Filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard once said, "The cinema is truth at 24 frames per second," making slow-mo sports replays and sped-up Benny Hill gags nothing but cruel, cruel lies. Get the real deal with today's Groupon: for $24, you get six tickets to the fifth annual Gasparilla International Film Festival, taking place March 24–March 27 (a $50 value). You can use all six tickets yourself or parse them out to friends and family.

The Gasparilla International Film Festival cinematically entertains and educates the Tampa Bay area with diverse screenings of global, independent, and local films. This year's talkies run the celluloidal gamut across eight film categories and three venues; check out the developing fest schedule here.

Highlights include the burgeoning cult classic The Room (10 p.m. on March 25) and Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, a documentary about the influential ’80s punk-funk band Fishbone (7:30 p.m. on March 25). Luxuriate in the beautifully preserved Tampa Theatre, a 1926 movie palace adorned with architectural flourishes such as an ornate balcony, a Mighty Wurlitzer theater organ, and a star-peppered ceiling featuring hidden constellations of Tom Selleck's mustache.

Audiences can simultaneously digest American bistro-style fare (not covered by this Groupon) and cinematic glory at Cinébistro or kick back at Muvico Centro Ybor 20, a state-of-the-art multiplex nestled in historic Ybor City. Films at Muvico and Tampa Theatre are open to all ages, and all critics or passive viewers should arrive 20–30 minutes ahead of show time to snag a seat.

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