The annual Sunscreen Film Festival is making its return to St. Pete this weekend, April 27-30, bringing an incredible lineup of films, panels and workshops. Now in its 18th year, the Sunscreen Film Festival draws more than 5,000 attendees every year, a full weekend of movie magic taking place at The Sundial AMC 12 Theatres in downtown St. Pete. Check out the full list of events and find more details here.

This year’s festival will showcase more than 190 feature films, documentaries, shorts and foreign films, alongside a robust lineup of workshops from industry professionals. The festival is an opportunity for attendees to mix and mingle with filmmakers, actors, writers, producers and celebrities in an open and relaxed atmosphere. Tickets ranging from single movie screenings to day passes and all weekend VIP tickets are available here.

Made possible thanks to headline sponsor St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Commission, festivities kick off on Thursday, April 27 when the Sunscreen Film Festival hosts the opening night film and red carpet at The Sundial, and the opening night party at NOVA 535. At 7:30 pm on Thursday, the festival showcases the premiere of the feature film A Taste of Love, with filmmakers and actors in attendance.

Filmed in Pinellas County, A Taste of Love is a big-budget romantic comedy that doubles as tourism advertising for the area. The plot, as described my producers: “Struggling to find her culinary voice as a Network TV star, Taylor returns to her hometown to visit her parents. She must choose between her renewed relationship, saving her family restaurant, or her dream career as a worldwide known chef.”

Sunscreen Film Festival showcases incredible array of productions

Nearly 40 feature films will be screened over the course of the four-day festival. For those in (or interested in) the industry, more than a dozen workshops led by pros from across the country will offer opportunities to develop skills and make connections.

There is also a ‘Chicks Making Flicks Power Brunch‘ on Saturday, a forum at The Palladium for the education, encouragement, and empowerment of women in the film and television industries, cultivating the best future for the next generation of women in film. The brunch is a separate ticket from other passes.

The Sunscreen Film Festival got its start in 2005 when it was hosted at [email protected] and drew a crowd of 600. In the years since, it has become one of the country’s most celebrated productions and has expanded to include a second festival each year in Los Angeles.

Organized and presented by the St. Petersburg-Clearwater Film Society, a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) organization, the annual Sunscreen Film Festival supports and enhances St. Petersburg’s economic profile by putting on an internationally recognized event to draw tourism and international media coverage to the city. The society is dedicated to educating the public about the art of visual storytelling, enhancing opportunities for filmmakers to develop their craft and art, and increasing the public’s awareness and support of filmmaking as a cultural asset.

Learn more about the Sunscreen Film Festival and see the full schedule of events here.