Here’s your lineup for the 2025 Boca Grande Film Festival
Get ready, film lovers – the wait is over! The Boca Grande Film Festival is bringing you an unforgettable lineup of cinematic magic. From thought-provoking dramas to breathtaking documentaries, eight incredible films will light up the big screen over three epic days. Choose the All Access Sponsor Pass for $450 per person ($200 charitable/$250 pass), which includes admission to all films, exclusive festival gear, recognition in the program, invitations to exclusive meet-and-greet events and entry to the closing reception. Or opt for the Festival Pass at $250 per person, granting access to all films and the closing reception.
Passes can be purchased online at friendsofbocagrande.org or by calling the Friends’ office at (941) 964-0827. Tickets to individual film showings will be available for purchase at the door, based on availability, 15 minutes prior to each screening. Stay tuned for more details on when and where you can pick up your passes. Don’t wait –secure your spot today and get ready to celebrate cinema like never before!
Above, a movie still from “Tracing the Divide,” showing at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20. Photos submitted.
Wednesday, Feb. 19
THE TASTE OF THINGS
2023 / 2hr 15m / 11 a.m.
Set in France in 1889, the film follows the life of Dodin Bouant, a chef living with his personal cook and lover Eugénie. They share a long history, but Eugénie refuses to marry Dodin, so he decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her. “THE TASTE OF THINGS is not just a sensual experience for the characters, but for the viewer as well. And it goes beyond the food.” (Baltimore Magazine)
DIR: Trân Anh Hùng
PROD: Olivier Delbosc
SCR: Marcel Rou, Trân Anh Hùng
BORN HUNGRY
2023 / 1hr 17m / 3 p.m.
Sash, a fine-dining establishment in an upscale Toronto neighborhood, is a world away from its well-known chef’s humble beginnings on the streets of Chennai as a seven-year-old street kid hustling for survival. Sash Simpson’s journey of working his way through the ranks of North 44 while fostering dreams of opening his own restaurant is nothing short of astonishing. Now, on his return to India for the first time since he was adopted into a Toronto family with 31 siblings (a remarkable tale of its own), Simpson embarks on a culinary tasting tour with adventurous local chefs. Memories are stirred by the vibrant smells and sights of bustling metropolises where Simpson looks for clues about his early days, including finding the movie theatre he used to clean in exchange for a place to sleep. The contrast between his present and past is stark but provides a chance for closure to questions he’s harbored about his origins for so long.
DIR: Barry Avrich
PROD: Mark Selby, Barry Avrich, Jay Hennick
SCR: Barry Avrich
REMEMBERING GENE WILDER
2023 / 1hr 32m / 7 p.m.
This loving tribute to Gene Wilder celebrates his life and legacy as the comic genius behind an extraordinary string of film roles, from his first collaboration with Mel Brooks in THE PRODUCERS, to the enigmatic title role in the original WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, to his inspired on-screen partnership with Richard Pryor in movies like SILVER STREAK. It is illustrated by a bevy of touching and hilarious clips and outtakes, never-before-seen home movies, narration from Wilder’s audiobook memoir, and interviews with a roster of brilliant friends and collaborators like Mel Brooks, Alan Alda, and Carol Kane. REMEMBERING GENE WILDER shines a light on an essential performer, writer, director, and all-around mensch.
DIR: Ron Frank
SCR: Glenn Kirschbaum
Thursday, Feb. 20
GHOSTLIGHT
2024 / 1hr 55m / 11 a.m.
When a construction worker unexpectedly joins a local theater’s production of ROMEO AND JULIET, the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life. Featuring a real family in the main roles,
GHOSTLIGHT demonstrates the power of the arts with an authenticity that only true family ties can create. Filmmaking duo Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan return with a film that will have you laughing and crying in equal measure.
DIR: Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson
PROD: Alex Thompson, Edwin Linker, Alex Wilson, Chelsea Krant, Ian Keiser, Pierce Cravens
SCR: Kelly O’Sullivan
TRACING THE DIVIDE
2024 / 1hr 24m / 3 p.m.
Two life-long friends leave their comfortable Milwaukee lives to embark on an adventure of a lifetime as they cycle the rigorous Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Canada to Mexico. Over 24 days, through wind, mud, and monsoons, the Divide tests their limits physically and mentally, yet the Divide is also a gift that allows them to look inward and rediscover themselves with new purpose.
DIR: Jack Zakrajsek
PROD: Michael Schilf
SCR: Keefe Kaupanger-Swacker, Michael Schilf, Jack Zakrajsek
THELMA
2023 / 1hr 37m / 7 p.m.
When 93-year-old Thelma Post gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, she sets out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her. Inspired by a real-life experience of writer-director Josh Margolin’s own centenarian grandmother. Shining a spotlight on an elderly grandmother as an unlikely action hero, THELMA puts a clever and humorous spin on movies like MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE.
DIR: Josh Margolin
PROD: Karl Spoerri, Nicholas Weinstock, Viviana Vezzani, Zoë Worth, Chris Kaye, Benjamin Simpson
SCR: Josh Margolin
Friday, Feb. 21
LA CHIMERA
2023 / 2hr 12m / 11 a.m.
Everyone has their own Chimera, something they try to achieve but never manage to find. For the band of tombaroli, thieves of ancient grave goods and archaeological wonders, the Chimera means redemption from work and the dream of easy wealth. For Arthur, the Chimera looks like the woman he lost, Beniamina. Festival darling Alice Rohrwacher directs the ragtag cast through this archaeological mystery, featuring turns from the great Isabella Rosselini and Josh O’Connor (THE CROWN, CHALLENGERS).
DIR: Alice Rohrwacher
PROD: Carlo Cresto-Dina, Paolo Del Brocco
SCR: Alice Rohrwacher
TOKYO COWBOY
2023 / 1hr 57m / 3 p.m.
Brash businessman Hideki arrives in Montana having convinced his Tokyo bosses he can turn a profitless US cattle ranch into a premiere-performing asset. Yet when his Hardee’s-burger-loving Japanese Wagyu-beef expert fails him, Hideki is poised to misfire magnificently unless he identifies a missing element that’s key to the transformation…himself. This homesick on the range comedy will have you laughing with the absurdities of American culture and sympathizing with Hideki as distant cultures clash.
DIR: Marc Marriott
PROD: Brigham Taylor
SCR: Ayako Fujitani, Dave Boyle
