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Major stars. Local films. Beachfront events. With the unveiling of the Sarasota Film Festival program for 2015, organizers seemed to answer a call for the return of high-wattage star power for the event while simultaneous offering long-desired support for regional filmmakers. The line-up was publicly released at a press event at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Wednesday night.

Actresses Jane Seymour (Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman), Cloris Leachman (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and Blythe Danner (Meet The Parents) topped a long list of confirmed talent attending the festival this year. All are accepting awards, as are filmmakers Oren Moverman and Tom Browne. With a list of stars that includes Rachel Weisz, Ben Vereen, Jess Wexler and Mickey Sumner, both young and legendary Hollywood seem represented in a guest list that SFF President Mark Famiglio promises will only grow by the time the festival dates, April 10 through 19, roll around.

And while the festival in recent years has eschewed calls for prioritizing star power over high-quality programming, new Programming Director Michael Dunaway said he appreciated a desire for recognizable faces on the red carpet. "Part of why we all love film is the glitz and glamour and the starstruck feeling that you get when you see a great film and a great performance," Dunaway said. "There is nothing wrong with your heart beating fast when you meet someone whose performances have meant something to you."

But as local filmmakers cheered details about Florida films in the shorts and features category, it was clear bringing in talent was not done at the expense of the area film community. A dozen shorts filmed in the Sarasota area were included in the program this year. The most anticipated announcement in area cinema, though, may have be that the festival will host a world premiere of Paradise, FL, a film shot entirely in Southwest Florida and directed by local filmmaker Tony Stopperan. "The festival has been a friend to me as an artist," Stopperan said, "and to be shown in the community that supported us financially, through production and post-production, and for Sarasota to give us a platform and honor us with this, it's incredible."

Read complete coverage at SRQ Backlot

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