Brooklyn, NY [May, 2008] - The Brooklyn International Film Festival (BiFF)
is proud to announce the film line up for its 11th annual festival, themed
CINERGY.

The competitive event will run from May 30 to June 8th and films will be shown at both the Brooklyn Lyceum Theater (featuring 36 two-hour film programs) and Brooklyn Heights Cinema (featuring 31 two-hour film programs).

Each film selected will be shown twice, at different times/venues. Opening night will be celebrated on May 30th at the Brooklyn Lyceum Theater on Fourth Avenue in Park Slope.

Highlights of US films to be shown include:

Able Danger/US Premiere
Director: Paul Krik
Feature/United States, 2008, 85min

Festival synopsis: Thomas Flynn, the idealist owner of a left-leaning radical cafe-bookstore and the quixotic publisher of a hard-hitting 9/11 conspiracy expose, finds himself entangled with a mysterious Eastern European beauty, Kasia, who is on the run from the architects of a global 9/11 cover-up, in this contemporary take on classic film noir. When Thomas is implicated in the murder of his friend and employee, he's forced to unravel Kasia's complex web of lies while attempting to fight his natural attraction to her. As it turns out, Kasia possesses the smoking gun that proves the identities and methods of the real architects of 9/11, and Thomas is willing to risk everything to expose the truth.

August/East Coast Premiere]
Director: Austin Chick
Feature/United States, 2008, 111min

Festival synopsis: An aggressive young dot-com entrepreneur (Josh Hartnett) struggles to keep his head above water as the market enters a downward freefall through the course of a single year, from August 2001 to August 2002. While most come to terms with the industry woes, the cocky Tom Sterling, owner of Internet company LandShark, remains convinced that his company's products, developed by his brilliant brother (Adam Scott), are still in high demand and are destined to revolutionize the future of business. In his brilliantly crafted sophomore effort, Chick draws spot-on performances all around (including a cleverly cast David Bowie) and perfectly captures the innocence, optimism, and electric anticipation of the rise of e-commerce that enthralled America before the world changed. At its most basic level, "August" is about hubris - about a time when we, as Americans, thought we were untouchable.

The Collective/East Coast Premiere
Director: Judson Pearce Morgan & Kelly Overton
Feature/United States, 2008, 83min

Festival synopsis: In New York City knowing what to believe is never easy. When Tyler Clarke gets a cryptic voicemail from her sister, she is left with no choice but to fly across the country to find out what has happened. But when she arrives, Jessica is nowhere to be found. Alone in an unfamiliar city, surrounded by strangers, Tyler has no choice but to trust the people who call themselves Jessica's new friends. She eventually discovers that her sister has given up the life she was living to join a group that call themselves "The Collective." And now, in order to discover the truth, Tyler must delve into a world of darkness and lies, the underbelly of this spiritually depraved community living in a deconsecrated cathedral. With a cast of Broadway stars, as well as stars of the big and small screens, "The Collective" is a film that will keep you wondering until the final frame...who can you trust?

The Fix/New York Premiere
Director: Tao Ruspoli
Feature/United States, 2007, 93min

Festival synopsis: Racing across Los Angeles in one, unwieldy day, documentary filmmakers Bella and Milo must race from Beverly Hills to Watts--and places in between--in order to get Milo's brother Leo from jail to rehab before 8pm, or Leo goes to prison for three years. A story inspired by true events, the trio documents their trip from a suburban police station in Calabasas through mansions in Beverly Hills, East LA chop-shops, rural wastelands, and housing projects in Watts as they attempt to raise the $5,000 required to get Leo into the rehab clinic. Along the way they encounter dozens of colorful characters, each with their own anomalous perspective on Leo's larger-than-life personality and style, and each with their own excuse for why they cannot help out. In the end, it may take the desperate irony of a drug deal to get the necessary funds to send Leo to rehab.

Crawford/New York Premiere
Director: David Modigliani
Documentary/United States, 2008, 74min

Festival synopsis: What happens to the 705 residents of Crawford, Texas
when George W. Bush moves to town? Shoved into the spotlight for political
stagecraft, their insular town explodes overnight. Droves of tourists buy t-shirts at brand new stores; the high school band plays at the inauguration; their Baptist pastor calls it a miracle. But by 2004, the Iraq war sours and in 2005 the President's problems follow him home in the person of Cindy Sheehan. As 20,000 protesters battle in Crawford's backyards, political conflict mounts in the town itself, pushing a progressive teacher and her best student to the brink -- and beyond. Soon, tourists stop coming; stores get boarded up; Crawford's boom goes bust, like the Presidency itself. Now, through the eyes of Crawford's colorful, dynamic people, comes a funny, dramatic, breakthrough film -- a unique reflection on the Bush era.

On June 1, BiFF will present the 4th annual kidsfilmfest
(www.kidsfilmfest.org) at Lyceum Theater: 1pm-3:30pm

BiFF 2008 Brooklyn Lyceum Schedule:
May 30 / Opening Night: 7pm- 1am
May 31, June 1, June 7, and June 8: five programs a day (2, 4, 6, 8, 10pm)
June 2 through June 6: 3 programs a day (6, 8, 10pm)


BiFF 2008 Brooklyn Heights Cinema Schedule:
May 31, June 1, June 7, and June 8: four programs a day (3, 5, 7, 9pm)
June 2 through June 6: 3 programs a day (5, 7, 9pm)

BiFF was established in 1998 as the first international competitive film
festival in New York. BiFF's primary goal is to connect filmmakers to
distribution companies and expose them to the media. Many films that have
premiered at BiFF in past years went on to be released theatrically and/or
are available at video stores near you.

