John Travolta, Quavo, to kick off Tampa’s Gasparilla Film Festival

TAMPA ― The Gasparilla International Film Festival is back for its 17th year and will kick off and conclude the festivities with star power.

The festival, held at venues throughout Tampa, begins March 21 at Tampa Theatre with “Cash Out.” Stars John Travolta, Quavo, Lukas Haas, Natali Yura and Noel Gugliemi will be there.

It then closes on March 24 at Tampa Theatre with “The Invisibles.” Stars Bruce Greenwood and Tim Blake Nelson, plus director Andrew Currie, will attend.

During its four days, the festival will screen 20 feature and 75 short films, host five educational panels and four parties, and welcome more than 50 filmmakers from around the world.

“We believe this is the best lineup yet and will appeal to all film lovers in the Tampa Bay area and those who are visiting from out of town,” said Monica Varner, the festival executive director, in a statement.

“Cash Out,” according to the festival, is about “a suave, debonair world class master-thief at the top of his game. Believing he has pulled off the perfect multi-million-dollar heist and can finally retire, he must first match wits with a sexy FBI investigator.”

And “The Invisibles,” according to the festival, is “the story of a couple facing the end of marriage, when the husband starts to disappear. As he fades from existence, he discovers a new world of people who have disappeared just like him.”

Other highlights include Emmy Award winning restaurateur Billy Dec’s “Food Roots” documentary about his adventures in learning recipes from his last living elders in the Philippines, and “Tuesday” starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, about a mother and teenage daughter confronted by death in the form of a talking bird.

For a full schedule of films and events and ticket information, visit gasparillafilmfestival.com.