Now in its fourth year, the fast-growing Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film Festival will screen 19 feature films and 17 shorts during its four-day run this year, set for October 4 through October 7. Held in one of the country's hottest LGBT destinations, the festival draws plenty of local members of the Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors communities, but it's also becoming a top draw with film buffs from throughout South Florida and elsewhere. It also helps to kick off the fall-winter season of notable GLBT events held in Fort Lauderdale and neighboring Miami, including the Miami Beach White Party in November, Pride South Florida Pridefest in Fort Lauderdale in early March, Miami Beach Gay Pride in April, and the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in late April and early May.
Included in this year's lineup are documentaries that examine the late Ugandan activist David Kato, three gay Palestinians on the lam in Tel Aviv, and the life of 85-year-old gay Catholic priest John McNeill. There are also several acclaimed movies of interest to women, among them Cloudburst, in which Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker portray at a long-term lesbian couple facing a familial crisis; and UNFIT: Ward vs. Ward, which depicts the custody case that considers whether a convicted killer or an open lesbian is more fit to raise a child.
The Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (FLGLFF) screens its movies at the Classic Gateway Theatre at 1820 East Sunrise Boulevard, a historic facility in which patrons can order beer and cocktails during the show. Tickets to the screenings range from $7 to $12, depending on time of day and whether or not you're a festival member. The Atlantic Resort & Spa on Fort Lauderdale Beach has also partnered with FLGLFF to create a special VIP package that includes four nights' accommodation and VIP passes to film screenings and parties - the cost is $625 per person (based on double-occupancy).