Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium

The 16th Fort Myers Film Festival concluded on May 24 with the announcement of awards in 12 categories.

The 16th annual Fort Myers Film Festival will deliver five days of film screenings, filmmaker panels, and celebration. The festival, which runs May 20-24, 2026, will include 81 selected feature, documentary, and short films from all over the world. We’ll get a preview of the festival in a conversation with Fort Myers Film Festival founder and Executive Director Eric Raddatz. We’ll also talk with multi-award winning filmmaker Jordan Axelrod, whose short film “Szypliski” will be featured at the opening night red carpet gala at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center.

If you’re trying to break out of the cliched dinner-and-movie Valentine’s Day routine, here are four suggestions for an artful Valentine’s.

This week, three shows open, two close, 12 continue their runs and there are two limited engagements at Southwest Florida equity and community theaters.

Bruce Costella brings a limited engagement of his one-man show “MUTTNIK” at the Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium November 7 – 9. The performance tells the story of Laika, stray dog from the streets of Moscow, who was chosen by Soviet scientists to become the first living animal to orbit the Earth aboard the Sputnik 2 in 1957.

With a background as an international film publicist for Disney, Warner Brothers and Lionsgate, Events and Programming Coordinator Michael Hebler is determined to expand the importance of cinema at the Alliance for the Arts.

This season will be Theatre Conspiracy’s last in Southwest Florida. Founder and Producing Artistic Director Bill Taylor has announced a lineup of 11 blockbuster shows for its farewell tour. Since the company is no longer at the Alliance for the Arts, it has arranged to stage this season’s shows in the Off Broadway Palm, Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium and The Laboratory Theater of Florida.

Looking for an artful way to observe Valentine’s Day? Consider these three alternatives to flowers and chocolates.

Although they’ve been around for years, dome films are making a comeback. Known for cutting edge programming, the Fort Myers Film Festival is joining this trend. Director Eric Raddatz, has recently announced the Film Festival’s collaboration with Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium and is preparing to issue a call for dome film submissions.