Weekend Best Bet: SFF 2013 launches with Opening Night Film and Party

Sarasota Film Festival starts this weekend. In addition to the 250 films there’s a slew of great events. This weekend’s best bet is the Opening Night Film and Party.

The red caret rolls out at 6 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall to welcome some of the celebrities and filmmakers to the festival. Attendees dressed in in cocktail attire will fill the seats for the first film of the 2013 festival —Blackfish. Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, this documentary is about the orca, Tilikum, who killed three Sea World handlers throughout he decades. The film debuted at Sundance Film Festival in January 2013

The film starts at 7 p.m. and a party to celebrate the opening night with food catered by Mattisons, entertainment, dancing and drinking takes place at 9 p.m. Tickets for the film are $25 and tickets to the party are $75. Visit SarasotaFilmFestival.com for more information.