After postponing the event back in March the Sunscreen Film Festival is excited to present its full slate of films and workshops for 2020 taking place at AMC Theaters Sundial in St. Petersburg, from Thursday, September 24 through Sunday, September 27, 2020. Thanks to a great partnership with AMC Theatres and their commitment to a safe and clean environment the festival will be able to take place as planned. For AMC’s Safe & Clean plan click here.
The festival, now in its 15th year, will kick off with a screening of Beast Beast, an official selection at Sundance, produced by Alec Baldwin and directed by Danny Madden; and Wake Up, a short directed by Olivia Wilde, starring Margaret Qualley. Other highlights include; The Illegal — directed by Danish Renzu and staring Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi) — a gripping coming of age story about a passionate film student that must leave everything behind to follow his dream in a new country. Confirmed celebrity attendances include.
“Not only is the Sunscreen Film Festival the longest running mainstream film festival in the Tampa Bay area, it has also become a widely recognized festival around the world. To be able to present a safe and clean event and still support the independent film community is great to see. This festival has really put the St. Pete, Clearwater, Tampa area on the film world map — and it’s amazing to see the positive effect it’s had on our community over the years. The Film Commission is thrilled to be the headline sponsor and is looking forward to the next 15 years,” said Tony Armer, St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Commissioner and Sunscreen Film Festival founder.
The 15th Annual Sunscreen Film Festival will present 22 features from the US and around the world within various categories including foreign, documentary, thriller, drama, and comedy; plus, 100 shorts across 13 different thematic blocks.
Feature highlights include: TheMiseducation of Bindu — a coming of age dramedy directed by Prarthana Mohan and produced by the Duplas Brothers — that centers around a bullied Indian teenager as she navigates through high school; Snaeland, a Finish film noir that imagines a world where Black citizens are ordered back to Africa under official rule in Brazil; and Angela, a Columbian film directed by Agamenon Quintero that sheds light on the power men hold over women in many parts of the world.
Locally made films will also be taking center stage with the Festival screening WDED Dead In The Morning, Beauty is Skin Deep, Celebrity Crush, and several high school shorts. Documentary highlights include the Story of Plastic directed by Deia Schlosberg; Flannery, a biopic on southern gothic writer Flannery O’Conner; and StalkingChernobyl: Exploration After the Apocalypse, an in-depth look into the increasing number of adventure-seekers risking radiation poisoning to take photos in the area.
“Finding our way in the world is the theme of the Festival this year. I think more than ever we need stories from fresh, new perspectives to help us become more connected as people in this world. That’s why we are so proud of all the films in our lineup this year. These films give emerging talent a much-needed voice to share the stories that make you feel real human emotion. If you really want to get a feel for lies ahead in film making, this is where you need to be,” said Chris Eaton, festival programming director for 2020.