The Vero Beach Wine and Film Festival was barely in the can last summer when planning for the festival’s sequel got underway.
The inaugural event was so well received, this year’s festival promises to be bigger and better. What that means for film buffs is more film, more wine and more fun. The festive four-day event takes place June 8-11 in a variety of venues around Vero Beach and will feature about 75 quality films vetted by a crew of local industry professionals and film lovers.
“It was such a success last year that we knew we would have to up our game to top ourselves,” says festival founder Jerusha Stewart. “We’re going to need a bigger festival to repeat our Cinderella luck.”
Susan Keller Horn, festival co-founder and director of submissions, says the film committee has been watching films since September. The group gathered as often as twice a week and watched more than 250 films.
“It is an arduous but fun process because we watch every film from start to finish,” says Horn.
It’s not all about popcorn and Junior Mints. Viewers fill out a checklist of criteria from sound to the story and writing to editing.
Among the films this year: “Unleashed,” “Rebound” and “Dog Years,” starring Burt Reynolds, are a few that stand out, says Horn.
Several weeks before the film festival begins, festival chair Jeff Woolnough will host Desserts with Directors on May 21 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Springhill Suites. Guests will have the chance to meet regional filmmakers over free dessert and champagne. The event is free and open to the public.
After proving itself last year, the festival this year has attracted a number of Hollywood insiders, which in turn benefits filmmakers who can have their work seen by the likes of producer Molly Smith, director Ari Sandel and film critic Jeffrey Lyons.
It was a big coup to have “Judgment of Paris” author George Taber as the festival chair last year and this year director Jeff Woolnough has stepped in, bringing to the table his wife, actress Claudette Roche, who has proved a valuable resource for the festival in terms of helping spot quality films.
Woolnough is watching all the student films. A free screening and award ceremony for the students, all with ties to Florida, will be held at the Vero Beach Theatre Guild during the festival.
“The appetite and enthusiasm for the event is so much higher this year, and more than 2,000 people are expected to attend our four-day, full-bodied event. We’ve already surpassed last year’s ticket sales,” says Stewart.
The Sonoma International Film Festival has taken the Vero event under its wing as a sister festival, which allows access to the Best of Sonoma, that festival’s award winners.
To accommodate the crowds, additional screening times and more venues have been added, and the group is currently negotiating the use of another, very large venue that has yet to be disclosed. The schedule will run from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. most days.
As for the wine component, the festival team has added the WOW Tasting Lounge. The World of Wine Tasting Experience and Pop Up Shop allows festival-goers to taste a broader variety of wine, meet the winemakers and purchase wine at festival discounts.
Premier Pass holders can attend the Super-Secret VSP (Very Special Persons) Welcome Party for the filmmakers, winemakers and invited guests at a private, waterside location with drinks and a tasting menu.
One of the new events is dubbed Fierce Females and Films, a women’s networking lunch and film screening offering women a chance to view the award-winning documentary “The Perfume War” with the producer and director. The afternoon includes a trip to the 7 Virtues Beauty Perfume Bar, lunch, movie and book signing at the Riverside Theatre.
With the guidance of Neil Mandt, a pioneer in virtual reality filmmaking, the festival is presenting a virtual reality lounge at Riverside Theatre. Two films will be shown at the virtual lounge.
After viewing the documentary “Straws” about sea turtles endangered by toxic straws, attendees will take a guided sea turtle walk with Vero’s own Heather Stapleton from the Environmental Learning Center.
Back again this year is the Vero Visions category with a whole new slate of films that are for, by or about the Treasure Coast. One returning filmmaker brings a movie filmed in Vero Beach with an all-local cast.
Last year the Vero Beach Museum of Art presented the work of Dave, an enslaved African American potter from Edgefield, S.C. Adding a multimedia film screening experience to the festival, this double feature will include the film “Discovering Days,” a documentary about the potter and poet, a selection of pieces from Dave’s work and a screening of the film “The Letter Carrier,” which is American actor and singer Jesse L. Martin’s directorial debut.
With requests for more food a top comment last year, Culinary Chair Kitty Wagner intends to offer eating options all over the festival landscape this year, including food for purchase at the museum and Riverside Theatre.
And wines will be featured more prominently too, says Stewart. The event’s wine chairman is Rob Wayne, who with his wife Michele owns the boutique wine store Varietals and More and has a significant following in Vero’s wine culture.
“The quality of wines that we’re going to be pouring and the breadth of the companies that are going to be represented is amazing,” promises Stewart.
Stewart warns movie buffs to get passes now.
“They won’t last long. Some of the events have limited seating, and we’ve already surpassed ticket sales from last year.”
To volunteer or otherwise stay connected to the festival, go to VBWFF.com. and join the VBWFF Facebook page.