The Global Peace Film Festival returns to Central Florida next week, running Tuesday through Saturday, September 15 through 19, with screenings spread across Winter Park and Orlando venues and an opening night film starring Michael O’Keefe and Elizabeth A. Davis. The in-person festival is headquartered at Bush Auditorium at Rollins College and Regal Winter Park Village, with tickets running $10 to $125 depending on the event.
According to Orlando Weekly, the festival opens with “A Break in the Rain,” a film directed by two-time Emmy winner Don Scardino and written by Dana L. Williams. As reported by BroadwayWorld, the story follows a grieving father who takes a job as a car service driver and forms a life-changing connection with a touring singer; O’Keefe and Davis are expected to attend the screening to take audience questions.
Oscar Nominee Marshall Curry Headlines a Documentary Showcase
One of the festival's marquee guests this year is Marshall Curry, an Oscar-nominated documentarian whose showcase features three of his works: “Street Fight,” “A Night at the Garden,” and “The New Yorker at 100,” per OrlandoShine. Curry is also scheduled to give a talk at the Winter Park Library as part of his visit, the same report notes.
Also in the lineup is “The Dads,” a feature-length documentary that grew out of an Emmy-winning short and features a group of fathers of trans and nonbinary youth, according to Orlando Weekly. The feature was directed by Emmy winner Luchina Fisher and executive produced by NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, as noted by the film's official site.
A Festival Built Around the International Day of Peace
The festival has run annually since 2003 under Executive Director Nina Streich, a veteran film editor and former Deputy Film Commissioner for the New York City Mayor's Office, according to Inkandescent Radio. Since its inception, the event has been scheduled around September 21 to coincide with the United Nations International Day of Peace, per Artistry Magazine. The festival presents shorts, documentaries and feature films with the stated aim of promoting connections, understanding and dialogue across cultures and borders, Orlando Weekly reports.
Under CEO David Wheeler, the organizing nonprofit rebranded to Global Peace 360° to expand beyond a single annual festival into a year-round community organization, Artistry Magazine notes. This year's programming spans Winter Park, Maitland and Orlando.
Free Programming Extends the Festival Into Late September
After the ticketed in-person festival wraps, a virtual event called Free for All Shorts runs September 20 through 27 at no cost, according to Orlando Weekly. Then, on September 26 and 27, Global Peace 360 hosts additional screenings and panels at AFRO-TV on International Drive, per the same report.
That International Drive weekend will feature filmmaker Q&As and a live casting call for Orlando International Fashion Week, according to Gotta Go Orlando. Global Peace 360 also backs UrbanFest 360, a sister festival dedicated to urban culture, independent filmmaking and diversity initiatives held at AFRO TV Studios, as Hoodline previously reported on the Boseman tribute.
Screening Venues Span Winter Park, Maitland and Orlando
Beyond Rollins College and Regal Winter Park Village, screening venues for the 2026 festival span multiple Central Florida locations, including the Enzian Theater in Maitland, per Gotta Go Orlando. The Enzian has served as a cultural anchor for other regional film gatherings this year, including the Florida Film Festival and CatVideoFest.
The festival also collaborates with Orange County Public Schools to present the Student Peace Art Exhibit at the Orange County Multicultural Center from September 16 through October 20, Gotta Go Orlando reports. Orlando Weekly's coverage of the lineup poses the festival's animating question directly: can art still heal a fractured planet.
