Womenfest

This year’s five-day celebration of all things female, the Women’s International Film & Arts Festival opens — where else? — in Broward County. Fort Lauderdaleans love their women, and this will be shown at the star-studded, opening-night, red-carpet event at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts (201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale). The fest, which ends Sunday, will feature more than 50 films from 11 countries, including feature-length flicks, shorts, and documentaries.

What we liked about this festival in the past is the display of women directors, so we’re pleased that the opening screening is a film directed by a female: Adriana Bosch, no less, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker who has been producing acclaimed political and social documentaries for nearly two decades. Latin Music USA: Divas and Superstars — screening at 8 p.m. Wednesday — focuses on the recent Latin pop explosion. Latin sensations like Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, and Emilio and Gloria Estefan are highlighted. This film is not only about the English pop music market but also how this Latin wave has created subgenres such as Spanish rap, reggaeton, and rock en español.

Then comes the rampant succession of films from Thursday to Sunday at various theaters, some events reaching the great south: Miami. But here, in Hollywood Beach at 8 a.m. Thursday, eat breakfast while watching Human Trafficking: Closer Than You Think at the Hollywood Beach Culture & Community Center (1301 S. Ocean Drive, Hollywood Beach) — we hope you like a panel discussion with your eggs. After a day of films, Thursday night will conclude with a “Fashion Show & Party” at Pangaea and Gryphon at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. It’s free till 10:30 p.m. (pay ten bucks beforehand if you won’t make it till later). For a full schedule of films, events, and workshops, visit wiff.slated.com/2011.
Wed., March 30, 8 p.m., 2011