BiFF will award the winners with prizes totaling over $80,000 in film
services, products, and cash. A single prize of $5,000 cash, the "Diane
Seligman Award", sponsored by Lowel Light, will be given to Best
Documentary.

For full film lineup and general info please visit www.brooklynfest.org

Writer/Director Stewart Wade delighted NewFest audiences in 2006 with his feature comedy debut, Coffee Date. It’s a great pleasure to open our 20th Anniversary festival with his charming second feature, Tru Loved, a thoroughly modern high school romantic comedy.

Sixteen-year-old Gertrude aka "Tru" is a typical high school teenager from an atypical home - she is raised by her two moms, interracial couple Leslie and Lisa, who have just moved to a new town in suburban southern California, while her two dads remain in San Francisco.

At school, Tru catches the eye of Lo, the closeted star quarterback who soon makes a deal with Tru to pretend they are an item. It’s seems like a perfect solution – it keeps Lo’s friends and family from asking too many questions, and it allows Tru to instantly find a place to belong in her new school.

But when Tru befriends picked-upon openly gay student Walter and decides to join him in forming a Gay-Straight Alliance, she falls for GSA member Trevor, a handsome metrosexual who has been raised by his gay uncle. Her new love affair threatens to expose Lo's true desires and standing as big man on campus.

Funny, fresh, and endearing, and featuring breakout performances from its young cast, especially the wonderful Najarra Townsend in the lead, plus appearances by Alexandra Paul, Cynda Williams, Jasmine Guy, Bruce Vilanch, Marcia Wallace, Alec Mapa, Jane Lynch, and Nichelle Nichols, Tru Loved is certain to appeal to all audiences, and is the perfect way to launch this year’s festival!

TRU LOVED has a running time of 99 minutes.

New York, NY – NewFest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Film Festival announced today the program of films and events for the 20th annual festival to be held June 5-15. Opening this year’s festival will be romantic comedy Tru Loved from director Stewart Wade, and closing the festival will be Tom Gustafson’s Were the World Mine.

This year introduces the John Outcalt NewFest Lounge where audiences and filmmakers alike can relax between screenings. The NewFest Lounge will be located at the HK Lounge (523 Ninth Avenue at 39th Street). It will serve as a hub of festival activity, offering daily happy hours and opportunities for festival-goers to meet various media outlets participating in the festival.

Also new this year is the NewDraft Screenplay Competition & Reading Series, which will recognize bright new voices in the LGBT community. The two top screenplays out of five finalists will be announced on Closing Night, with the winners receiving public staged readings produced by NewFest later in 2008 and 2009. All three previous scripts featured in staged readings at NewFest have gone on to be produced, including this year’s closing night film Were the World Mine and Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild, which will screen as part of NewFest as a special work-in-progress event.

As previously announced, the Opening Night Film will be romantic comedy Tru Loved from writer/director Stewart Wade. Tru, raised by lesbian moms and gay dads, starts a Gay-Straight Alliance at her new school, threatening to expose the closeted star quarterback’s biggest secret in this funny, endearing high school comedy featuring breakout performances from its young cast plus appearances by Alexandra Paul, Bruce Vilanch, Alec Mapa, Jane Lynch, and Nichelle Nichols.

The Closing Night Film will be the feature narrative Were the World Mine A Midsummer's Night Dream, which fuels his Technicolor, musical theatre styled daydreams and his crush on a handsome jock who is also cast in the play. When he gets his hands on a magical potion, fantasy and reality collide and bring wonderfully queer Shakespearean revelry to the entire small town community in this audience-award winning production.

directed by NYC’s own Tom Gustafson. Timothy, a cute gay outcast at an all-boys prep school, joins the school production of NewFest will take place from June 5-15 and will be hosted by AMC Loews 34th Street Theater (312 W 34th St. at 8th Ave). Full program, schedule, and ticketing information available online at www.newfest.org.

“It’s remarkable to see how much the festival has evolved over the past two decades,” said Basil Tsiokos, Artistic Director of NewFest. “Each year we strive to improve and expand what NewFest has to offer,” added Kerry Weldon, NewFest’s Administrative Director.

“Especially in a milestone year such as this, we want to bring NYC an even better LGBT film festival than the year before,” Mr. Tsiokos commented. “Along with an extremely strong lineup of films and panels, we’re offering a few brand new special additions to our programming. This year introduces the John Outcalt NewFest Lounge where audiences and filmmakers alike can relax between screenings.”

The John Outcast NewFest Lounge is made possible by the generous support of Andrew R Rosenthal and the William S and Barbara B Rosenthal Family Foundation.

Announces 2008 Winners

June, 2008- The 11th Brooklyn International Film Festival (BIFF) is proud to announce the 2008 Festival winners. The winners were chosen from 102 films shown in competition from May 30-June 8, 2008. The films selected explore political, economical, social, human and philosophical themes, which
emphasize the importance of collaboration, compromise, and unity.

Sciences' 35th Annual Student Academy Award.

Narrative Feature

Screenplay- ILMAR RAAG for THE CLASS

Production- PAUL KRIK for ABLE DANGER

Cinematography- FILIP ZUMBRUNN for OUT OF BOUNDS

Editing- GIORDANO GIULIVI for APOLLO 54

Score- BART WESTERLAKEN for PANMAN, RHYTHM OF THE PALMS

Best Female Actor- MARIE-LUISE SCHRAMM for NOTHING ELSE MATTERS

Best Male Actor- SHAWN ANDREWS for FIX

BiFF was established in 1998 as the first international competitive film festival in New York. BiFF's primary goal is to connect filmmakers to distribution companies and expose them to the media. Many films that have premiered at BiFF in past years went on to be released theatrically and/or are available at video stores near you.

BiFF awarded the winners with prizes totaling over $60,000 in film services, products, and cash. A single prize of $5,000 cash, the "Diane Seligman Award", sponsored by Lowel Light, was given to Best Documentary.

