MIFF lineup: ‘Real Food,’ horror, great shorts, features, Bollywood, filmmakers, fun

The Melbourne Independent Filmmakers Festival (MIFF) is set for October 10-11, featuring Bollywood blockbuster “Bang Bang,” a Luke Wilson comedy shot in Brevard County called “Satellite Beach,” dozens of quality independent films from around Florida and the globe, and the return of “Real Food Real Kitchens.”

The 16th annual event will be held at the Premiere Theaters Oaks Stadium 10, 1800 W. Hibiscus Blvd., Melbourne, Florida.

Each year, the MIFF brings some of the best independent films to an enthusiastic Florida audience and promotes the filmmaking arts while raising money for good causes. The theme of this year’s event is “From Bollywood to Hollywood” in honor of the rich film tradition that has made India a filmmaking powerhouse. In fact, Orlando film director and MIFF sponsor Steven Shea has teamed with international recording artist Prita Chhabra to produce a Bollywood-style music video that features local Indian dancers and the opening of the new Manav Mandir Temple in Viera. This year’s film festival is proud to honor the spirit of this endeavor and also features spectacular films selected from more than 250 entries. The MIFF truly takes pride in showcasing Florida filmmakers and local talent. This year will be no exception.

Friday, Oct. 10

1 p.m.: The MIFF begins with a two-hour pre-show called “Up & Comers,” featuring a slate of excellent short films to build the mood for a weekend of film adventure.
3 p.m.: “Matinee Magic” features the dramatic feature film “A Trip to the Island,” as well as other artsy shorts.
5 p.m.: “Real Food Real Kitchens,” the series about family, food, culture and history, will open the Melbourne Independent Filmmakers Festival for the third year in a row. This year, we will be premiering a new episode from Season 2: an entire episode about Indian cuisine featuring signature Indian dishes. All of this will be followed by a food tasting event with Indian music and dishes featured on the TV series, sponsored by Kingfisher beer.
7 p.m.: The dancers from the music video and select guests will be asked walk the red carpet for the premiere of the locally produced Prita Chhabra music video “Stronger,” directed by Steven Shea and featuring scenes from the opening of the Manav Mandir Temple. This will be followed by the local premiere of the Bollywood blockbuster “Bang Bang!” starring Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif.
9 p.m.: A fantastic horror program starts off Fright Night Friday with films sure to scare genre fans. It will be headlined by the feature film “Jersey Shore Massacre.”
11 p.m.: Fright Night is rounded out with the wrestling documentary “The Promotion,” directed by MIFF 2014 special guest and six-time wrestling world champion Sid Eudy, AKA Sid Vicious. The evening ends with the incredible time-traveling, Civil War monster movie “Army of Frankensteins.”

Saturday, Oct. 11

10 a.m.: The Saturday screenings begin early with the Florida Filmmakers Matinee, which will showcase an exceptional selection of short film projects from around the state of Florida.
1 p.m.: Join us for a panel discussion and demonstration on the “Secrets of Making a Successful Short Film,” featuring Florida filmmakers Vince Courtney, Katharine Leis, Steven Shea, Todd Thompson, and Bill Williams (from A Cut Above Video).
2 p.m.: The Meet the Filmmakers Roundtable Q&A will give a chance for the audience to interact with the filmmakers themselves. It will be followed by a special presentation by Mike Baumgarten of select scenes from “The Martial Arts Kid,” the feature film shot locally in Brevard County this summer.
3 p.m.: Meet MIFF 2014 special guest and six-time professional wrestling champion Sid Eudy AKA Sid Vicious featuring Q & A and encore showing of his wrestling documentary “The Promotion.”
5 p.m.: A special wine-tasting event is planned sponsored by California winery Von Strasser!
6:30 p.m.: The red carpet reception begins, and then a program of fantastic shorts will be shown, followed by the awards ceremony. Films include Luke Wilson’s space shuttle movie “Satellite Beach,” Todd Thompson’s “Amazing Grace,” Steven Shea’s “Memory” and more. The VIP reception upstairs afterward features live performances by recording artists Robin & Eddy, delicious food from The Courtyard at the Oaks, and great camaraderie celebrating independent filmmaking.

Tickets will be available at the Premiere Theaters Oaks Stadium 10, or online at www.premieretheaters.com. The best deal is a $60 pass that gets festivalgoers into all events all weekend, including the Friday and Saturday night parties. Guests also may purchase tickets for individual events.

All proceeds benefit the No Limits Academy.

Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/melbourneindependentfilmmakersfestival
and follow the festival on Twitter @MelbourneIFF.

Don’t forget: There’s still time to win two all-access VIP passes!

Here’s the trailer for “Satellite Beach”: