When daughter Camilla decides to move to Puglia with her boyfriend Antonio to attend university, Carlo and Giulia and their other two children Bianca and Tito will join her at Antonio's parents' masseria (traditional Apulian farmhouse), the Paradisos.  Carlo won't miss any opportunity to make himself an unwelcome guest.  Premiered at the European Film Market.

Sponsored by: Allia & Associate - Tax & Accounting Services

Kabul, August 15, 2021. As American troops prepare to leave the country, the Taliban storm the capital and seize power. In the midst of the chaos, Major Mohamed Bida and his men provide security for the French embassy, which is still open. Caught in a trap, Major Bida decides to negotiate with the Taliban to organize a last-chance convoy with the help of Eva, a young Franco-Afghan humanitarian. And so, begins a race against time to get the evacuees to the airport and escape the hell of Kabul before it's too late.  Based on the incredible true story of Commandant Bida (from the novel of the same name, published by Editions Denoêl).  This Cannes Film Festival premiere, is the most riveting film of SAFF16.

Sponsored by: SchomWorks

Octavio and Adela were born on the same day, April 14th, 1931. During the following 8

decades, their lives will intertwine through intense encounters and misunderstandings in 8

episodes. A passionate love story between a brave and fighting woman and a man confronted with his contradictions. They will have to face coming from families on opposing sides of a country slowly heading towards a Civil War, along with the history of Spain and Europe as a background.

Sponsored by Barbara Olson & Paul Dixon

After a black slave from the Carolinas escapes to Spanish Florida, he becomes a leader in the first free-black settlement and ultimately a hero in the fight against the British.  The film tells the amazingly true-- but largely unknown-- story of one of the most remarkable people in Florida history. 

Sponsored by: Flagler College Cinematic Arts

Amrum Island, spring 1945: In the waning days of WWII, 12-year-old Nanning fearlessly braves the treacherous seas for seal hunting, goes fishing at night, and tirelessly tends to the fields at the nearby Bendixen farm to help his mother feed the family. With his father (an Officer in the German Army) absent, the family (Nanning, his two siblings and his pregnant mother) leave Berlin to live with his aunt on Amrum.  Nanning relies on his unwavering friendship with Hermann for support in times of need. Yet, as the long-awaited peace descends, unforeseen challenges emerge, compelling Nanning to chart his own course through the turbulent waters of post-war life. 

1989. A few weeks before the Fall of the Berlin Wall, Pago, Rice and Bibi, (mid-20s), leave the calm city of Cesena looking for adventure: a ten-day-long holiday in Eastern Europe, in those places where the Soviet regime is still alive. As they get to Budapest, they meet Emil, a Romanian fleeing from the dictatorship in his country. The man is worried for his family that still lives in Romania, so he asks the three Italians for help. It’s an easy task: take a suitcase to his wife and daughter. Out of pity and looking for a thrill, the three friends head to Bucharest, in the heart of Ceausescu’s dictatorship. Without knowing what is waiting for them, on a journey beyond their imagination, Pago, Rice and Bibi will find themselves in a country under the dictatorial regime, involved in surreal situations and surrounded by unlikely characters that will seriously put their lives at risk.

The beloved three young Italian youth hit the road again. This time it is even more hysterical. They travel to Sofia for Bibi to put the moves on his recent love interest. Wouldn't you know they have no idea of the danger they are in. They end up caught between the Bulgarian mafia and the Italian security services with danger and pitfalls they could not have imagined.
As one might expect, they set into motion a series of misunderstandings. Unlikely coincidences make the three friends appear to be international spies.

Spnsored by: Pat & Jim Pope

Nola D. embarks on a journey through Jacksonville, Florida, to explore the city's extraordinary hidden African American culture and heritage.

A young Brazilian woman travels to Argentina to visit her aunt, but, after a misunderstanding and having lost her belongings, she must kill time until the next morning.  You might have a difficult time deciding whether to laugh or hold your breath! 

