Two of the largest South Florida arts events – the Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) and the Festival of the Arts Boca – are forming a partnership to create one large comprehensive festival of the cultural arts incorporating film, music, dance, books and authors.
The boards of the Schmidt Family Centre for the Arts and the Festival of the Arts Boca have signed a memo of understanding to manage both festivals with one administrative board, said Alfred Zucaro, an attorney and member of the newly formed board.
Zucaro said Tuesday the merger will provide an opportunity to create more arts events throughout the year to culminate in the Festival of the Arts Boca in March and the film festival in April.
“We hope the new board will be proactive in raising funds for this year’s event,” said Randi Emerman, executive director of the Palm Beach International Film Festival, which runs from April 11-19. “As always, our focus as a film festival is on the art of film, the message of the films and the support of film as an art and of course, our support of the filmmakers.”
Emmerman also said “the rumors of our demise are greatly exaggerated. We have found a way to produce the film festival without owing any money to anyone.”
Leading up to these months are a series of fund-raisers and events including a screening of the film The Rum Diary, in which Johnny Depp channels the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.
The film co-stars Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard and Richard Jenkins, who will be present at the screening, at the Muvico Parisian 20 Cinemas at City Place on Nov. 2. In February, the festival throws an Oscar Night Party for the national Oscars broadcast.
“This festival has truly evolved into a one-of-a-kind cultural celebration, bringing the best in music, dance, film and ideas to South Florida,” said Charlie Siemon, chairman of the Boca festival. “This year, we hope to attract younger audiences and interest them in a wider range of musical and cultural offerings.”
Like a second Christmas, the festival runs 12 days, from March 7-18, and will bring a number of big names to South Florida, many of them, like historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, returnees from previous years.
“The festival is a great draw for Palm Beach County and the city of Boca Raton. Last year we had more than 10,000 visitors, and more than 40 percent of ticket sales were sold outside the area,” said Yvonne S. Boice, the chairwoman of the Schmidt Family Centre for the Arts, a co-presenter of the festival. “The festival brings revenue and recognition to the area.”
The musical program includes José Carreras, billed as one of the world’s greatest tenors, who kicks off the festival along with Cuban-born jazz pianist, Alfredo Rodriguez and his trio, along with jazz and soul musician Poncho Sanchez. Pianist Valentina Lisitsa performs in conjunction with the Lynn University Philharmonia, conducted by Jon Robertson, and Larry Rosen’s Jazz Root Series teams up with singer and Grammy-award winner Patti Austin and Tony DeSare, who will perform a revue of songs by George Gershwin.
Opera aficionados can look forward to a night of operatic selections featuring Constantine Kitsopoulos, the music director for the festival, and rising stars from the Metropolitan Opera including soprano Angela Meade, tenor James Valenti, and mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, all accompanied by the Boca Raton Symphonia.
To celebrate the marriage between the two festivals, the opera selections to be performed at this year’s event have all been part of major film scores, including Pretty Woman, Philadelphia, Raging Bull and The Bridges of Madison County.
A highlight of the musical programming is the screening of the classic 1942 film Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, with a live orchestral accompaniment of the Max Steiner musical score by the Boca Raton Symphonia. The film is celebrates its 70th anniversary.
On the “Authors and Ideas” side of the program, Goodwin, the Pulitizer prize-winning presidential historian and author, returns along with Kevin Bleyer, Emmy-award winning head writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Bleyer’s new book, Me the People: An Order to Form a More Perfect Union will be published by Random House in May.
Making his Arts Festival debut is Andrew Ross Sorkin, co-host of CNBC’s Squawk Box and author of Too Big To Fail, whose talk will be titled “How to Fix the Financial System,” and Mika Brzezinski, taking a break from Joe Scarborough and her Morning Joe routine. She will speak about her books, Knowing Your Value: Women, Money and Getting What You’re Worth and her memoir, All Things at Once.
Barbara McDonald Stewart, historian and daughter of James G. McDonald, the first U.S. Ambassador to Israel, will discuss her experiences with her father during the formative years of the state of Israel.
The Festival of the Arts Boca runs March 7-18, 2012 at the Schmidt Family Centre for the Arts, 201 Plaza Real, and the Count de Hoernle Amphitheater in Boca Raton. Tickets range from $20-$100 and packages are available. Student discounts available with proper identification. For more information, please call: (561) 368-8445 or visit: www.festivaloftheartsboca.org or call: (866) 571-ARTS.
The Palm Beach International Film Festival runs from April 11-19, 2012. Films will be screened in venues from Mizner Park to West Palm Beach. For more information, please visit: http://www.pbifilmfest.org or call: 561-362-0003.