The Imitation Game wins Dusty Cohl Feature Film award
A Fuller Life wins Bill Ballard Documentary award

Critically acclaimed as the most exclusive film festival in the world, the 13th edition of the Floating Film Festival (FFF) docked on January 14th.

Created in 1991 by Dusty Cohl, founder of The Toronto International Film Festival, this bi-annual celebration of film on the open seas has become the definitive experience for movie lovers, critics and filmmakers alike.

Just over 100 serious Canadian and American film fans set sail January 4th on the Crystal Serenity for a 10 day round trip from Miami, visiting Caribbean ports such as St. Barth’s.

Featuring a carefully curated programme of Hollywood classics and new films, art house and documentaries, the Floating Film Festival has previously screened favourites such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon & The Castle and premiered acclaimed films such as Silence of the Lambs & The Corporation. The festival has hosted many prestigious films, filmmakers and programmers, including, Roger Ebert who, until his passing, never missed a festival, and talent such as Peter Fonda, Martin Scorsese and Gena Rowlands.

This year, the festival included 17 films selected by the distinguished programming team including George Anthony (Creative Consultant at CBC Television, veteran executive, acclaimed author), Thom Ernst (film writer), Paul Gratton (Whistler Film Festival program director), Seamus O’Regan (broadcast journalist), Marcelle Lean (Cinéfranco Founder/Artistic & Executive Director), Jake Howell (film writer) and FFF executive director Barry Avrich. The line-up included films such as Still Alice, Red Army, The Imitation Game, Cake, Iris, Obvious Child and a special presentation of The Third Man presented by Dick Cavett

Best film awards were announced on January 14th based on audience votes. The Imitation Game won the Dusty Cohl Feature Film ‎award and the Bill Ballard Documentary award was given to A Fuller Life, about rogue director Sam Fuller.

The Floating Film Festival also featured a tribute to special guest Dick Cavett, legendary journalist and the three-time Emmy Award-winning host of The Dick Cavett Show. At the tribute gala, held January 10th and hosted by Seamus 0’Regan, Cavett was sensational, wowing the crowd with magic tricks.

Cavett has appeared on broadcast television for over five decades. But his indelible television personality and commitment to sophisticated discussion has never wavered: praised for his conversational, yet well-read, and incredibly articulate interview style, Cavett has played host to Groucho Marx, Jimi Hendrix, Jean-Luc Godard, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Salvadore Dali, Marlon Brando, Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Janis Joplin, and many, many more.

Past recipients of this honour have included many talented contributors to the film industry from Gena Rowlands and Martin Scorsese to Ismael Merchant to Robert Towne.