The Delray Beach Film Festival is already underway, and runs until May 24th. Located in a relaxed, artsy enclave along the picturesque South Florida coast, DBFF screens high-quality independent shorts and feature-length narrative and documentary films, and hosts a variety of panels, workshops, concerts, contests, celebrities, and parties. With Glenn R. Swift as Master of Ceremonies of this year’s festival, Delray Beach will give awards to veteran screen thespian Robert Davi (License to Kill) and Russian actor Alexander Nevsky. This year’s festival promises to be a plethora of film events set in a gorgeous, sublime location. Peruse the online schedule.

Festivals starting this week include:

Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival (May 21-24)

Festivals starting next week include:

Hollywood Black Film Festival (June 2-7): In its 10th year, 2009’s Hollywood Black Film Festival will feature Hey Diddle Diddle, about a former high school Mr. Popular who battles Social Anxiety Disorder in the wake of his class reunion, The Broken Hearts Club, where a leading criminal psychologist sees a new crop of patients comprised primarily of misguided, melodramatic couples, and Afro Samurai: Resurrection, an animated film about skilled swordsman Afro (Samuel L. Jackson) who must retrieve his father’s stolen body and exact revenge upon the grave robbers, led by Lady Sio (Lucy Liu).

Birmingham SHOUT Gay + Lesbian Film Festival of Alabama (May 29-30)

Calaveras International Film Festival (May 30-31)