By Dave Montalbano

VIPs: Al Zucaro, Yvonne Boice, Richard Jenkins, Randi Emerman and Tristan Rogers at Silver Screen Splash. Photo by Rachel Galvin .

The 16th Annual Palm Beach International Film Festival closed their festival with a triumphant note, boasting sell-outs for international movies that were locally screened. With a solid financial foundation, the core team of organizers has weathered the storm and talks are underway for PBIFF 17.

For those suffering from film festival withdrawal, the inaugural Palm Beach International Women’s Festival begins tonight in West Palm Beach and Lake Worth (through the 10th – www.pbwiff.com). Sharon Gless of Cagney & Lacey fame will be honored. One person PBIWF should considering honoring next year would be surfer champion Bethany Hamilton.

Hamilton was the 13-year-old surfer prodigy who lost her arm to a tiger shark. Through sheer will and determination, Hamilton returned to the sport she loved and, within a year, she was honored by ESPN as the “Comeback Player of the Year.”  Recently turning 21, Hamilton still surfs competitively and published “Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family and Fighting to Get Back on the Board.”

It is an inspirational story, one that Hollywood hucksters could easily turn into a maudlin Hallmark Hall of Fame broadcast. Fortunately for the ticket buyer, great care went into this production. Hollywood has produced a pure family movie that will be remembered for many years to come.

Dennis Quaid and Linda Hunt portray Pa and Ma Hamilton, respectively. These cool parents home school their children, which allows Bethany (AnnaSophia Robb) extra time to practice her surfing. After winning a local surfing tournament, Bethany begins to attack corporate sponsors.

Unlike the buildup for Jaws, the shark attack in this movie is a jarring surprise. The sequence is not sensationalistic like Piranha 3-D, but done with realistic urgency. This sequence, along with the climactic surfing sequences, are edited quite well. One can see the action within the frame on screen and it avoids attention deficit disorder editing.

Top billed AnnaSophia Robb carries this film from beginning to end with a restrained performance. In her scenes with Dennis Quaid, these two actors bring a sense of conviction to their discussion about biblical faith. Soul Surfer is a movie about heart and faith, a film about families and for families. It is also one of the best movies released in 2011.

By the way, April 9-17 is the Downtown Boca Film Fest (www.dbff.com).