Florida Film Festival Opening Night Party

Posted on by Thor

The opening night of the 2019 Florida Film Festival was celebrated with a
thrilling film premiere at Enzian Theater (1300 Orlando Ave, Maitland, FL 32751). The opening night film was Woman in Motion directed by Todd Thompson. To most of the known universe, Nichelle Nichols is Lieutenant Uhura, the
communications officer aboard the Starship Enterprise. On Star Trek
she broke barriers as one of the first African Americans to star in a
network show and as a participant in television’s first interracial
kiss. In reality Nichelle Nichols was a pioneer, a fiercely intelligent
and passionate advocate for African Americans, women, and minorities.
She worked with the NAACP and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a role model
for young black children and women. Beyond that, Nichelle Nichols is
arguably the single most important figure in history for the recruitment
of women and minorities to the field of space exploration, specifically
the NASA space shuttle program.

After the premiere, patrons sampled food and cocktails from favorite
local spots and an open bar at Eden Bar. It was an outdoor feast where patrons could
mingle and celebrate with all the folks would be their new cinematic best
friends for the next ten days. Patrons ate, drank, were merry, and discussed all the
films that might be seen at the festival ahead. This legendary
party launched a non-stop, fun-filled, ten-day celebration of Film,
Food, and Friends.

When Pam and I arrived, I quickly sat in a open spot to sketch the moon shaped orb that illuminated the lawn next to the Eden Bar. Pam explored a bit and sat with Scottie and Brendan to catch up. When My sketch was done, Scottie asked if I had included him in the sketch. Unfortunately he was out of my line of sight.

Pam and I tried a few vendors food booths to see what was available at this gala opening party. First up we tried a slice of pizza from Medici Pizza. It was kind of hard to judge the pizza since it was ice cold. We picked up a flyer anyway and might go to the restaurant to try a hot slice instead. Roque Pub was offering bites, beer and wine. Better yet they had a $10 off coupon and a bumper sticker. Now I don’t put stickers on my bumper,but I did place it on the cover of my sketchbook which is mighty fine ad placement for hundreds of years to come. Should you be a local business wanting sticker exposure look no further than the AADW sketchbooks. The other food treat I tried was from La Empanada and that was delicious. After a couple of bites of cheese I had seen enough. I had my sketch and the party was in full swing. We decided to get back home since I had to get up early to teach all day Saturday.

Today is the final day of the Florida Film Festival, so get out and support independent cinema.

Paint Nite at Roque Pub

Posted on by Thor

I went to Roque Pub, (3076 Curry Ford Rd, Orlando, FL 32806) because I saw an invitation for a Paint Nite, which I figured would be a great subject for a sketch. The invitation explained that pub patrons could create art over cocktails while guided by a professional artist and party host. Would be artists and friends would spend two hours drinking, laughing, and flexing their creative muscles. It sounded exciting.

Roque Pub used to be called Rogue Pub. I always find it odd that they changed the name. Roque is an American variant of croquet played on a hard, smooth
surface. It was popular in the first quarter of the 20th century and billed
“the Game of the Century” by its enthusiasts. I have never heard of it. Perhaps the pub name was changed because it was too close to Rogue Ales, which is an award winning brewery founded in 1988 in Ashland, Oregon, United
States. Either way, Roque it is an odd name.

Sooo… I stopped in and got a beer. Long story short, there was no Paint Nite. It was canceled because no one signed up. A few folks were drinking at the bar, so I got to work and started sketching. There was an exciting game of darts going on. At Walt Disney Feature Animation, dart championships swept through the studio. With some of the most talented artists in the world playing, it was a badge of honor to even compete. Artists have some wicked eye/hand coordination, so I got my butt handed to me on many an occasion while trying to compete. I never returned to Roque to see if they do hold a paint nite. Who goes to a pub to get creative? Far better to go to knock back a few too many beers.

Fundraiser and Sneak Peek: Female 12th Night

Posted on by Thor

Roque  Pub  (3076  Curry Ford Road  Orlando,  FL 32806) hosted a fundraiser for the Female 12th Night. The Orlando Shakes presented the show back in February and March.

A pair of shipwrecked twins set into motion a tale of mistaken identity,
eccentricity, and unlikely love. Separated from her brother Sebastian,
quick-thinking Viola adopts a male disguise and enters the service of
the handsome Duke Orsino – only to find herself in the middle of a love
triangle. When Viola’s new boss sends her to win his unrequited love,
the Countess Olivia, her disguise proves too effective and the Countess
falls for the young girl dressed as a boy instead.

The show features  endless gender swapping and was presented at first with an all male cast. That show was then followed by several performances by an all female cast. I saw the all male cast and it was laugh out loud funny. I unfortunately never saw the whole female performance of the same show but at this Roque Fundraiser, I got to see several excerpts. I sketched the event organizers as things got started.