Scene & Heard

+ Sarasota Film Festival announces opening and closing films
With the kickoff to this year’s Sarasota Film Festival (April 10 to 19) approaching, SFF has announced its celebrity-studded opening- and closing-night films.

The 17th annual festival launches with director Oren Moverman’s “Time Out of Mind” at 6:30 p.m. April 10, at the Sarasota Opera House. The film stars Richard Gere as a homeless man in New York City trying to survive and reconnect with his estranged daughter, played by Jena Malone. Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014, “Time Out of Mind” has been described as a powerful observation on the day-to-day survival of America’s homeless population.

This is Moverman’s third directorial effort after his breakthrough film “The Messenger” in 2009 and “Rampart” in 2011.
Moverman will attend the festival and receive the Hearts and Minds of Independent Film Award from the festival for his continual efforts to shine a light on social issues such as homelessness, poverty, coming home from war and police corruption.

Closing the festival will be the romantic dramedy “I’ll See You in My Dreams” at 7 p.m. April 18, at the Sarasota Opera House.
Directed by Brett Haley, the movie centers on Blythe Danner, who plays a widow restarting her life and looking for companionship. The films also stars Martin Starr, Sam Elliott, Malin Akerman and June Squibb. Haley and Danner will attend the festival, with the latter receiving the festival’s Impact Award. Haley is a relatively young filmmaker with seven short films to his credit. “I’ll See You in My Dreams” is his second feature-length film.

+ Observer music critic will serve as The Met panelist
June LeBell, The Observer’s music critic and former professional soprano singer, will once again be taking the stage. But this time she will be a panelist on The Metropolitan Opera Quiz during the first intermission of the New York City Opera’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Ernani” April 4. This production will be broadcast on public and commercial classical radio stations across the nation. You can find it on WSMR 89.1 in Sarasota and 103.9 in Tampa.

LeBell served as the first female announcer on a major commercial classical music radio station, WQXR, the oldest and largest classical station in the United States.

In 2014, LeBell started her own musical series, “June LeBell’s Musical Conversations,” on WSMR 89.1.

+ Disney makes artistic dreams come true
In the world of film animation and illustration Walt Disney Animation Studios is one of the giants. And for many child artists, their dream is to one day be able to work for Disney. Tim Rogerson fulfilled that childhood goal and is one of two-dozen artists in the world licensed and allowed to create fine-art paintings featuring any of Disney’s iconic characters. A 2004 graduate of the Ringling College of Art and Design’s illustration department, Rogerson returns to his alma mater from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, at the madeby Gallery. His Disney pieces, which infuse elements of cubism and abstract art along with other original works, will be on sale in the gallery April 18.

+ Staged series: The actors
This week our fourth entry in our “Staged” video series on the Asolo Repertory Theatre focuses on the contributors onstage: the actors.

David Breitbarth has been a part of the Asolo Rep’s acting company for more than 15 seasons. He offers insight on what separates rotating repertory from standard theater and his personal history with the Asolo and Sarasota. This season Breitbarth can be seen juggling roles in “The Matchmaker,” “Both Your Houses” and “Our Betters.”