SIFF Official Selection and MyFestival Feature Film Winner:

Perfect Sport: Writer/director Anthony O'Brien takes high school drama to the mat. He stars as high school wrestler Lee Bishop who must compete against his sister Tina's natural talent when she decides to join the boy's team, before personal demons and bigger issues threaten to destroy him. Also starring Jessica Rose (Lonelygirl15) and Harvey Keitel's daughter Stella.

Directed by Anthony O'Brien

SIFF Official Selection and MyFestival Short Film Winner:

Robbie's Withdrawal:When Marcus backs out of Robbie's big day with the baby, she's forced to go it alone.

Directed by John Burish

SIFF & MyFestival Special Recognition Award, Feature:

The Eternal City: For those tired of Paris's claim on the title "City of Love," try Rome. When Jonny arrives from Philadelphia searching for his girlfriend, his destiny becomes intertwined with a filmmaker from New York, a pianist obsessed with her dreams, and a nine-fingered piano tuner. Shot in glittering black and white, The Eternal City is an effervescent Roman holiday.

Directed by Jason Goodman

SIFF & MyFestival Special Recognition Award, Short:

Hot Wind: America's Fallout Casualties: In this harrowing short documentary, director Kirsten Alaqidy investigates the era of nuclear weapons testing at the Nevada Test Site as experienced by the downwind residents of Parowan, Utah.

Directed by Kirsten Alaqidy

Congratulations to all filmmakers who took part in MyFestival!

It was a great success and allowed SIFF film lovers to take part in the festival like never before.

• The Jury Award for Best Original Short Film was given to Still Abtrag by Wolfram Huke.

• La Sangre Tibia del Hombre of Iván García Rodríguez won the Jury's First Prize in the category of full-length film in the National Competition, in which these films also received awards: Atlas Bereber, by Moisés Salama and Sáhara no se Vende, by Joaquín Calderón Jiménez and Luis Arellano Blasco.


Madrid, May 13, 2008 -The general director of Cultural Activities in the Department of the Arts, Manuel Lagos, along with the director of the International Documentary Festival of Madrid Documenta Madrid, Antonio Delgado, announced the winners of this year's festival.

Then, an assessment of this year's competition was given, showing the most diverse offerings in present day documentary film that were brought together in Madrid between May 2 to 11.

The documentary The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories, by the Bulgarian Andrey Paounov and the British film Fairytale of Kathmandu by Neasa Ní Chianáin won the First and Second Prizes of the Jury in the Full-Length Original Documentary category, with monetary awards of 10,000 Euros and 5,000 Euros respectively.

In this same category, the Honorary Award of the Jury -which receives a diploma- was given to the Spanish film Caja cerrada by Martín Solá and the Audience Award went to the film Decile a Mario que no Vuelva by the Uruguayan Mario Handler.

In addition, Stiller Abtrag by the German director Wolfram Huke received the First Prize of the Jury in the Original Short Film Section. The Reporting Competition's First Prize of the Jury was given to the Mexican director Lucía Gajá Ferrer for Mi vida Dentro.

Lastly, in the National competition, the Spanish director Iván García Rodríguez won the First Prize of the Jury for Full-Length films for his film La Sangre Tibia del Hombre. The winning short film in this national category went to Jumate/Jumate by Diogo Costa Amarante.

AWARD-WINNERS
V FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DOCUMENTA MADRID

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY: FULL-LENGTH FILMS

FIRST PRIZE OF THE JURY
THE MOSQUITO PROBLEM AND OTHER STORIES Andrey Paounov (Bulgary)

SECOND PRIZE OF THE JURY
FAIRYTALE OF KATHMANDU, Neasa Ní Chianáin (Ireland - UK)

HONORABLE MENTION OF THE JURY
CAJA CERRADA Martín Solá (Spain)

AUDIENCE AWARD
DECILE A MARIO QUE NO VUELVA Mario Handler (Uruguay)

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY: SHORT FILMS


FIRST PRIZE OF THE JURY
STILLER ABTRAG Wolfram Huke (Germany)

SECOND PRIZE OF THE JURY
LOVE AND WORDS Sylvie Ballyot (France)

HONORABLE MENTION OF THE JURY
FAMILIA 068 Rubén Margalló Acebrón and Tony Edo (Spain)

AUDIENCE AWARD
MIENTRAS ESPERAMOS de Malin Nicader and Lisa Jonsson (El Salvador - Sweden).

REPORTING COMPETITION


FIRST PRIZE OF THE JURY
MI VIDA DENTRO Lucía Gajá Ferrer (Mexico)

SECOND PRIZE OF THE JURY
4 DE JULIO, LA MASACRE DE SAN PATRICIO Juan Pablo Young and Pablo Zubizarreta (Argentine)

HONORABLE MENTION OF THE JURY
XAVANTE STRATEGY Belisario Franca (Brazil)

AUDIENCE AWARD
OVER THE HILL, Sunny Bergman (The Netherlands)

NATIONAL COMPETITION. FULL-LENGTH FILMS


FIRST PRIZE OF THE JURY
LA SANGRE TIBIA DEL HOMBRE Iván García Rodríguez (Spain)

SECOND PRIZE OF THE JURY
ATLAS BEREBER Moisés Salama Benarroch (Spain)

AUDIENCE AWARD
SAHARA NO SE VENDE Joaquín Calderón Jiménez and Luis Arellano Blasco (Spain).

