Amber Benson

Florida Film Festival Reveals Competition Lineup

A scene from Debra Granik’s "Winter’s Bone," one of twenty films set to compete at the Florida Film Festival.

The Florida Film Festival has unveiled 10 narrative and 10 documentary features that will compete at its 19th annual festival, taking place April 9 to 18 in Orlando. Three second U.S. screenings and nine East Coast premieres were selected, with 11 filmmakers making their feature directorial debuts, including eight female directors. Among the highlights are Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone,” David Lee Miller’s “My Suicide,” Michael Paul Stephenson’s documentary “Best Worst Movie,” and Marshall Curry’s “Racing Dreams.”

“The scope of cinematic expression in this year’s festival is found not simply in terms of the volume of submissions or its demographics but in the variety of types of filmmakers and the issues they explore,” said Matthew Curtis, Florida Film Festival Programming Director in a statement. “This year we are screening films that embody risk-taking, diversity, and aesthetic innovation, and we are hopeful that audiences will find them as engaging and entertaining as we did.”

The 20 films will be eligible for up to three awards each: a Grand Jury award for best film, a Special Jury award given at the jury’s discretion for exceptional achievements, and an audience choice award.

Narrative full-length features include the following:

“Bomber” directed by Paul Cotter
Florida Premiere

“Cummings Farm” directed by Andrew Drazek
East Coast Premiere

“Don’t Let Me Drown” directed by Cruz Angeles
Southeast Premiere

“Drones” directed by Amber Benson & Adam Busch
East Coast Premiere/2nd U.S. Showing

“Homewrecker” directed by Brad Barnes & Todd Barnes
East Coast Premiere

“Lovely, Still” directed by Nik Fackler
East Coast Premiere

“My Suicide” directed by David Lee Miller
Southeast Premiere

“Obselidia” directed by Diane Bell
East Coast Premiere/2nd U.S. Showing

“Punching the Clown” directed by Gregori Viens
Regional Premiere

“Winter’s Bone” directed by Debra Granik
East Coast Premiere

“Best Worst Movie” directed by Michael Paul Stephenson
Florida Premiere

“Cleanflix” directed by Andrew James & Joshua Ligairi
East Coast Premiere

“Con Artist” directed by Michael Sládek
Southeast Premiere

“Dumbstruck” directed by Mark Goffman
Florida Premiere

“How to Fold a Flag” directed by Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein
Southeast Premiere

“Lost Sparrow” directed by Chris Billing
East Coast Premiere

“The Lottery” directed by Madeleine Sackler
East Coast Premiere/2nd U.S. Showing

“No. 4 Street of Our Lady” directed by Barbara Bird, Judy Maltz & Richie Sherman
Florida Premiere

“Racing Dreams” directed by Marshall Curry
Regional Premiere

“The Tiger Next Door” directed by Camilla Calamandrei
Florida Premiere