The Kodak Theatre it wasn’t, and celebrities must’ve been all busy.

But the Palm Beach International Film Festival’s Oscar party at Palm Beach’s Omphoy Resort — the only officially licensed by the Oscars-organizing Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — did serve its purposes: raise money for next month’s festival, and gather about 230 local movie lovers to watch the award show.

And then some of the guests even dressed up in their favorite characters. Dinner chair and Manalapan party planner Renny Reynolds picked a costume reminiscent of the old TV show The Swamp Fox while the emcee, Florida Stage boss Lou Tyrrell, looked like a dead ringer of painter Salvador Dali. (For Michael Price’s gallery of the event, click here or on the photo)

Kathleen Himes as 101 Dalmatians Cruella DeVil, with Lou Tyrrell as old Sal Dali (Click on the photo for Michael Price's gallery)

This year’s film festival, by the way, is slated for April 22-26 with new personnel, new venues (a return of showings in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens) and a new attitude.

What attitude?

New festival managing director P.J. Layng tells me the festival’s gala, which gathered participants, fans and celebrities at the Boca Resort, won’t be happening this year.

“Too formal,” Layng said, “Galas were too serious. We’ll just have a really good party.”