CERTAMEN NACIONAL: CORTOMETRAJES


FIRST PRIZE OF THE JURY
JUMATE/JUMATE Diogo Costa Amarante (Spain)

SECOND PRIZE OF THE JURY
POR MIS HIJOS Aymée Cruzalegui Bazzetti (Spain)

AUDIENCE AWARD
HARRAGA Eva Fernández Manzano and Mario de la Torre Espinosa (Morocco-Spain)

AVID AWARD FOR BEST EDITING
HARRAGA Eva Fernández Manzano and Mario de la Torre Espinosa (Morocco-Spain)

FILMOTECH - FILMOTECH.COM AWARD

THE CAPTAIN, Sebastián Mantilla (Spain)

MARATÓN MC AVID - HP - MARATÓN MC AVID - HP Xpréssate AWARD

EL VUELO DELÁNGEL, Gustavo Vizoso (Spain)

The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival is delighted to announce that this year’s programme includes SEVENTY SIX films from the USA.

This is part of a worldwide selection of over 180 feature films and over 100 shorts from more than 40 countries. The

American FEATURES:

AFTERSCHOOL: Dir, Antonio Campos

AMERICAN TEEN: Dir, Nanette Burstein

ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL: Dir, Sacha Gervasi

ANYWHERE USA: Dir, Chusy (Anthony Haney-Jardine)

BALLAST: Dir, Lance Hammer

BEAUTIFUL LOSERS: Dir, Aaron Rose, Joshua Leonard

BETRAYAL, THE: Dir, Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath

BROTHERS BLOOM, THE: Dir, Rian Johnson

COVER GIRL: Dir, Charles Vidor

EASY VIRTUE: Dir, Stephan Elliott (Co-production with the UK)

EXILES, THE: Dir, Kent Mackenzie

FEATURE, THE: Dir, Michel Auder, Andrew Neel

FRANKLYN: Dir, Gerald Mcmorrow

FROST/NIXON: Dir, Ron Howard

FROZEN RIVER: Dir, Courtney Hunt

CHE (PART 1& PART 2): Dir, Steven Soderbergh (Co-production with Spain and France)

GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON: Dir, Alex Gibney

GOODBYE SOLO: Dir, Ramin Bahrani

HAMLET 2: Dir, Andrew Fleming

LARGO: Dir, Mark Flanagan, Andrew Van Baal

LAST WAGON, THE: Dir, Delmer Daves

MAN TO REMEMBER, A: Dir, Garson Kanin

MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY: Dir, Barry Jenkins

MODERN MUSKETEER, A: Dir, Allan Dwan

MOMMA'S MAN: Dir, Azazel Jacobs

MUST READ AFTER MY DEATH: Dir, Morgan Dews

NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST: Dir, Peter Sollett

NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS: Dir, Joe Swanberg, Greta Gerwig

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST: Dir, Sergio Leone

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED: Dir, Jonathan Demme

RAMCHAND PAKISTANI: Dir, Mehreen Jabbar (Co-production with Pakistan)

RELIGULOUS: Dir, Larry Charles

RR: Dir, James Benning

SECRET LIFE OF BEES, THE: Dir, Gina Prince-Bythewood

SEX POSITIVE: Dir, Daryl Wein

SHOPWORN: Dir, Nick Grinde

SOUL OF YOUTH, THE: Dir, William Desmond Taylor

SOUTH MAIN: Dir, Kelly Parker

SUGAR: Dir, Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK: Dir, Charlie Kaufman

TRESPASSER, THE: Dir, Edmund Goulding

TWO LOVERS: Dir, James Gray

TYSON: Dir, James Toback

VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA: Dir, Woody Allen (Co-production with Spain)

VIRTUE: Dir, Edward Buzzell

W.: Dir, Oliver Stone

WENDY & LUCY: Dir, Kelly Reichardt



American SHORTS:

21 ALLEYS: Dir, Robert Todd

ACQUAINTANCES OF A LONELY JOHN, THE: Dir, Benny Safdie

AQUARIUM: Dir, Rob Meyer
DECONFLICTION: Dir, Edward R. Tyndall

EASTER MORNING: Dir, Bruce Conner

ELLA AND THE ASTRONAUT: Dir, Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck, Robert Machoian

FANTAISIE IN BUBBLE WRAP: Dir, Arthur Metcalf

GOOD BOY: Dir, Davyde Wachell (Co-production with Brazil)

HORIZONTAL BOUNDARIES: Dir, Pat O’Neill

HOW TO CONDUCT A LOVE AFFAIR: Dir, David Gatten

IN THE WOODS: Dir, Paul Vester

KIDS + MONEY: Dir, Lauren Greenfield

LAST DAYS IN A LONELY PLACE: Dir, Phil Solomon

LAST TIME IN CLERKENWELL: Dir, Alex Budovsky

LOSSLESS #2: Dir, Rebecca Baron, Douglas Goodwin

MANHATTA: Dir, Paul Strand Charles Sheeler

MAX'S WORDS: Dir, Galen Fott, Jerry Hunt

MIRACLE OF DON CRISTOBAL, THE: Dir, Lawrence Jordan

MY OLYMPIC SUMMER: Dir, Daniel Robin

NY, NY: Dir, Francis Thompson

PARABLE OF THE TULIP PAINTER AND THE FLY, THE: Dir, Charlotte Pryce

PASS THE GRAVY: Dir, Fred Guiol

PROTECT YOU + ME: Dir, Brady Corbet

RECORDANDO EL AYER: Dir, Alexandra Cuesta (Co-production with Ecuador)

SARABANDE: Dir, Nathaniel Dorsky

SINGING BISCUITS: Dir, Luther Price

SMALL MIRACLES: Dir, Julia Hechtman

TRISTE: Dir, Nathaniel Dorsky

WINTER: Dir, Nathaniel Dorsky

Press release
 

Córdoba, September 16, 2008-ANIMACOR'08, the 4th International Animation Festival of Córdoba, is to be held from November 3rd through 8th and will feature 53 films in its Official Competitive section.

