The Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) announced today the initial slate of programming for the milestone 25th anniversary event, including the Closing Day presentation, and selections for the Music Sidebar feature program. Live and in-person screenings and events will take place across Sarasota March 25 through April 2, 2023. The complementary virtual platform will launch on Friday, March 24 offering exclusive, pre-opening access to select titles. On Sunday, April 2, the festival will close with a special presentation of Prime Video’s On a Wing and a Prayer, a film from Sean McNamara and starring Dennis Quaid, Heather Graham, and Jesse Metcalfe, which tells the true story of a pilot who dies unexpectedly while flying and a passenger who’s forced to land the plane safely in order to save his entire family. Producer Roma Downey will also be in attendance to receive the Sarasota Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award. During the festival, Downey will also host a book signing and intimate conversation in support of her newest devotional, “Be An Angel”, at Bookstore1 in downtown Sarasota on Saturday, April 1.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same. With great enthusiasm, we are once again welcoming our film-loving community back to the Sarasota Film Festival in celebration of our 25th anniversary,” said Mark Famiglio, SFF Chairman and President. “For this special anniversary edition, it is our privilege to host a number of distinguished storytellers and artists in our idyllic Gulf Coast community. Our 10-day event in beautiful Sarasota will highlight the change-makers of the past 25 years and showcase industry voices that will carry us into the next 25.”

Indigo Girls band members, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, will attend the festival to receive the Sarasota Maestro Award. Ray and Saliers are published authors, community activists and top-selling, Grammy-award winning recording artists. SFF will honor the duo’s decades of contributions to music, social good, and beyond. Past recipients of the award include Kenny G and David Amram. SFF will also screen Alexandria Bombach’s It's Only Life After All, which offers an intimate portrayal of the Indigo Girls, as the festival’s Documentary Centerpiece film. It's Only Life After All will also screen as part of this year’s Music Sidebar program. SFF confirmed the program will include Lisa Cortés’ L:ittle Richard: I am Everything, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and tells the story behind the one of a kind rock 'n' roll icon who shaped the world of music, distributed by Magnolia Pictures; as well as the HBO Documentary Film Love to Love You, Donna Summer, co-directed by Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano (Summer’s daughter), which premiered at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival and is an in-depth look at the iconic artist’s life. Donna Summer was a longtime resident of Manasota Key and received the Keys to the City of Sarasota in 2006. The festival is also proud to welcome back guest programmers, Tom Hall and Holly Herrick. The 25th annual Sarasota Film Festival, which will take place from March 24th through April 2nd, greatly appreciates the support of its personal and corporate sponsors, including the Famiglio Family Foundation, Sack Family Foundation, Wallach Family Fund, CMX CinéBistro, BMW of Sarasota, SRQ Airport, METV, Tito's Handmade Vodka, Stella Artois, Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, Hotel Indigo, Westin, Netwurx, Sarasota Magazine, SRQ Magazine, Sarasota Film Society, Sarasota Out, Visit Sarasota County, Michael’s on East, National Awards, Scene Magazine, Bookstore 1, Sande Caplin & Associates, The Observer Media Group, Sage Restaurant, Art Avenue, Senior Blue Book, Family Beautiful Magazine, Intermedia Studios, Ft. Myers Magazine, The Jazz Club of Sarasota, Westcoast Woman, Venice Art Center, WSLR, and iHeartMedia. The festival is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Council on Arts and Culture, Sarasota County Tourism Development Tax Revenues as well as the Community Foundation of Sarasota. 

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