Indie movies and stars align for Gasparilla Film Fest

John Travolta is getting to be The Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave.

Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, mind you – the iconic actor (and North Florida resident) was the star of the show at the 2024 Gasparilla International Film Festival, where he plugged his movie Cash Out and delighted the sold-out Tampa Theatre audience with behind-the-scenes anecdotes.

The Grease-man will be “back in the bay” Sunday, March 30 for the closing night of the festival’s 2025 edition. This time, he’ll chat after a screening of High Rollers, which is the sequel to Cash Out.

Joining Travolta will be the movie’s co-stars, Gina (Showgirls) Gershon, Lukas (Witness) Haas, Natalie Yura (The Princess Switch) and rapper-turned-actor Quavo, along with director Randall Emmett. All but Gershon return from Cash Out.

The 2025 Gasparilla International Film Festival opens Tuesday, and will include movie screenings daily (at the Tampa Theatre, AMC Westshore Theatres and University of Tampa Charlene Gordon Theater), through Sunday. High Rollers is the Closing Night film.

Michael Shannon. Photo: Philip Romano/Wikipedia.

Acclaimed actor Michael Shannon (Mud, Nocturnal Animals, Revolutionary Road, The Shape of Water) will accompany a screening of his 2023 directorial debut Eric LaRue, a drama starring Judy Greer, Alexander Skarsgård and Alison Pill.

The screening is at 9:15 p.m. Friday at AMC Westshore 1.

(Shannon’s next film, due later this year, is the historical drama Nuremberg with Russell Crowe and Rami Malek.)

The Gasparilla International Film Festival also includes short films, panel discussions and VIP parties. All the information, including tickets, is on the festival website.

Here’s the day-by-day schedule of screenings and events.

Highlights:

Opening Night brings The Friend, with New York writer Naomi Watts forced to care for a gigantic great dane bequeathed to her by her late mentor (Bill Murray). It’s a drama – not a dopey dog comedy – adapted from Sigrid Nunez’s bestselling 2018 novel of the same name. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Tampa Theatre.

The Assessment. In a future utopian society, a successful young couple meet with an “assessor,” who will determine if they are suitable for parenthood.

Resident Orca, a documentary about an orca (aka killer whale) captured as a baby and held in a small tank for 53 years. “When Lolita falls ill under troubling circumstances, her advocates are faced with a painful question: is it too late to save her?”

Home Free. Three adult sisters return home for their parents’ anniversary to learn their father is dying; although the sisters are estranged from one another, they attempt to honor his final wish: for one “last perfect weekend.”

In Waves and War, documentary: “Three Navy SEALs leave their tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan with treatment-resistant, unrelenting psychological pain. They find themselves at the cutting edge of a different frontline: a lifesaving psychedelic therapy that brings healing to a community in urgent need.”

Mckenna Grace, left, and Jojo Regina play sisters whose mother has died from an overdose in “Spider & Jessie,” filmed in Plant City.

Spider & Jessie. Two young sisters attempt to avoid the foster care system by hiding their recently-deceased mother’s body. Mom died of an overdose, and her shady drug dealer also comes poking around. 18-year-old McKenna Grace, who plays Spider, was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in The Handmaid’s Tale. Saturday at 6:30 p.m., AMC Westshore. Filmmakers and talent (unspecified) in attendance.

Anxiety Club, documentary. Comedians including Tiffany Jenkins, Joe List, Marc Maron, Aparna Nancherla, Mark Normand, Baron Vaughn and Eva Victor, open up about their anxiety. The film follows Jenkins as she undergoes the often grueling process of exposure therapy, capturing the transformative impact of her treatment.

Dance Rising: Tampa Iconic and Dance Rising: The Power of Water are short films produced locally by Dance Tampa Bay, and will be accompanied (at the University of Tampa) by live performances by Tampa City Ballet, Break the Mould, the USF Dance Department and others. Friday at 6 p.m., University of Tampa Charlene Gordon Theater.

To Kill a Wolf. “In a modern re-imagining of Little Red Riding Hood, a social pariah discovers a teenage runaway in the Oregon Wilderness and does his best to help her find a way home – a troubling exploration of trauma and redemption.” Saturday at 4:30 p.m., AMC Westshore.