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Celebration of cinema and art

A Tampa filmmaker is honored at a college's festival that includes theater and dance.

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published March 31, 2006

Anyone remember the last time Tampa's cigar city was on the big screen? It was in The Punisher.

Alrighty, then. Does anyone still remember The Punisher?

That's okay. Most agree it was fairly forgettable, even if it was filmed mostly in Tampa.

In one scene, the bad guy John Travolta takes his supposedly philandering wife for a ride down Seventh Avenue. He tells her that these days, "Little Cuba" - Ybor's nom de plume in the film - is only fit for prostitutes.

He sneers: "You'll fit right in."

No wonder the community wanted a pseudonym. Is that any way for Ybor to be memorialized in film?

Some fine folks at Hillsborough Community College won't let it happen. For the fourth year, the school is presenting the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image. It runs Wednesday through April 9.

Viewers will get a healthy dose of interesting features, documentaries, shorts and animated films from the United States and around the world. Among the countries that have scheduled films: Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Italy, Japan and Turkey. The festival includes more than 90 films.

But Ybor's got love for the homeboys, too. This year's guest of honor is documentary filmmaker Les Blank, 70. The Tampa native plans to attend the festival's screening of more than 25 of his features and shorts.

Among the more awarded films on tap is The Boys of Baraka, a documentary about a group of underprivileged African-American boys from inner-city Baltimore who enroll in an experimental boarding school in Kenya.

The film will screen at 5 p.m. April 7 in the HCC Performing Arts Theater at Palm Avenue and Avenida Republica de Cuba.

In addition to films, the Ybor festival includes related media such as art installations, theater, dance, visual and performance art.

Films are showing at several venues, including Centro Ybor's Muvico Theaters; Centennial Park; HCC Park; and the college's Performing Arts Theater, Ybor Room and Black Box Theater. Check out the full schedule at www.yborfilmfestival.com/.

HCC Park at Palm Avenue and 15th Street will be the festival headquarters. The park also will be macked out with live music, performance art and outdoor movies on a large screen.

New this year are two free features at Centennial Park, including Family Night at the Movies on April 7 (free movies, popcorn, pollen) and the Yum Yum Garlic Cook-Off - inspired by a Blank film - on April 8.

The Tampa Film Review, Ybor's monthly screening of local movies, is taking the month off to make room for the festival.

A feature film by TFR organizers Pete and Paul Guzzo will make its Florida premiere as part of the event. The comedy 99 screens at the Muvico Theaters on April 8 at 9 p.m.

Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com or 226-3431. His Times blog, The Ill Literate, can be found at www.sptimes.com/blogs/tampaarts/.

[Last modified March 30, 2006, 14:22:46]