Big Wave Guardians is the story of Hawaiian lifeguarding and how it is intricately intertwined with surfing and the contemporary culture of Hawaii. These big wave guardians risk their lives to save others in the world’s most dangerous waves while inventing innovative water safety techniques. Hawaii’s North Shore is the world’s most dangerous 7-mile stretch of beach. Massive swells, life-and-death rescues, and “the best job in the world” - yet often most hazardous one – is the compelling drama of Hawaii’s #BigWaveGuardians. 

Sponsored by: SchomWorks

Host Jonathan Bird personally dives underwater to showcase various wonders of the blue world in an amusing and educational way. The Sea Turtles of Sipadan Malaysia may be among the most found anywhere.  In the second episode, Jonathan follows a Sea Rescue team off Cape Cod.  SAFF presents these screenings as a benefit for the Sea Turtle Hospital at Whitney Labs.  

Brought together by the unexpected inheritance of an abandoned house in rural Normandy, four cousins discover they share a mysterious family history. In 1895, their ancestor Adèle, then aged 21, leaves her hometown to search for her mother in Paris. She discovers a city on the cusp of modernity, bustling with new-found avant-garde creativity, admidst the rise of photography and the birth of Impressionist painting. As her descendants retrace her steps, they unravel Adèle's surprising past. The two timelines of 1895 and 2024 intertwine and collide, confronting the cousins’ contemporary attitudes with life in late 19th century Paris, leaving everyone’s future forever changed.  Premiered at Cannes. 

Sponsor:

Happy Birthday 

ADDIE-MARIE

Love, Mark

The most opulent, dazzling and thrilling treatments ever of The Count of Monte Cristo. "The film will follow the point of view of Edmond Dantès, France's first superhero, who goes from light to shadow, and becomes the embodiment of the masked avenger."  Nominated for 14 French Oscars. 

A husband & wife dive into their relationship issues during a couples therapy session.

On the same ticket - followed by:

ON FIRM GROUND

USA / 2025 / 70 min / English / Documentary / Justin Jay Jones

In a race against time, two people battling Parkinson's Disease embark on a journey of hope as they undergo brain surgery to reclaim their lives. Meanwhile, fueled by personal loss, their devoted friend leads a determined charge to raise awareness for the disease in an inspiring fight for a cure. 

Fermín, a veteran successful painter, is plunged into a deep crisis: his finances are worsening, and a sudden tremor in his hand complicates his work. When his gallerist, and ex-wife, suggests that he enter a million-dollar competition to create a reinterpretation of Hieronymus Bosch’s masterpiece The Garden of Earthly Delights, he initially refuses. However, the seizure of his accounts and the return of his son, also a painter, from a trip to India, will lead him to reconsider. And, in the process, also rethink his relationship with his son. 

Ben McKenzie explores cryptocurrency in his directorial debut, moving from curiosity to exposing harsh truths. His documentary both educates and entertains while delivering a powerful critique of the crypto world. 

Ben McKenzie will receive the SAFF Career Achievement Award just before the screening.

Special Guests: Ben McKeenzie and Morena Baccarin

Ben will autograph books in the Lobby, before and after the film.

Sponsor: Lynn & Abbie Nickel

In January 1945, after 2 years as a prisoner in a death camp, 10-year-old Holocaust survivor Marcel Zielinksi embarked on a perilous 60-mile journey by foot from Auschwitz-Birkenau through an active war zone to Krakow, Poland. A child’s desperate search for any surviving family members. A journey from Darkness to Light.  Decades later, 250 cyclists from 12 different countries traveled to Auschwitz and re-traced 84-year-old Marcel’s liberation path as a collective act of empathy called Ride for the Living. 

