April’s Networking Events in Orlando
April 1, 2026
Orlando Pirates Visit the Citrus Club During Membership Appreciation Night
April 3, 2026
Florida Film Festival Highlights Orlando’s Place in Film and Storytelling
The Florida Film Festival returns to Central Florida this April for its 35th year, bringing more than 160 films from around the world to screens over the course of its 10 day run.
Centered at the Enzian Theater, with additional screenings at venues including Regal Winter Park Village, the Oscar-qualifying festival positions Orlando as a destination for independent, international and documentary filmmaking. As one of only a select group of festivals in the United States recognized by the Academy in all three short film categories, the event offers both emerging and established filmmakers a platform to share stories with audiences far beyond their place of origin.
This year, 40 films were either fully or partially shot in the state of Florida, with several produced in the greater Orlando and Central Florida area. Among them are The Call, which follows Orlando arts leader Terry Olson as he travels to Morocco to explore the history of the “Green March.” Also featured is In God’s Hands, a world premiere documentary directed by University of Central Florida student Modar Kajo that examines religious legislation impacting schools in Central Florida. Another standout, Welcome, highlights the life and work of Orlando’s first African American poet laureate, Shawn Welcome, offering a deeply local perspective on storytelling and community (full list of Florida and Orlando films at FFF below).
Orlando has become one of the fastest growing and most internationally diverse metro areas in the country, shaped by residents who have arrived from all over the world and chosen to call Central Florida home. As Orlando’s cultural identity continues to grow, so does the conversation around its role in the film industry itself.
In late 2025, Orange County approved a $25 million film incentive program aimed at attracting productions and creating more opportunities for local talent. The initiative is designed to strengthen a pipeline that already exists through programs at UCF, Full Sail, and Valencia College, where thousands of students graduate each year with aspirations to work in film. Local leaders and industry voices say the goal is to ensure that those trained here can build lasting careers without leaving the region.
Festival organizers say the conversation around film incentives is an important part of this year’s programming. The Florida Film Festival will host a panel in partnership with the Orlando Film Commission, featuring Brooke Hill and Film Incentive Coordinator Jennifer Pennypacker, focused on Orange County’s film incentives and the region’s evolving production landscape. Organizers emphasize that long term growth depends on creating consistent opportunities for filmmakers once they graduate. “What we need to really move Orlando forward is for the students at these schools to be able to walk out of the door, degree in hand, and onto sets in Orlando,” said Executive Director Wade Neal. The goal, he said, is to build a sustainable ecosystem where education, production and community are connected.
Festival organizers say that connection between audience and storytelling is part of what makes the event unique. Neal described the festival as an “artistically rich, destination-level festival” and noted that the local audience plays a major role in shaping the experience. “There is a genuine love and excitement for film and its infinite creative potential here that outshines many similar events,” Neal said. “Having an Oscar-qualifying, 35 year young festival with its home at a theater as superb as Enzian is something the whole city can be proud of.”
Among the filmmakers traveling to Orlando, Somewhere To Be director, Christy Chan, shares a connection to Florida and described her project as deeply personal and closely tied to her experiences growing up in the South. “My roots are in the South,” she told Orlando Life, “and Central Florida was where I spent many summers as a child. To have the East Coast premiere of this film in Florida is meaningful. It feels like a coming home to where the story began. I hope that families in Florida watch this film and can see themselves in it, and maybe even find some beauty and joy.”
BTS of film crew working on Somewhere To Be
Somewhere To Be is a dark comedy short set in 1985 that follows an 8yr old girl navigating a tense and escalating confrontation when her immigrant family is refused service at a gas station for looking “foreign.” Through the child’s perspective, the film explores themes of identity, belonging, and how families cope with racism and power dynamics in everyday life.
Orlando’s connection to stories like Chan’s reflects the broader makeup of the region. That blend of cultures continues to define Orlando’s evolving identity as a creative hub. Events such as FusionFest, which celebrates more than 120 cultures represented in the region, have helped establish Orlando as a place where global perspectives are lived out daily. The Florida Film Festival builds on that foundation, bringing stories from around the world into a community that already understands what it means to see life through multiple lenses.
For filmmakers visiting from outside the region, Orlando offers both a backdrop and an audience that feels familiar. Co-director Evan Metzold, whose film Damned If You Do will screen at the festival, said the city’s energy makes it an ideal setting. “We are thrilled to showcase our film in Orlando, a city filled with big dreams and heaps of magic,” Metzold said. “It’s a perfect stage for our wacky, dark comedy.”
Last year the festival drew more than 16,000 attendees and is expected to continue growing while maintaining its focus on independent cinema and emerging voices. Over the course of 10 days, audiences can expect a mix of narrative features, documentaries, short films, panels and filmmaker discussions, all designed to create an immersive experience that goes beyond the screen.
The following films with ties to Florida and Central Florida are:
- The Call, following Orlando arts leader Terry Olson’s journey to Morocco in a world premiere documentary.
- Fantasma, winner of the 2025 Central Florida Film Slam.
- First They Came For My College, featuring a Winter Park family at the center of the story.
- In God’s Hands, directed by a University of Central Florida student examining legislation impacting local schools.
- The Man Whom the Trees Loved, filmed in Orlando and along the St. Johns River.
- My Grandma Still Cleans My Uncle’s Room, exploring the memories of an undocumented immigrant.
- Panther Pat, highlighting the story of the Orlando Panthers’ first female player.
- Same Water, revisiting a segregated Florida recreational space.
- Welcome, spotlighting Orlando’s first African American poet laureate.
- Wetland Impulse, created by a UCF professor focusing on Florida’s natural landscapes.
