Downtown St. Petersburg is set to be the location for the 7th Annual Sunscreen Film Festival, to be held mid-April and will hold a special Actor workshop on Saturday, April 20, 2012 at Muvico Baywalk (Downtown St. Petersburg) from 11AM-4PM, led by John Jackson, casting director for Oscar nominated “The Descendants”. Johnson’s work includes: Descendants (2011), About Schmidt (2002), Sideways (2004) and Humboldt County (2008).  He is a two-time winner of the ARTIOS award (2003 for About Schmidt) and (2005 for Sideways) for Best Feature Film Casting - Comedy.  

The 7th Annual Sunscreen Film Festival is a unique opportunity in which Hollywood comes to the local area for aspiring actors to learn the tricks of the trade from the best of the best. John Jackson is taking a break from Casting Director and Oscar-winning-writer Alexander Payne’s next two films to attend and teach this exclusive workshop at this year’s festival.  Details will be announced shortly and tickets are limited. To purchase tickets to the workshop (which will include screenings to all films showing on Saturday, April 21, the Awards Ceremony and After Party in Downtown St. Petersburg, please visit: http://sunscreen-filmfestival.ticketleap.com/actors-workshop-john-jackson/.

“We are bringing all the Hollywood buzz and talent to the 7th Annual Sunscreen Film festival. Guests are not only invited to enjoy the performances and entertainment, but encouraged to take the workshops led by prestigious film-industry experts,” commented Tony Armer, Executive Director of the Sunscreen Film Festival.

In addition to John Jackson, other esteemed industry leaders will be attending the festival. Renowned agent Michael Greenwald, one of the top talent agents in LA, will be at the Manager Workshop. Greenwald is credited for having discovered stars such as Hilary Duff (“Lizzie McGuire”), Josh Duhamel (“Transformers”) and Shannon Sossoman (“A Knights Tale’). He broke Rainn Wilson’s career on Six Feet Under, Seth Green in Austin Powers, Angie Harmon on Law & Order, Jim Caviezel in The Thin Red Line and Melissa Leo in Frozen River, earning her an Academy Award nomination.  Amongst the list will also be Marty Poole, President of Fairway Film Alliance, a Los Angeles based film distribution and sales agent.  Marty has worked in the film business since 1993 with a diverse resume that includes writer, director, producer, and distribution executive.

The Sunscreen Film Festival is proudly sponsored by: Backline Music Group, PUSH Ultra Lounge, Nucci Spine Institute, Downtown St. Pete Courtyard Marriott, Downtown St. Pete Hampton Inn, JoTo PR, Muvico Theaters, Production Hub, Ink Tip, and Sylvia Rusche Insurance.

For Festival VIP passes, workshop schedules and other information, visit http://www.sunscreenfilmfestival.com.

About Sunscreen Film Festival:

This will be the 7th year for the Sunscreen Film Festival, held from April 19-22, 2012 in St. Petersburg, FL. The Sunscreen Film Festival is an annual film festival hosted by the St. Petersburg-Clearwater Film Society, a Florida not for profit Corporation. The primary goal of the film festival is to encourage the creation, production, and exhibition of independent film in Florida through its educational programs and public screenings, thereby increasing awareness and support of local filmmaking as a cultural and economic asset. For more information, please visit http://www.sunscreenfilmfestival.com.