Fort Myers Film Festival

The Alliance for the Arts is thrilled to serve as a venue for the 15th Annual Fort Myers Film Festival, hosting special matinee showings May 15–17. Join us for an inspiring selection of films that celebrate creativity, storytelling, and the power of independent cinema. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of one of Southwest Florida’s most dynamic cultural events!

Additional venues showcasing Fort Myers Film Festival films include Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium, Babcock Ranch, IMAG, and Big Arts! For more information about the Fort Myers Film Festival and additional venues, please visit www.fortmyersfilmfestival.com.

Thursday, May 15

FOR THE ARTS SHORTS BLOCK @ 11:00 AM
In Tango by Marilu Garbi (9 min)
Synopsis: A widow, stuck in the past, finds healing through the dance of tango.

Culture War Directed by Celi Mitidieri (27 min)
Synopsis: A small Liberal Arts College in Sarasota, FL finds itself in a culture war against the government for the basic right of educational freedom. Now, the community must learn how to find resistance amid a reality they didn’t sign up for.

The Audition Directed by Victoria DeMartin (6 min)
Synopsis: A short film by New York writer and director Victoria DeMartin, showcasing her filmmaking journey. With a BFA from SUNY Purchase College, she has won multiple awards, including the Grand Prize at Cornell University’s Centrally Isolated Film Festival. Her short film WINTER RYE aired on PBS and she shadowed director Gideon Raff on The Spy (Netflix). The Audition was commissioned by Nikon for their Z6III camera campaign.

Somewhere Out There Directed by Julio Aceituno & Barkın Öztürk (13 min)
Synopsis: A Virginia artist who becomes legally blind finds acceptance through an unlikely muse.

OUR MOVEMENT STARTS HERE @ 12:00 PM
Directed by John Rash & Melanie Dang Ho (82 min)
Synopsis: A rural community raised awareness of deadly environmentally racist practices, inspiring the environmental justice movement in North Carolina.

ALL THERE IS @ 1:30 PM
Directed by Kit Williamson (1 hr 52 min)
Starring: Jason Priestley, Mena Suvari, Laurel Marsden, Elsie Fisher, Nick E. Tarabay, Shiv Pai
Synopsis: A teenager’s life unravels when a tragedy is blamed on her filmmaker father’s controversial sci-fi movie.

WHERE THE COTTONWOODS GROW @ 3:30 PM
Directed by Dale Hildebrand (1h 10 min)

Synopsis: The story of Mennonites’ 1874 migration from Imperial Russia, enduring trials in the West.

Friday, May 16

 

CLIMBING TO LIFE @ 11:00 AM

Directed by Melissa J Davey (52 min)

Synopsis: The inspiring story of Dierdre Wolownick, the oldest woman to climb El Capitan. Initially not athletic, she found her passion for running and climbing in her 60s, mentored by her son, Alex Honnold of Free Solo.

SANIBEL ISLAND’S STORE @ 12:00 PM

by Janine Zeitlin (57 min)

Synopsis: Sanibel Island’s Store traces the journey of a family, a small business, and an island determined to rebuild and thrive after Hurricane Ian in 2022.

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS SHORTS BLOCK @ 1:15 PM

Friends Not Food Directed by Peter Stray (30 min)

Synopsis: Rachel, a city worker, joins a struggling farm sanctuary, learning life lessons and working to save the sanctuary.

MONCH! Directed by Mia Rae Sunday (3 min)

Synopsis: A tiny orangutan tries to get a mango dangling high in a tree.

Kletpocracy Directed by Alexander Flores (7 min)

Synopsis: A young campaign planner uncovers a devastating secret about her candidate, forcing her to decide between compliance and exposing the truth.

Yellowstone Voices Directed by Greg Cairns (12 min)

Synopsis: A political story about the mass slaughters of Yellowstone bison and potential solutions for managing wild bison populations.

Blue Directed by Amy Cristina Lam (8 min)

Synopsis: A sea-turtle’s tumor growth is believed to be human-induced, urging action.

LOVE & LAUGH SHORTS BLOCK @ 2:30 PM

Lover Eternal Directed by Dominic Czarnota (13 min)

Synopsis: A husband becomes obsessed with a virtual reality simulation of his deceased wife, leading him through grief and technology.

Happy Life Directed by Sara Caldwell (9 min)

Synopsis: A stop-motion animation about an elderly woman who overcomes loneliness with the help of three balloons and a mysterious stranger.

Back To One Directed by Nathan Wallace & Victor H Muriel (5 min)

Synopsis: A comedic short where directors continuously reset film sets in Fort Myers, Florida.

Trendsetters Directed by Alexis Baca (8 min)

Synopsis: Four famous clothing designers make a side bet that they can create off-the-wall fashion designs the public will wear.

Walk of Generations Directed by Delaney Mann (2 min)

Synopsis: A young artist at a thrift store discovers a magical pair of Dr. Martens that connect her to the boots’ previous owners.

Golden Years Directed by Tim Ritter (15 min)

Synopsis: An aging couple breaks into rich people’s homes and throws themselves parties, but their retirement adventures may be coming to an end.

CURVEBALLS @ 3:30 PM

Directed by John Biffar (1 hr 30 min)

Synopsis: The inspiring story of America’s only amputee baseball team, The Louisville Sluggers.

Saturday, May 17

 

SANIBEL @ 10:00 AM

Directed by Herbert James Winterstern (1h 6 min)

Synopsis: A documentary about seashells, grief, and a community devastated by Florida’s largest storm.

PELELIU; WWII’s MOST WELL PRESERVED BATTLEFIELD @ 11:15 AM

Directed by Tim Gray (56 min)

Synopsis: A documentary on the remote Pacific island of Peleliu, preserved as one of WWII’s most dangerous and untouched battlefields.

MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN @ 12:30 PM

Directed by David Borenstein (1 hr 30 min)

Synopsis: A Russian teacher documents his school’s transformation into a war recruitment center during the Ukraine invasion.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE SHORTS BLOCK @ 2:15 PM

The Song of the Village Directed by Zhehan Zhang (6 min)

Synopsis: A student documentary on Wengding, China’s last primitive village, preserving oral histories and fading traditions.

Restore by Vyky Saiz (7 min)

Synopsis: A post-apocalyptic drama about the last man on Earth using holographic tech to recreate memories with his partner.

Alive Directed by Daniel Ortiz & Sharetha Davis (6 min)

Synopsis: A man buys an AI robot to help with daily needs, but the robot realizes it is alive and no longer wants to be a “Toy Robot.”

Read / Write Directed by William Allen (8 min)

Synopsis: A short film exploring how technology reshapes our patterns and agreements.

Forgot Directed by Jiahe Guo (5 min)

Synopsis: A boy’s visit to his grandmother with Alzheimer’s reveals the contrast in care between family and a compassionate caregiver.

Mother Directed by Pablo Olewski (11 min)

Synopsis: A middle-aged actress faces conflict with a top director in a tense professional and personal clash.

Casting Directed by Víctor Devesa (8 min)

Synopsis: An actress auditions for a leading role.

REEL THRILL SHORTS BLOCK @ 3:30 PM

Assassin Directed by Debra Markowitz (9 min)

Synopsis: Anthony’s apocalyptic beliefs push his wife to leave, but his son intervenes when an intruder forces Anthony to take action.

Songbird Directed by Jonathan Horton (17 min)

Synopsis: A jazz singer’s revolutionary lyrics capture the attention of 1930s Harlem and the FBI.

Static Directed by Drew Cook (5 min)

Synopsis: A father and daughter try to survive during an emergency.

Bloodshot Eyes by Munisa Usarova (5 min)

Synopsis: A horror short about a disturbing event.

Dig Directed by Jandro (12 min)

Synopsis: A man is digging a clandestine grave in the forest when he’s discovered.

The Morgue Directed by Majid Farzolahi (1 min)

Synopsis: A zombie girl emerges from the morgue, horrified by The Ring on the TV.

Red Light Green Light Directed by Corey Grispo (2 min)

Synopsis: A mysterious man presses green and red buttons.

Dead Air Directed by Brad Etter (14 min)

Synopsis: A woman hears mysterious messages from a vintage radio and tries to convince her dismissive husband.

Best Kept Shut Directed by Gabriel Lopez (13 min)

Synopsis: A young woman discovers a hidden, locked door in the house where her father has gone missing.