In January 1945, after 2 years as a prisoner in a death camp, 10-year-old Holocaust survivor Marcel Zielinksi embarked on a perilous 60-mile journey by foot from Auschwitz-Birkenau through an active war zone to Krakow, Poland. A child’s desperate search for any surviving family members. A journey from Darkness to Light.  Decades later, 250 cyclists from 12 different countries traveled to Auschwitz and re-traced 84-year-old Marcel’s liberation path as a collective act of empathy called Ride for the Living. 

Through first-person interviews with many people instrumental in preserving its history, we chronicle the legacy of Florida's Fort Mose in St Augustine, the first free-black settlement in the United States.  This is a companion film to A Book of Freedom and plays immediately afterwards. 

The Soto Alto football team, formed by Pakete and his friends, is at risk of being kicked out of the league. Thanks to a scam by a property development company, they’ve lost their pitch and now Los Justos, the team from a local reform school, looks set to take their place.
Almudena, the leader of Los Justos, will be key to solving Soto Alto’s problems. Pakete and his gang will renew their “Footballest pact” and set about solving the mysteries that threaten them, getting into all sorts of adventures on the way.

Running away from himself, a mysterious and taciturn man in his 50s suddenly gets off a train in a rundown town and decides to settle there. Tormented by the past and his complicated relationship with his son, his presence is unsettling, and his prospects are non-existent. Everything changes when he meets a Romanian woman twenty years younger than him, whose innate optimism brings him back the will to live. But family ties are hard to break… 

Moti Cohen, a one-time hit song producer 20 years ago. Now broke and divorced, he has a chance for a comeback in the music industry thanks to the discovery of a stutter mechanic that sings Tango. 

The story follows John Adams, a first-time playwright from Southwest Virginia, as he stages his ambitious Civil War musical in a small Southern town. What begins as one man’s creative leap becomes a collective act of courage, as the diverse cast commits to giving life to a painful, divisive moment in American history. For Adams, the story is personal—his own ancestors enslaved people and carried them into battle. For the ensemble, the project is more than performance: it is a chance to reach audiences across political and racial lines and foster empathy where division has long taken root. 

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich might be famous for his public service, best-selling books, and viral social media posts, but he always considered teaching his true calling. The Last Class captures a master educator wrestling with the dual realities of his own aging and his students inheriting a world out of balance. Reich confronts the impending finality with unflinching candor, humor, introspection, and a rawness of emotion he has never shared publicly before. 

In a shabby bar outside Paris, in the early hours of the morning, a few customers are having a last drink or a first coffee, when out of nowhere one of the regulars wins the €294 million lottery. But another customer decides otherwise: a gun is drawn, shots are fired and the winner collapses, leaving the ticket ownerless.  The remaining customers lock themselves behind closed doors and see an opportunity to concoct the perfect story to cover up the crime, then all walk away millionaires. But as unforeseen events conspire against them, their temptation sends them all on a bloody downward spiral.  A Cannes midnight movie. 

Hazel Henderson was more than a pioneer; she was a force of nature. As a futurist, green economics trailblazer, and fearless environmental activist, she reimagined what a just and sustainable world could be. She shared her vision with the world from her home in St. Augustine. 

Sponsored by Edward and Jeanne Bracken Memorial Fund.

Jon Schwartz sponsoring FREE Coffee, Bagels & Donuts at 9:15am.

Katia has been directing the Guadeloupe Volcanological Observatory for about ten years. She forms a powerful partnership with Aimé, a young Guadeloupean, to whom she shares her passion for the profession. As she prepares for a new mission on the other side of the world, the threat of a major eruption of La Soufrière looms. The island is in dire straits, and Katia must ensure the safety of the population. 

Lola’s unplanned pregnancy disrupts her life plans. She resists motherhood while Bruno wants to be a father, forcing her to confront her fears and societal expectations as she seeks clarity on her future. 

Collaboration with "the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain"

Free Admission

Sponsored by Sister Cities

Molly convinces Lucy to go on a road trip to Laura Ingalls Wilder home sites.  Molly wants to become an influencer and thinks tapping the Bonnethead fan base will get her a lot of followers very quickly.  Lucy learns she needs a procedure to shut down her ability to have babies and is freaking out quietly and not communicating with Molly about it.  It's unwelcome aging and Molly is struggling with it and acting out, throwing herself at men. 

