Over the years, the Palm Beach International Film Festival has had its share of celebrity visits and Hollywood glam.
But that’s not what Randi Emerman wants you to remember about the 17th edition of PBIFF.
“The focus of this year’s Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) is on the film,” says Emerman, director of the festival. “Pure and simple, our emphasis is on independent films and the filmmakers who have created them.”
She notes that filmmakers this year are “flying in on their own dime” from Israel, Germany, South America and Canada.
“They know the name ‘Palm Beach’ and want to be here as we are known as a center of culture,” she said. “The festival is not about celebrities and the cult of celebrity. We want to be known for culture, high-quality international films, and to make the name of Palm Beach synonymous with film and culture throughout the filmmaking world.”
On that note, for better or worse, and minus the red carpet, The Palm Beach International Film Festival kicks off this year’s week of cinema April 12 with the opening-night film, direct from Sundance: Robot & Frank, directed by Jake Schreier.
The film is a futuristic romantic comedy about a retired cat burglar (Frank Langella) whose son arranges a robot as companion for his father but is not prepared for the antics and relationship the two develop. In addition to Langella, the film features a cast including James Marsden, Liv Tyler and Susan Sarandon.
The festival runs through April 19 and includes an ambitious lineup of films including 24 world premieres, 14 U.S. premieres and 2 North American premieres. Features, documentaries and shorts showcase life in various countries including the Netherlands, Spain, Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau, and Portugal.
“We are excited about this year’s program, which reflects our ongoing mission to engage with the community, expanding and enhancing its knowledge of the world through the unique lens of independent film,” Emerman said. “We encourage people to take this opportunity to enjoy these diversely international stories.”
Local filmmakers include Dawn Dubriel, whose The $ingle Girl’s Guide to Travel in Paris showcases the City of Lights through Dubriel’s eyes, and Lake Worth resident Talina Adamo Oblander, who will screen her short film, Let Yourself Be Heard (both at 8 p.m. April 15, Mizner Park).
For Oblander, who made the film in 2009 for a “script-to-reel” contest at another festival, PBIFF offers a chance for additional exposure for her film.
“PBIFF means a lot to me, because it is in my hometown,” Oblander said. “I am involved in the Voices of Local Film with the Palm Beach Film Society, and represent Palm Beach County and Florida filmmakers.”
Other films of note include Tiger Eyes, directed by Lawrence Blume, son of children’s book author Judy Blume. Tiger Eyes is the first of Blume’s novels to be brought to the big screen. Both director and author are scheduled to attend the screening (7 p.m. April 16, Muvico Parisian 20, CityPlace).
John Murlowski’s comedy Zombie Hamlet, starring John Amos (Good Times), A.J. Buckley (CSI: New York), Shelley Long (Cheers) and June Lockhart (Lassie and Lost in Space), arrives April 14. Both Long and Lockhart, along with Murlowski, are scheduled to attend the screening (7 p.m., Downtown at the Gardens).
Lockhart will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Silver Screen Splash, a brunch April 15 at The Lake Pavilion on the waterfront in West Palm Beach.
The associate producer of the film, Susan Lunetta, runs Exxcel Model and Talent Agency on Clematis Street. Serendipitously, her client Emmalee Wilson, auditioned and was selected for the role of Southern belle Annabelle Beauchamps in the film.
“I’m proud that Zombie Hamlet is making its American debut here in Palm Beach,” Lunetta said. “It was an amazing experience for me as a talent agent, and has inspired me to move forward into producing feature films.”
She hopes to bring future projects to Florida for filming and production.
Significant documentaries include: Love Free or Die (7 p.m. April 14, Cobb Downtown at the Gardens), by filmmaker Macky Alston, about Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay man to become a bishop in the Episcopalian Church. The film won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance last January.
Violins in Wartime (4 p.m. April 15, Mizner Park) recounts the story of Amnon Weinstein, a violin maker who is obsessed with collecting violins, especially those that survived the Holocaust. Legendary violinst Ida Haendel, an area resident, will be the guest of honor at the screening. The film includes footage in which played in a memorial ceremony for Pope John Paul II during his visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
In addition to films, other highlights of the weeklong festival include: An opening-night party on “the most amazing rooftop in City Place,” according to Emerman; the closing-night party at the 51 Supper Club in West Palm Beach; a Weekend of Shorts at the Lake Worth Playhouse; the Voices of Local Films at the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center; and a reception and evening of music videos at DeBilzan Gallery in Delray Beach.
The closing night film, Sassy Pants, called an “edgy comedy” by the Hollywood Reporter, premiered in January at the Santa Barbara Film Festival to good reviews.
The coming-of-age debut film by director Coley Sohn, based on her award-winning short Boutonniere, stars Anna Gunn, Ashley Rickards, Diedrich Bader and Haley Joel Osment, who is making his film comeback as a gay bartender.
Sassy Pants (7 p.m. April 19, Cobb Downtown at the Gardens) tells the story of Bethany Pruitt (Ashley Rickards), valedictorian of her one-student home-school class, her difficult mother and her escape into teen fashion, courtesy of her absentee gay father. When she learns about the Fashion Art Technology Institute, she sees a chance to break free and create her own brighter future. The trials and tribulations of how she gets there redefine her and her family and redefine her wardrobe in the process.
Tickets are: $10 general admission and $7 for seniors and students available in advance at www.pbifilmfest.org or at the respective theaters’ box office during the festival.
Screenings will be held at Muvico Parisian 20 at City Place in West Palm Beach, Cobb Theatres in Downtown At The Gardens, Lake Worth Playhouse Stonzek Theatre in Lake Worth, Debilzan Gallery in Delray Beach and Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center in Boca Raton.
Platinum passes are available for $500, which include priority admission to all films, VIP parties and the Silver Screen Splash brunch; Premiere passes are available for $200, which provide admission to the opening and closing night film and party, as well as all regular festival screenings; Gold passes are available for $150, which provide admission to all films and seminars. For more information, please call (561) 362-0003.