Edison and Ford Winter Estates Hosts Fort Myers Film Festival

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 17, 2022) — On April 22 at 7:30 p.m., Edison and Ford Winter Estates will host the opening event for the annual Fort Myers Film Festival. Three films will be shown on the Henry Ford estate lawn, along the Caloosahatchee River where guests will watch movies under the stars. Films include an early Edison piece with sound, a film about the Koreshan community, and an original film featuring a clip from “Calendar Girls.”

Films:

“Nursery Favorites,” a 1913 Edison Kinetophone Sound Film.
In the era of silent films, Edison and his staff began experimenting with a device to synchronize sound and moving pictures: the kinetophone. This compilation of nursery rhymes is a fascinating moment in the history of “talkies.”

“The Koreshans: Legends and Legacies of Estero’s Urban Pioneers,” by Ilene Safron, Main Sail Video Productions owner.
Visitors will learn about the Koreshans in this film with a series of re-enactments, 3D animations, and interviews with contemporary scholars that weave together the reasons why the group moved to Estero, how they met their demise and why there’s a state park dedicated to keeping their memory alive. The Koreshans are credited with bringing culture and industry to Southwest Florida. They had one of the first symphony orchestras in the state and owned and operated nearly thirty businesses, including a machine shop, general store, bakery, post office and school. The film also explains the connection the group had with the Edisons and Fords.

The third film will be a Fort Myers Film Festival original that will showcase the event’s 12-year history and impact on Southwest Florida. The film is produced and directed by Eric Raddatz and edited by Ilene Safron. it will feature a preview of a film currently in the international spotlight, “Calendar Girls.”

Tickets are $10 for Edison Ford members, $15 for non-members and may be purchased at EdisonFord.org. Only a limited number of chairs will be provided, so guests are encouraged to bring a folding chair. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. No coolers are permitted.

Edison and Ford Winter Estates
Edison and Ford Winter Estates is the internationally known winter home site of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. More than 220,000 visitors walk through the location each year from all around the globe. The organization has received many awards, including the National Stewardship Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Garden Clubs’ Historic Preservation Award. The property is an official project of “Save America’s Treasures,” a Florida Historic Landmark and a National Register Historic Site. The Edison Botanic Laboratory is a National Historic Chemical Landmark. The site is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and until 9 p.m. during the month of December for Holiday Nights.
We’re located at:
2350 McGregor Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33901