Ybor Festival of the Moving Image 2009

The credits have rolled on the 2008 release of the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image.

But we are looking forward to the Seventh Annual Ybor Festival of the Moving Image, scheduled for April 1-5, 2009.

The theme of the 2009 Festival will be "Humor and Satire. We will begin taking submissions October 1, 2008.

We thank our many sponsors without whom the Festival would never have been possible.

Our goal is to meet the objectives of the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image:

  1. To perpetuate a unique, non-competitive contemporary motion picture exhibition and conference that explores both the history of cinema while presenting examples of the newest, cutting edge filmmaking and technology.
  2. To educate and expand the understanding of the both the students and general public about the significance and influence of moving image media on our culture.
  3. To invite and showcase respected regional and national film artists, develop an international film component, commission new works, and provide a valuable resource for networking between visiting filmmakers and our community.
  4. Encourage collaborations between the festival and community organizations, businesses, merchants, artists, families, and students, with a special focus on Ybor City Historic District and its diverse cultural base.
  5. To raise the profile of Hillsborough Community College-Ybor as an important and dedicated force in the cultural life of the Tampa Bay area and Florida.

Festival Highlight
Daughters of Wisdom

Directed and Produced by: Bari Pearlman
Bari Pearlman
Bari Pearlman

Director Bari Pearlman will introduce her film and answer audience questions following the screening.

In Nangchen, Tibet, it has traditionally been a high honor for a family to have a son become a monk, granting him the privilege to serve the community as a scholar and spiritual leader, and to transcend the hardships of everyday life.

But to have a daughter become a nun has been considered a burden for a family, as she can no longer be married off in exchange for livestock, or bear children who can become workers on the family farm.

For the first time, the women of Nangchen are being given the chance to change the course of their lives, and to continue their rich spiritual legacy. Built with their own hands and always expanding, the Kala Rongo Monastery is home to nearly 300 nuns who study and practice full-time, creating new opportunities for themselves and for the community they serve.

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Festival Highlight
Love Lived on Death Row

Produced and Directed by: Linda Booker
Bari Pearlman
Linda Booker

Director Linda Booker will be on hand to introduce and discuss her film.

"Love Lived on Death Row" tells the story of the four Syriani siblings whose father was sentenced to die for the murder of their mother in 1990 and Meg Eggleston, who became their father's friend and spiritual advisor through letters to him in prison.

Orphaned and estranged, the Syriani children raised themselves while they lived with hate, anger and confusion as the man they could only refer to as 'Him Him' lived on death row. But in 2004, they collectively decided to visit him in prison, seeking answers so they could move on with their adult lives.

What transpired that day was a miracle of forgiveness followed by a journey of healing, restoring family memories and then a battle for his clemency.

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