The selection committee made up of such professionals in the sector as Matías Marcos, Juan Antonio Pérez Gama, Manuel Trujillo Mena and the background designer Miguel Ángel Aísa have selected 6 full-length films, 7 TV series and 40 short films.

This year the festival has received a total of 273 films (12 full-length, 23 series and 238 shorts), 24 more than last year. One of the most notable features is the increase in films from Andalusia (2 TV series, 2 full-length films and 13 shorts) and the higher quality of the films received.

With sponsorship from the Córdoba County Offices, the County Consortium for Economic Development, the Office of the Delegate of Culture for the Andalusian Regional Government, the Office of the Delegate of Equality and Social Well-Being - Andalusian Institute of Youth and the Office of the Delegate of Agriculture and Fishing, this year's festival will feature films from different countires: the United States, France, Germany, Mexico, Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Switzerland, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, Russia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Spain. ANIMACOR'08 is committed to making city Córdoba a showcase for international animation with this wide range of cinema.

The cash awards for the Competitive Section this year total 39,000 €, to be divided among three categories: the award for Best Full-length Film worth 12,000 €; the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes for Best Short Film worth 9,000 €, 6,000 € and 3,000 € respectively; and the award for Best Television Series worth 6,000 €. The winners will also receive the "Carrasquito" statue, which is in the shape of the Festival logo.

In addition, the "RTVA Award for Andalusian Audiovisual Creation" will be given, which is sponsored by the RTVA public television channel in collaboration with Obra Social Cajasol, worth 3,000 €, and the "Children's Jury Award for Best Television Series" worth 3,000 € and the "Carrasquito" trophy, to be awarded by the members of the Children's Jury, chosen from among the participants of the "2nd ANIMACOR Children's Story Contest".

Activities for all audiences and for professionals in the sector:

In addition to the strong Competitive Section to be screened at the Filmoteca de Andalucía, ANIMACOR'08 will continue the matinee screenings at the educational centers of Córdoba and throughout the province, which have been very well received by children's audiences. In addition, different Parallel Activities will be held, such as the Animation Workshops for those interested in learning the secrets of the animation world, the Conferences, which will delight animation lovers, and the Special Showings, where the winners of this ninth Festival will be shown, along with the winner of the 2008 Cartoon d'Or, the only European animation award reserved for the winners of the ten best festivals in the genre.

The most recent in Japanese animation will again be featured in one of the festival's most popular sections, which highlights the importance of the numerous films in the genre. To this end, this year's Anime Series will have more programming, including an exhibition and several screenings of important films with comments by experts in the genre.

These activities and screenings will be held at the Filmoteca (Film Archives) of Andalucia in the Palacio de la Merced of the Córdoba County Offices, the official venues of the Festival.

After its success at past festivals, ANIMACOR'08 is organizing the 3rd Countywide Animation Tour again this year in partnership with the Office of the Delegate of Culture of Córdoba and the Office of the Delegate of Culture of the Andalusian Regional Government. This year, the festival is opening up this "animated" tour to an unlimited number of towns in Córdoba wishing to take part.

Lastly, ANIMACOR'08 will also continue with the event that sets it apart from other festivals, the holding of the 3rd Multilateral Forum for Animation Co-producers, for producers and television companies from Spain, Germany, Italy, France and Great Britain during the 5th, 6th and 7th of November.

Moro Studios, a landmark in European animation:
The Barroco Patio of the Palacio de la Merced will also host an interesting exhibition, which will pay tribute to the brothers José Luis and Santiago Moro, representatives of the golden age of advertising in Spain who for fifteen years created such representative icons as the Ruperta, the mascot for the "Un, dos tres" program, and the legendary advertising spot "Vamos a la cama, de La Familia Telerín", which is famous for being one of biggest hits in Spanish television.

is held in TEASERLAND.COM

Teaserland.com is now available. The new website, which will held the First International Festival of Fake Film Trailers, is a joint project by VAS A VER and ACCIÓN MEDIA.

The Festival, directed by Xavi Bru, invites everyone to make a fake trailer of a non-existing film and post it on Teaserland.com from September 23rd.
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The prize, €30.000 to make a short film, will be announced in January 2009 by a jury composed by: Jaume Balagueró (film director), Mirito Torreiro (film critic), Gregorio Belinchón (film journalist) , Esther García (producer), Angel Sala (director of the Sitges International Film Festival of Catalonia) and Manel Vicaría (Vas a ver).

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In this first edition we count on the privileged collaboration of renowned guest directors, such as Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza, J.A. Bayona, Isabel Coixet, Enrique Urbizu, Jose Corbacho, Juan Cruz, Jaime Rosales, Bill Plympton and Raúl García, who received a Sony camera to make their fake trailers off-competition.

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The project will be officially presented on October 4th, within the framework of the Sitges Film Festival, which Teaserland.com is united with. Besides showing the competing trailers, also the exclusive works of the guest directors will be premiered in the presentation.
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www.teaserland.com

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF FAKE FILM TRAILERS

The HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is proud to announce the films, programs and special events which will make up the 2008 season. Now in its 16th year, this East Coast favorite comes to life against the fall back-drop as talent, industry and audiences participate in what has now become one of the leading international film festivals of the world. The 2008 Hamptons International Film Festival runs October 15th through 19th, 2008, in East Hampton, New York with additional venues in Southampton, Sag Harbor and Montauk.

The Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to celebrate independent film and to introduce a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to our audiences. The Festival is committed to exhibiting films that express fresh voices and differing global perspectives, with the hope that these programs will enlighten audiences, provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers and present inspired entertainment for all.

