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As the weather cools down, organizers of two local
film festivals are gearing up to show free movies outdoors.
The 2003-2004 seasons are kicking off for Movies
on the Boulevard in Hollywood and Maroone Moonlight Movies in Weston.
Both festivals will be offering films once a month, through April.
The festivals in Weston and Hollywood began last
year and took a break in the summer to avoid the heat.
Movies on the Boulevard started again in October.
The next film will be Return of the Pink Panther at 7 p.m. Saturday
at Anniversary Park, on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and 20th
Avenue.
The Maroone Moonlight Movies will begin its new
season with a showing of Shrek at 7 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Regional
Park at Weston, 20200 Saddle Club Road.
Alan Brown, who organizes Movies on the Boulevard
for the Downtown Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency, said
it makes sense to have the festival in Anniversary Park.
"It doesn't cost very much," said Brown,
president of Alan T. Brown Associates, a public relations and marketing
firm. "We're trying to open up downtown to everybody."
Movies on the Boulevard debuted in March and films
were shown through May. The average attendance was 50 to 75 people
per month, Brown said.
About 35 viewers came to October's showing of
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
"It was on the same night as Game 6 of the
World Series," Brown said. "We know this time we will
get a lot more people for the Nov. 15 show."
Films are shown on a large screen. People going
to Movies on the Boulevard are encouraged to stop off at the eateries
in the downtown district and bring food to the show. There is also
popcorn and cotton candy for sale at the park, Brown said.
"This is the perfect opportunity to pull
out the lawn chair or blanket, grab some popcorn and watch popular
films under the stars while enjoying the mild South Florida weather,"
Brown said.
The same theme prevails at the Maroone Moonlight
Movies, a partnership between Maroone, an AutoNation company, and
the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.
The outdoor films have drawn 1,200 to 2,000 people
per screening since their inception last year at the Weston Town
Center, at Arvida Boulevard and Bonaventure Boulevard.
The moonlight movies moved to Weston Regional
Park to accommodate the large crowds by providing more room and
parking, said Gregory von Hausch, president of the Fort Lauderdale
International Film Festival.
Organizers have made other changes as well for
the 2003-2004 season.
This year, movies will be shown on a new, larger,
inflatable screen that is 32 feet wide. The previous screen was
20 feet wide.
There will also be several double features, with
two movies being shown in a single night on Dec. 20, March 20 and
April 17.
Families entering the park are asked to bring
lawn chairs or blankets. All films each month will be accompanied
by raffles, giveaways and games. Refreshments will be sold too,
von Hausch said.
The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
also offers weekly outdoor movies year-round on Wednesday evenings
at Beach Place in Fort Lauderdale and monthly screenings from April
to October at Huizenga Plaza in downtown Fort Lauderdale, von Hausch
said.
The Maroone Moonlight Movies in Weston have been
very successful, he said. "It's very spirited," von Hausch
said. "We were surprised that it got a very good response immediately.
It started off with a bang."
For the 2003-2004 season, von Hausch said organizers
have scheduled fun, upbeat blockbusters that people can enjoy together
as a family.
Other films in the Maroone series will include
How the Grinch Stole Christmas at 7 p.m. and Home Alone at 9 p.m.
Dec. 20; The Lost World - Jurassic Park at 8 p.m. Jan. 17; Harry
Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone at 7 p.m. Feb. 21; and Spider-Man
at 7 p.m. and Daredevil at 9 p.m. March 20.
The season will end with a double feature of Spy
Kids at 7 p.m. and Tomb Raider at 9 p.m. April 17.
Films scheduled for the Movies on the Boulevard
festival are Shrek on Dec. 27, Chicken Run on Jan. 24, Spaceballs
on Feb. 14, Top Gun on March 27 and Fletch on April 24. All screenings
start at 7 p.m.
Copyright (c) 2003, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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