The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (affectionately known as FLIFF) has become one of the significant regional showcases of world cinema and American indie films. This year, FLIFF is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and despite the economic downturn in south Florida, is pulling out all the stops for a no-holds-barred celluloid celebration. The Festival comes to its nearly four-week climax this coming weekend.      The festivities began on October ...

  As the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (affectionately known as FLIFF) enters its first weekend, its reputation as a supporter of American Independent cinema remains intact. FLIFF audiences love a good indie and this weekend's roster is as interesting and diverse as they come. The Opening Night film, TiMER, took an unusual look at romance in the near future, as tempered by a technological timer device that predetermined when the characters would meet their soul mates. ...

  After winning the Best New York Narrativee prize at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, the Serbian immigrant drama HERE AND THERE has become a hot hit on the international film festival circuit. It makes its Southeast Premiere at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival on Saturday night. In his debut film, Serbian helmer Darko Lungulov tracks two strangers in two strange lands, contrasting the adventures of an enterprising young Belgrade native in New York with the ...

  For her gritty performance in the new American indie film TRUCKER, the rising actress Michelle Monaghan is getting the best reviews of her career and percolating some Oscar buzz in the bargain. She has become one of the most sought-after actresses of her generation in Hollywood. Michelle Monaghan will receive The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival’s Star On The Horizon Award on Friday evening and will attend a screening of TRUCKER on Saturday night. Monaghan made her...

  For a classically trained actor, it has probably been a source of much amusement to him that he is best remembered for his role in a low budget sci-fi film that has since become a classic. As the lead in the 1950s film THE INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, Kevin McCarthy played a doctor who becomes alarmed when he discovers that the people in his small town have been transformed.....into aliens. The fact that the film, produced at the height of the McCarthy period, was a deep allegory...

  What if a clock could count down to the moment you meet your soul mate, would you want to know? That is the provocative question at the heart of TiMER, a quirky and arresting sci-fi romance that will open this year's edition of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival on Friday evening. The American indie film, written and directed by talented newcomer Jac Schaeffer, is set in the near future, when technology has taken the guesswork out of love and commitment. Most people...

  After several weeks of miserably rainy and too-cold-for-October weather in New York City, a jaunt to the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival in sunny South Florida is exactly what the doctor ordered. The Festival, which is celebrating its 24th year, is one of the most respected regional events on the festival circuit, with an ambitious slate of film premieres, celebrity tributes and chic after-parties. Festivities begin this Friday and run through November 8. Affectionate...

Friday, October 19--------Although it began screenings this week at its year-round theater Cinema Paradiso, the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival officially kicks off this evening with the screening of THE GRAND, a laughter roundelay set around the world of competitive poker. The film, directed by Zak Penn , includes an all-star cast including Woody Harrelson,  Dennis Farina, Richard Kind, Michael McKean, Ray Romano, Cheryl Hines and Jason Alexander. Two of the film's stars, Dennis F...