“The process of compiling the slate of films for the 2008 Festival was truly a process of discovery,” says David Nugent, Director of Programming. “The cross-section of films we are seeing this year represent unique and often unheard voices in film. From films made in China, Iran and Denmark, to those made right here in Montauk and East Hampton, I'm excited to be presenting our audiences global perspectives and local voices.”

This year’s Festival features 122 films including - 14 World Premieres, 23 North American Premieres, 18 US Premieres, 15 East Coast Premieres and 15 New York Premieres.

“Our aim this year was to begin to develop long-term partnerships - both here and abroad - in order to solidify the foundation of our festival and to broaden its reach and appeal,” says Karen Arikian, Executive Director. “I think, with this diverse program, and the many international guests we are expecting, we have achieved this goal.”

The heart of the Hamptons International Film Festival has always been its Golden Starfish Award and the films in the competitions for Best Narrative Feature (over $185,000 in goods and in-kind services), Best Documentary Award ($5,000 in cash) and Short Film Award ($5,000 in cash). The Hamptons International Film Festival also awards the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize in Science and Technology ($25,000 in cash); the Kodak Award for Cinematography ($6,000 of goods and in-kind services); the Brizzolara Family Award for Films of Conflict and Resolution ($5,000 in cash); the Zicherman Family Foundation Award for Screenwriting ($5,000 in cash); Best Undergraduate and Graduate Student Films (five $1,000 cash awards); the Heineken Red Star Award; the Lifetime Movie Network Everywoman Filmmaker Award and the ¡Sorpresa! Youth Film Competition (a one-week scholarship to the New York Film Academy); new this year, RoC® Gold Standard Award for Female Feature Director and Caroline’s Comedy Emerging Talent Award ($7,500).

"The dedication and hard work of the entire Hamptons organization continues to be the backbone in creating such a prolific and first-rate event.” - Stuart Match Suna, HIFF Board Chairman.

On Wednesday, October 15th, the Hamptons International Film Festival is proud to open its 16th season with Matt Tyrnauer’s Valentino: The Last Emperor, chronicling the final days of the titular designer’s 45-years at the helm of his fashion dynasty. Tyrnauer’s unprecedented access paints an intimate portrait of a master artist struggling to preserve his craft within a business empire and forced to adapt to the changing pressures of modern commerce.

And to close the 2008 Festival, HIFF is honored to screen the Sony Pictures Classics film SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK (Us Premiere), starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Emily Watson, Hope Davis and Michelle Williams. Phillip Seymour Hoffman leads an ensemble cast as a theater director losing control of both his life and his ambitious production in this directorial debut from Oscar-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich, Adaptation).

Programs and Special Events


A Conversation With…

Each year, the Festival presents A Conversation With… This year the Hamptons International Film Festival is thrilled to announce two conversations. “A Conversation with…” Oscar© Winning actress Frances McDormand (Fargo, Burn After Reading) moderated by Elvis Mitchell and Jacqueline Bisset (Joan of Arc, An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving) moderated by Alec Baldwin. Past guests have included Robert Altman, Gena Rowlands, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and more.



Hamptons/indieWIRE ‘Industry Toast’

Founder and Co-Chairman of Fortissimo Films Wouter Barendrecht will be honored at this year’s Industry Toast: an intimate Festival event celebrating his energy, vision, and acumen, which enhances the industry and propels the art of film to greater heights. Master of Ceremonies, John Cameron Mitchell will join colleagues and friends to raise a glass to Mr. Barendrecht. Past Toastees include: Sony Picture Classics Co-President Marcie Bloom, Picturehouse President Bob Berney and Producer Ted Hope.

Breakthrough Performers:
The Hamptons International Film Festival and OK! Magazine will continue the popular Rising Stars Showcase, welcoming three North American actors to highlight their talents and films at the 2008 Festival. This year the Festival is expanding this program for the first time to officially include three actors from the Shooting Stars program, an initiative of European Film Promotion. In all, six very talented and exciting young actors will be on hand to help light up the screens and adorn the red carpets at the 2008 Hamptons International Film Festival.

Rising Stars (US)
Jake Abel (Flash of Genius), Kate Mara (Stone of Destiny) and Taylor Kitsch (Gospel Hill)

Shooting Stars (Europe)
Hannah Herzsprung (Werther), Maryam Hassouni (Dunya & Desie) and Anamaria Marinca (Boogie)

Once again, we invite Festival-goers to see in advance, and access in depth, the work in independent films that will turn some of today’s finest actors into tomorrow’s stars. The Breakthrough Performers program is directed by Lina Todd.

Golden Starfish Narrative Competition:
· ’77 (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Patrick Read Johnson - with John Francis Daley, Colleen Camp, Austin Pendleton. Part autobiography, part fever-dream, ’77 is the inspired true story of a young man’s cinematic awakening, and a cinephile's delight.

· BOOGIE (Romania, North American Premiere) Dir. Radu Muntean – with Dragos Bucur, Anamaria Marinca, Mimi Branescu, Adrian Vancica. This Romanian film follows a young husband and father of a three year-old on a weekend holiday. When he runs into a couple of high school buddies, Boogie longs to relive his past days of freedom, yet needs to come to terms with his new responsibilities.

· DANCERS (Denmark, North American Premiere) Dir. Pernille Fischer Christensen – with Trine Dyrholm, Anders W. Berthelsen, Birthe Neumann. When dance instructor Annika falls in love with shy electrician Lasse, she begins receiving a series of malicious, anonymous phone calls that slowly reveal her boyfriend’s dark past. Ignoring her mother’s wishes, Annika’s continues with a relationship that potentially threatens her staid, comfortable life.