Sponsored by Bacchus Productions  

FREE Coffee, Bagels & Donuts at 9:15am.

What begins as a spring break getaway spiral into a nightmare when something ancient and vengeful awakens beneath the surface, and a past that refuses to stay dead.

Created by the students of the Florida State School of Motion Pictures, Television & The Recording Arts under their Torchlight Studios banner.  

Sponsored by: Florida State Univ School of Motion Pictures

Olmo centers on 14-year-old Olmo, who is tasked with caring for his bedridden father afflicted with Multiple sclerosis. However, his life takes an unexpected turn when his enchanting neighbor, Nina Sandoval, invites him to a party.   At first, I thought I would not like this movie…but, I stuck with it for 10 minutes and boy am I glad I did.  The most lovable film of the fest, I would re-title it OLMO Y MIGUEL and include his best friend.  The film is so sweet in a wonderful way.  And the comedy (lots of it) is hysterical. 

Sponsor: Irena, Adam & Brooke Logan

Engels & Volkers

In a race against time, two people battling Parkinson's Disease embark on a journey of hope as they undergo brain surgery to reclaim their lives. Meanwhile, fueled by personal loss, their devoted friend leads a determined charge to raise awareness for the disease in an inspiring fight for a cure. 

On the same ticket - preceeded by:

Couples Therapy

USA / 2025 / 5 min / Music-Video / Directors: Adam Madrid & Jeremy Ryan

One sentence synopsis:

A husband & wife dive into their relationship issues during a couples therapy session.

A lost intimacy between two brothers begins to resurface when Antonio returns to his town,
to a collapsing family home to help his twin Javier, who suffers from a congenital disease.
They will have to face conflicts from the past, feelings of loneliness, and reproaches, which
will culminate in a confrontation between them. Antonio must confront the dilemma of
staying to try to fix things or getting back to his own life.  

Collaboration with "the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain"

Free Admission

Sponsored by Sister Cities

Gray, the younger son in a lower middle-class religious family, strives for some semblance of control against the letdowns and pressures from family, friends and adolescence. Gray feels increasingly disillusioned and deceived, which compels him to deeper forms of self-hatred. Desperate to make peace with himself and his family, he has to find a way to overcome his personal afflictions.  

This film offers an intimate, first-hand perspective on life under siege in Gaza, captured through video calls between Farsi and young Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona, who was tragically killed in an airstrike on her home, just one day after the film’s Cannes selection was announced. Combining raw immediacy with deep humanity, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk portrays daily life during the conflict through the eyes of a generation caught in an endless cycle of war and living under siege. 

As the Niskayuna High School Class of 1962 nears their 80th year, REUNION offers a heartfelt exploration of aging, legacy, and resilience. Through candid interviews with ten classmates, the film reflects on lives lived, impacts made, and what it means to grow older with purpose. Blending memory with hope, REUNION captures a generation still looking forward—with curiosity, gratitude, and a quiet determination to leave a lasting mark on the time they have left. 

July 26, 2024 — the day of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. Élisabeth, a hard-of-hearing woman, is torn between depression and the pressure of managing short-term rentals in a hectic Paris. The arrival of Elijah, a radiant and carefree Californian, disrupts her fragile balance.

Another unique film that gently teaches us what’s important.  The distributor labels it a drama, but we think it’s the comedy that makes it great.  Premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. 

A young stressed out Montreal marketing executive gives it all up and moves to the French Alps to become a sheep herder with no previous experience.  BTW, the film is beautiful!  Premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.  Based on the autobiographical novel by the real-life Mathyas Lefebure.  

A simple request for salt at a fancy restaurant starts to snowball out of control in this hilarious take on fine dining. 

