of short films are cheap and the films are usually independent movies that can’t be seen at your local multiplex theatre. Henry says that many people who live in the area still don’t know how easy it is to come and see a wonderful film that seldom makes it into wide release.

Henry pauses to get a photo with SunnyStefani and Number One Daughter then moves on to the next table. SunnyStefani will put that photo into her next post.

I manage to get the attention of Matthew Curtis, the Programming Director for both the FFF and the Enzian Theatre. Matthew has seen pretty much every movie that goes through the festival and the Enzian as well as hundreds of others that don’t make it onto the screen. He’s a classic film aficionado who has a remarkable memory for all the movies he’s seen.

This time, I’m going to pin him down. “Give me the straight scoop,” I ask him. “Which is the MUST SEE movie for this year’s festival?”

“Depends on your taste,” comes the almost predictable reply.

Not satisfied, I attempt to nail him down. “Okay, don’t pick one, just give me several that are on the top of your list.”

“Well,” he begins…

“Mamitas is a narrative feature. There’s also An Ordinary Family and The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best.” He continues, “Give Up Tomorrow, Salaam Dunk, oh, and Kumare is hilarious.” I nod, I’m finally getting the best of the best–a list of “must see” movies.

But Matthew is only taking a breath. He continues, “The Shorts this year are amazing. Animated Shorts are hilarious. The International Animation are incredible.” I scribble a few notes. Matthew is still talking. “Under African Skies is one you can’t miss. Paul Williams Still Alive is a great documentary.” He’s speaking faster than I can write.

“First Position is a wonderful family film. It’s like Spellbound only with ballet,” he says. “Monsieur Lazhar. Headhunters. These are fun thrillers that keep you guessing…” he continues. I can no longer keep up with all the movies he is recommending. Like most Enzian aficionados, there’s no end to Matthew’s ability to talk about movies.

I suddenly realize he’s not going to stop. It’s pointless anyway. I asked Matthew to give me a list of films not to be missed–but that was unfair! I now understand that, for Matthew, there is no such thing as a film in this festival that isn’t good. He wants everyone to see them all! It makes sense, if you think about it. A submitted film has less than a one in ten chance of making it onto the festival schedule. All the movies in the FFF are worth seeing.

With odds like that, you can’t go wrong. And when you do see a movie at the FFF, be sure to find a member of the LanceAroundOrlando Team and let them know your thoughts about this year’s festival.

Oh, and if you run into Matthew–let him know which film YOU liked the best!