· MY MOTHER, MY BRIDE, AND I (Germany, US Premiere) Dir. Hans Steinbichler – with Matthias Brandt, Monica Bleibtrau, Maria Popistasu. In the German film My Mother, My Bride and I the loaf-like Erwin, a 41 year old man who has never left his mother’s embrace, takes a young, fawn-like bride in Romania, much to mother’s dismay, and then must decide what he is willing to risk to keep her.

· TROUBLED WATER (Norway/Sweden, North American Premiere) Dir. Erik Poppe - with Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen, Trine Dyrholm, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Trond Espen Seim. Jan Thomas has served his eight year term for the murder of a young boy, and is released back into society a rehabilitated man. He begins to believe that he has truly left his past behind him – but now a boy is missing, and someone has been watching Jan.

· VASERMIL (Israel, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Mushon Salmona – with David Taplitsky, Adiel Zamro, Nadir Eldad. This Israeli drama depicts the lives of disaffected and struggling teenage boys confronting the volatile elements of clashing cultures and generations. When a football coach takes the boys in hand, they learn new meanings for the term ‘streetwise,’ and are confronted with choices that chart the course of their futures.

Golden Starfish Narrative and Shorts Competition jurors include: Elvis Mitchell (Film Critic, Host of “The Treatment”), Chistoph Terhechte (Director of International Forum of New Cinema, Berlin International Film Festival), Victoria Burrows (Casting Director – Burrows / Boland Casting)


Golden Starfish Documentary:

· HERB AND DOROTHY (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Megumi Sasaki. What happens when a librarian and postal worker fall in love with art? They amass one of the most important private collections in the country. Sol LeWitt, Robert and Sylvia Mangold, Chuck Close, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude all celebrate the true story of Herb & Dorothy Vogel.

· LOOT (USA) Dir. Darius Marder. Lance Larson, modern day treasure hunter, sets off on a globetrotting journey to find riches buried over sixty years ago by two WWII veterans. LOOT finds philosophy in these men's stories, and in a journey that becomes far more about life than loot.

· MUST READ AFTER MY DEATH (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Morgan Dews. An unconventional couple made over two hundred home movies, transcribed their telephone conversations and tape recorded many hours of self and family analysis. Morgan Dews has taken all these primary sources and crafted a suspenseful film about the fate of a deeply conflicted, nonconformist American family.

· NURSERY UNIVERSITY (USA, US Premiere) Dir. Marc H. Simon, Matthew Makar. NURSERY UNIVERSITY evokes the world of the elite New York City ‘feeder preschools,’ supposed conduits to the very highest of higher education, as anxious parents, administrators and elementary school admissions consultants sweat out the complex, high-pressure process of the annual gleaning of the preschoolers.

· THE RED RACE (China/Germany, NY Premiere) Dir. Chao Gan. With a keen emphasis on composition and rhythm, Director Chao Gan astutely presents the harsh life of kindergarten-aged gymnasts at China’s Lu Wan District Youth Athletic School, where grueling training and ferocious competition break down children in order to build up the next Olympic champions.

Golden Starfish Documentary Competition jurors include: Claudia Landsberger (Managing Director, Holland Film), Kate Pearson (SVP Programming, The Documentary Channel), Rachel Grady (Director, Oscar Nominated Jesus Camp)


Golden Starfish Shorts:

· EVE (USA, North American Premiere) Dir. Natalie Portman – with Lauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara, Olivia Thirlby. A teenager's purposeful visit to her feisty grandmother is unexpectedly waylaid by the latter’s lively social life.

· FINGERS (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Danny Mooney – with Ben Daniels, Tim Brennen, Hayes Hargrove, Denna Glasser. A softspoken but passionate guitarist hitchhikes from Ohio to Nashville on weekends to play at a hole-in-the-wall bar’s open mic night. Interest from a record executive promises to change his life, but the offer, like so much about this deceptively simple film, is not what it seems.

· GLORY AT SEA (USA) Dir. Benh Zeitlin – with Henry D. Coleman, Chantise Colon, Levy Easterly, Chris Lewis, Geremy Jasper, Mama Jo, Jimmy Lee Moore. Equal parts fairy tale, parable, and classical myth, Benh Zeitlin's widely-lauded GLORY AT SEA is the moving story of a group of bereaved New Orleanians who band together and set sail to reclaim their lost loved ones.

· I AM SO PROUD OF YOU (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Don Hertzfeldt. Dark family secrets cast a shadow over Bill's recovery in this second chapter to 2007's Sundance-award winning short EVERYTHING WILL BE OK.

· JERRYCAN (Australia, US Premiere) Dir. Julius Avery – with Tristan Burke, Walter Currie. It's just another boring, unsupervised day when Nathan and his friends decide to blow something up. From inception to conclusion, the decision will have ramifications that ripple through the young boys' social structure.



Spotlight Films:

· AN OLD FASHIONED THANKSGIVING (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Graeme Campbell – with Jacqueline Bisset, Kristopher Turner, Tatiana Maslany, Helene Joy, Paula Boudreau. A feisty turn of the century teenager, Mathilda Bassett struggles to find herself while also trying to reunite her estranged mother and grandmother. Based on a story by Louisa May Alcott.

· ARN THE KNIGHT TEMPLAR (Sweden, North American Premiere) Dir. Peter Flinth – with Joakim Nätterqvist, Sofia Helin, Stellan Skarsgård, Simon Callow, Bibi Andersson. An epic story of a warrior bound by honor, faith, and an unflinching devotion to his star-crossed lover.

· DOMINICK DUNNE: AFTER THE PARTY (Australia, North American Premiere) Dir. Kirsty de Jarvis and Timothy Jolley – with Dominick Dunne, Graydon Carter, Joan Didion, Griffin Dunne, Robert Evans. Dominick Dunne is a famous story teller who has dedicated himself to chronicling the trials of the rich and powerful, bravely confronting the high and mighty. Who better than a celebrity writer to chronicle the affairs of the rich and infamous?