Sponsored by Bacchus Productions  

FREE Coffee, Bagels & Donuts at 9:15am.

Take an awe-inspiring journey into the extraordinary world of butterflies, nature’s unsung heroes. With breathtaking cinematography and expert guidance from Jared C. Daniels, curator at the Fla Museum of Natural History’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, the film reveals the vital role these resilient and powerful pollinators play in maintaining our planet’s health. 

One winter night in Madrid, two couples of friends in their thirties are having dinner. Susana and Dani rejoice in their new home, on the outskirts of town and close to the countryside, then announce the imminent arrival of a child. 

Collaboration with "the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain"

Free Admission

Sponsored by Sister Cities

Mehdi had planned to spend a quiet summer in his in-laws' sumptuous home. But as soon as he arrives, a conflict breaks out between his girlfriend's family and the villa's caretaker couple. As Mehdi comes from a modest background, he thinks he can lead the negotiations between the two parties and bring everyone back to their senses. But things start to escalate...

The disappearance of his wife leaves Fernando, a quiet geography teacher, completely devastated. Aimless, he assumes another man’s identity as a gardener on a Portuguese estate, where he forms an unexpected friendship with the owner, stepping into a new life that isn’t his own. One of the most beautifully constructed films of SAFF2026.  Premiered at Berlin Film Festival. 

Pressed by an organized crime network, Manuel and his brother Óscar spent fifteen years in a risky but lucrative business: helping fugitives disappear by faking their deaths. Using chemical processes, they would leave them close to death, bury them, and then rescue them hours later on the other side of the border between Argentina and Chile. Now, Manuel is retired, working as a rural doctor and about to become a father. But the past always comes back, and he is forced to take on one last job that will drag him into a spiral of betrayal and violence.  

Over the past fifty years, four federal dams impounding the Lower Snake River in Washington State have been identified as the root cause for the demise of all of Idaho’s anadromous fish. "The Snake and the Whale" reveals the corrupt deals behind the dams' construction and the subsequent campaigns to hide their role in this ongoing ecological disaster. Additionally, the dams have profoundly impacted a group of Killer Whales off the coast of Washington, known as the Southern Resident Orca, which rely on Snake River salmon as a primary food supply. These majestic creatures are now atop the Endangered Species list.  

Upon settling in the countryside village of La Escapa, Nat accepts a disturbing sexual proposal by neighbor Andreas, paving the way for a self-consuming passion.  

Collaboration with "the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain"

Free Admission

Sponsored by Sister Cities

Fleeing from fellow officers, Santiago - an Argentinian policeman - crosses into Uruguay seeking refuge. With no money or shelter, but with plenty of kindness and wit, he begins to rebuild his life with help from the locals, and even meeting the woman he believes could be the love of his life. 

UNEARTH follows a charismatic and inspiring set of Native Alaskan activists and commercial salmon fishermen as they navigate the treacherous waters of the power players, politics, and tactics driving forward North America’s largest-ever proposed copper mine in their beloved homeland of Bristol Bay, Alaska, responsible for 50% of the world’s salmon supply. 

Sponsored by: Earth Charter International

Three friends, on the cusp of turning 20, embark on a wild adventure to Torremolinos, Spain's hottest tourist spot, to lose their virginity and experience freedom. With a small Fiat 500 and a thirst for excitement, they hit the open road, ready for whatever comes next. 

Valensole, Provence, 1965. At dawn, farmer Maurice Masse encounters a UFO in his lavender field, leaving mysterious traces behind. The event draws crowds and unwanted attention, disrupting Maurice’s life and the quiet village. Based on a true story.  Premiered at the Shanghai Film Festival. 

Thiago Soares, a boy from the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, leaves hip hop behind and embarks on the world of classical ballet. His story takes an unexpected turn after he meets his mentor until he reaches stardom, by becoming the principal dancer of the Royal Ballet of London.  Based on a true story. 

Sponsored by: Funkytown Fitness