Summer is for cinephiles on the Paradise Coast. Superheroes and blockbusters aside, three organizations, the Naples International Film Festival, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, and the Center for the Arts of Bonita Springs offer a unique opportunity to watch classic, independent, and conservation-minded films in art-house settings. Here’s a look at what next on the screen.
Nature Escape: Saturday Cinema at the Conservancy
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is bringing nature to the forefront from the comfort of the theater. On Saturday, August 8, the Conservancy’s Eaton Conservation Hall will screen the final nature-themed film of the summer Cinema Saturdays series, brinigng the documentary Earth to the big screen. Chosen to educate as well as entertain, Earth helps reinforce the Conservancy’s mission of protecting Southwest Florida’s water, land, and wildlife for future generations.
Disneynature takes viewers on an awe-inspiring adventure as Earth visits with some of the planet’s most magnificent creatures. Narrated by consummate voice actor James Earl Jones, the nature documentary follows a polar bear and her cubs, a humpback whale and its calve, and a herd of elephants. With breathtaking cinematography, Earth follows these remarkable animals as they traverse their respective habitats for a year, encountering other amazing animal life, prey and predators alike, while revealing the natural world like never before.
- Following the film, visit the Conservancy’s Dalton Discovery Center to learn about the dynamic Southwest Florida ecosystems and the animal life that call them home. Earth will be screened at 1:30 p.m. in the Eaton Conservation Hall. Free with Conservancy Nature Center admission ($13 for adults, $9 for children).
NIFF Film Society Summer Series
Though a standard of November—the social season’s unofficial kickoff party—the cinephiles behind Southwest Florida’s best film spotlight are bringing their love for the silver screen to the summer with the Naples International Film Festival‘s Film Society Summer Series. From June through September, NIFF will screen four films, a selection of award-winning, career-defining odes to cinema at Silverspot Cinema at Mercato. Not just a chance to re-watch some sliver screen classics on the big screen, the Film Society Summer Series brings film lovers together for a chance to delve deeper into the film’s themes and influence they have had in the industry. Before each screening, the audience will be presented with information about the films, with informal discussions slated for after the final credit roll. 
- Doors open at 6:30, screening at 7 p.m. (6 and 6:30 p.m. on September 9).
Here’s a look at what’s screening:
August 5 | All About Eve
Nominated for 14 Academy Awards, including four for female acting nominations (two for Best Actress, two for Best Supporting Actress), All About Eve tells the story of Hollywood through the eyes of a famous actress losing her shine to a new starlet. In a dynamic performance by Bette Davis playing the aging Margo Channing, this is a film about ambition, betrayal, and the fear of being replaced.
- Admission costs $16.
September 9 | The Godfather
Considered by many to be a masterpiece, The Godfather, based on the Mario Puzo novel of the same name, brought together a compendium of A-List actors to tell the story of the Corleone crime family. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather spurred a generation of mob movies, but none are as great as this (except maybe The Godfather II). See why you should never takes sides against the family.
- Admission costs $16.
Films for Film Lovers
The projectors will be rolling at a feverish pitch as the Center for the Arts of Bonita Springs’ Film Society eases in for its summer lineup of Films for Film Lovers. Throughout June, July, August and September, the Film Society will showcase great independent and foreign films in the Moe Auditorium and Film Center. More club then screening, guests stick around for a lively discussion of the film, led by a Film Society Chairman and member, giving additional insight into the direction and story arc of the movie.
- Doors open at 6:30 and films begin at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $10 per film (packages are available: 10 films for $80, 20 films for $150). For more information, visit artcenterbonita.org.
The summer schedule is as follows:
- August 10 – Dirty Pretty Things
- August 17 – Adaptation
- August 24 – Summer Hours
- August 31 – The Wind Rises
- September 7 – Like Water for Chocolate
- September 14 – 13 Tzameti
- September 21 – Deflowering of Eva Van End
- September 28 – Buena Vista Social Club
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