Gasparilla International Film Festival (GIFF, stylized as gịff) is an annual independent

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

that takes place in

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...

, Florida. The festival is run by the Tampa Film Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing film education and supporting filmmakers in the Tampa Bay area. The first Gasparilla Film Festival took place in 2007.

History

The Gasparilla Film Festival is run by the Tampa Film Institute, a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

non-profit organization. Founded in 2006, the Tampa Film Festival is dedicated to advancing film education and supporting filmmakers, along with community involvement in film in the Tampa Bay area. The inaugural Gasparilla Film Festival was held in 2007. Films screened at the festival include ''

Color Me Obsessed ''Color Me Obsessed'' is a 2011 American documentary film directed, edited and co-produced by Gorman Bechard about the alternative rock band the Replacements. Plot Unlike traditional music documentaries; ''Color Me Obsessed'' features no license ...

'', screened in 2011; '' The Iceman'', screened in 2013; ''

Enemy An enemy or a foe is an individual or a group that is considered as forcefully adverse or threatening. The concept of an enemy has been observed to be "basic for both individuals and communities". The term "enemy" serves the social function of d ...

'' and ''

Boys of Abu Ghraib ''Boys of Abu Ghraib'' is a 2014 American war film inspired by the events that took place at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003, in the background of the Iraq war. It was written and directed by Luke Moran, who co-stars alongside Sea ...

'', both screened in 2014;

Whit Stillman John Whitney Stillman (born January 25, 1952) is an American writer-director and actor known for his 1990 film '' Metropolitan'', which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He is also known for his other f ...

's ''

Love & Friendship ''Love & Friendship'' is a 2016 period comedy film written and directed by Whit Stillman. Based on Jane Austen's epistolary novel ''Lady Susan'', written c. 1794, the film stars Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevigny, Xavier Samuel, and Emma Greenwel ...

'', screened in 2016;

François Ozon François Ozon (; born 15 November 1967) is a French film director and screenwriter. Ozon is considered one of the most important modern French filmmakers. His films are characterized by aesthetic beauty, sharp satirical humor and a free-wheeli ...

's ''Frantz'', screened in 2017;

Nia DaCosta Nia DaCosta (born November 8, 1989) is an American film director and screenwriter. She wrote and directed the crime thriller film ''Little Woods'' (2018), winning the Nora Ephron Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival. She also directed the horror ...

's ''

Little Woods ''Little Woods'' is a 2018 crime drama film, written and directed by Nia DaCosta in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Tessa Thompson, Lily James, Luke Kirby, James Badge Dale and Lance Reddick. ''Little Woods'' had its world premi ...

'', screened in 2019; and Potsy Ponciroli's ''Old Henry'' and Michael Glover Smith's ''Relative'', both screened in 2022. Since 2015, the festival has been sponsored by

Suncoast Credit Union Suncoast Credit Union is a credit union headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The credit union formed in 1934 to originally serve teachers in Hillsborough County and later expanded to serve school employees within the state's suncoast region. Since ...

. In addition to the annual film festival, GIFF provides local residents with monthly screenings of the Global Lens series at the

Tampa Museum of Art The Tampa Museum of Art is located in downtown Tampa, Florida. It exhibits modern and contemporary art, as well as Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. The museum was founded in 1979 and debuted an award-winning new building in 2010 just north ...

, and other special film and entertainment events year round. The festival also hosts a High School competition for local high school

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

s. ''

MovieMaker ''MovieMaker'' is a magazine, website and podcast network focused on the art and business of filmmaking with a special emphasis on independent film. The magazine is published on a quarterly basis. See also * List of film periodicals Film period ...

'' magazine named it one of the "Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" from 2013-2015 and summed up the festival's programming philosophy as "less is more" in a 2017 article, which noted that "GIFF focuses on treating every one of its curated screenings as a major event".

References

External links

Official website
Film festivals in Florida Festivals in Tampa, Florida 2006 establishments in Florida Film festivals established in 2006 {{US-film-festival-stub