Tampa has been on the map for it's world famed Gasparilla Pirate Festival but the past few years, it has been the Gasparilla International Film Festival (GIFF) that has been taking the spotlight.

The festival, now in it's 8th year, had received a record number of 500+ submissions from around the world. The GIFF programming team narrowed that down to 100 films comprised of shorts, documentaries and feature films.

What to expect at GIFF 2014? Expect nightly parties and full days of screenings starting with the Opening Night VIP Party and Film Screening on Wednesday, March 19th and lasting until the Closing Night Party on Sunday, March 23rd.

Over the five days, you will be immersed in the film industry's culture and glamour while getting the opportunity to see the world premier viewings of many highly anticipated films such as "There's Always Woodstock", "Boys of Abu Ghraib", "The Cold and the Quiet" and "The Black Tape". Check out the full schedule of Shorts, Documentaries and Feature Films: Full 2014 GIFF Schedule

What celebrities will be attending the Gasparilla International Film Festival? It is not announced who will be in attendance but you can be certain there will be some big name actors and actresses in town. Last year, attendees were surprised with the appearance of Colin Farrell. So be sure to get your tickets not just to the film screenings but the nightly parties as well.

It all starts with the glamorous Opening Night Reception & VIP Party at the Tampa Theatre on Wednesday at 5:30pm. "There's Always Woodstock", the opening night feature film will being at 8pm. Doors to the theatre will open at 7:30pm. For tickets to both the Reception and the Film Screening, visit the Full Schedule & Tickets.

Following the film on Wednesday, the Opening Night After Party will take place at Anise Global Gastropub which is just a few blocks from the Tampa Theatre. The party starts at 10pm and is a free event.

Then, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday you will have full days for film screenings taking place between Cinebistro in Hyde Park, Firehouse Cultural Center in Ruskin and Muvico Centro Ybor. Other events will include Educational Panels at the Hillsborough Community College - Ybor Campus, a Celebrity Bartending event at 717 South, Friday Night & Saturday Night After Parties at the CL Space and the Closing Night Party taking place at The Ritz Ybor.

Movie Theaters for GIFF 2014 Screenings:
Tampa Theatre - 711 N Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602
Cinebistro Hyde Park - 1609 W Swann Ave, Tampa, FL 33606
Muvico Centro Ybor - 1600 E 8th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605
Firehouse Cultural Center - 101 1st Ave NE, Ruskin FL 33570

For full details, schedule and previous year's gallery, check out gasparillafilmfestival.com