FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Edison and Ford Winter Estates will host the Fort Myers Film Festival on May 14, at 7:30 p.m. Four films will be shown on the Henry Ford estate lawn, along the Caloosahatchee River where guests will watch movies under the stars.
Films include an Edison silent picture, a production featuring the late Sam Galloway, Jr. and two originals, "Stay Wild" and "A Greenlander." The site is one of several locations hosting the Film Festival.
The event is fitting since Thomas Edison invented the motion picture camera. His first films were without sound, but nonetheless groundbreaking for the time. Guests will get to watch an original Edison silent film, while local musician and movie buff, Stephen Brittain, performs the piano score.
The second picture, "Preservation Forever: Sam Galloway, Jr. and the Restoration of the Edison & Ford Winter Estates," was produced by Ilene Safron of Main Sail Video Productions. It's a tribute to the success of Sam Galloway, Jr. and tells the story of his long history with the Estates.
"Stay Wild," directed by Lizzy Fowler, is a 16-minute story about Melissa Wilson -- a young woman who moved to St. John, one of America’s most wild places. With more than half of the island conserved as a national park, the beauty of the landscape inspired a solution for the climate change within the American West. After graduating from Harvard University in Sustainability, her thesis continues to foster hope for wild places.
“A Greenlander,” directed by Nicholas Jones is a 37-minute documentary. It follows Pierre Auzias, a French painter fully integrated in Uummaanaq, a settlement 450 miles north of the arctic circle in Greenland. Pierre speaks Greenlandic, travels by dog sled and teaches art therapy to neglected children.
Strayhorn and Persons Attorneys and Counsellors at Law is the event sponsor. Refreshments will be available for purchase. Only a limited number of chairs will be provided. Guests are encouraged to bring a folding chair. For everyone's safety, masks are required. Tickets are $10 for Edison Ford members, $15 for non-members and may be purchased at EdisonFord.org.
For more information on the 60 other films playing in the 11th annual Fort Myers Film Festival around town May 12-16, please visit https://fortmyersfilmfestival.com/.