· GOSPEL HILL (USA) Dir. Giancarlo Esposito – with Danny Glover, Taylor Kitsch, Julia Stiles, Angela Bassett, RZA, Samuel L. Jackson. In the town of Julia, the residents of the black neighborhood of Gospel Hill are being forced out of their homes to make way for a multimillion-dollar golf course.

· LEMON TREE (Israel, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Eran Riklis – with Hiam Abbass, Rona Lipaz-Michael, Ali Suliman, Tarik Kopty, Doron Tavory. A Palestinian woman’s cherished lemon grove is endangered when the Israeli Minister of Defense and his kind-hearted wife move in next door and deem the area unsafe. The two women find themselves reluctantly implicated in a dispute that mirrors the vast complexity of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

· SHADOWS IN THE SUN (UK, North American Premeire) Dir. David Rocksavage – with Jean Simmons, James Wilby, Jamie Dornan, Ophelia Lovibond, Toby Marlow. Jean Simmons plays Hannah, the ailing matriarch of a family on the verge of disintegration. With the help of a mysterious stranger, Hannah is able to offer her descendants another chance at happiness.

· STONE OF DESTINY (Canada/UK, US Premiere) Dir. Charles Martin Smith – with Charlie Cox, Kate Mara, Billy Boyd, Robert Carlyle, Stephan McCole. The true story of four earnest Scottish university students who on Christmas Eve of 1950 undertake one of the most audacious heists of the 20th century: to free the Stone of Destiny—symbol of Scottish sovereignty—from its 650-year imprisonment in Westminster Abbey, and return it to its rightful home.

· SUGAR (USA, East Coast Premeire) Dir. Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck – with Jose Rijo, Walki Cuevas, Algenis Perez Soto, Santo Silvestre. A young Dominican baseball player is recruited to play for an American minor league team in a small town in Iowa. With high hopes, but only minimal knowledge of the USA, he heads to the Midwest to chase his dream and face inevitable challenges.

· THE ARTIST’S EYE: BRUCE WEBER – Many of Weber's classic commercials, music videos, and shorts, alongside a selection of other short form works never before seen by the public.

· THE BLACK BALLOON (Austrailia, US Premiere) Dir. Elissa Down – with Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Gemma Ward, Erik Thomson, Toni Collette. All Thomas wants is a normal adolescence but his autistic brother, Charlie, thwarts his every opportunity.

· THE BROTHERS BLOOM (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Rian Johnson – with Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo. The Brothers Bloom is a whirlwind of action, deception and romance as the best con men in the world swindle millions with complex scenarios of lust, intrigue and the most complex literary-inspired setups imaginable.

· THE GUITAR (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Amy Redford – with Saffron Burrows, Isaach de Bankolé, Paz de la Huerta, Mia Kucan, Adam Trese, Janeane Garofalo. Melody Wilder is haunted by a guitar she admired as a child but was never allowed to own. When she is diagnosed as terminally ill, she buys a guitar, and transforms her personality. THE GUITAR confronts mortality and the unpredictability of life.

· THE RETURN OF THE WAR ROOM (USA) Dir. Chris Hegedus, D A Pennebaker – with Paul Begala, Frank Luntz, Lisa Caputo, James Carville, Dee Dee Myers, Mary Matalin, George Stephanopoulos. Get an inside look at how the hard-hitting Clinton campaign of 1992 forever changed the game of politics.



World Cinema Features:

· A PRESIDENT TO REMEMBER: IN THE COMPANY OF JOHN F. KENNEDY (US) Dir. Robert Drew. Producer Robert Drew continues his legacy of groundbreaking documentary films with this sweeping yet intimate retrospective on John F. Kennedy’s life and career as President of the United States, all captured in the direct “vérité” style that makes his work so immediate and real.

· BLACK ICE (Finland/Germany, North American Premiere) Dir. Petri Kotwica – with Outi Manpaa, Ria Kataja, Martti Suosalo, Ville Virtanen, Sara Paavolainen. Saara, a happily married woman and surgeon, discovers that her husband, an architecture professor, is cheating on her with a student. Saara sets out on the complicated journey to discover the truth – and plotting her revenge.

· CHILDHOODS (US) Dir. Fritz Lang, Orson Welles, Jacques Tati, Jean Renoir, Alfred Hitchcock, Ingmar Bergman. In homage to filmmaking greats Fritz Lang, Orson Welles, Jacques Tati, Jean Renoir, Alfred Hitchcock and Ingmar Bergman, CHILDHOODS pieces together a fictionalized story from the early years of each.

· DUNYA & DESIE (Netherlands, North American Premiere) Dir. Dana Nechustan – with Eva van den Wijdeven, Maryam Hassouni, Christine van Dalen, Theo Maassen. Eighteen year-old girlfriends Dunya and Desie could not seem more different - one a reserved Moroccan from a traditional Muslim family, the other a Dutch native sporting skimpy clothes and mistaking sex for true love. This entertaining road movie explores cross-cultural identity in a shrinking world. Also, the Netherlands entry for Foreign Language Oscar Film.

· EMPTY NEST (Argentina/Spain/France/Italy, US Premiere) Dir. Daniel Burman – with Oscar Martinez, Cecilia Roth, Arturo Goetz. Bored playwright Leonardo must battle his indifferent children, the urge to be unfaithful and more, in this comedic twist on love, lust and the mysteries of marriage.

· HARVARD BEATS YALE 29-29 (USA, US Premiere) Dir. Kevin Rafferty – with Tommy Lee Jones, Brian Dowling, Frank Champi, Vic Gatto, J.P. Goldsmith. Forty-two seconds to go, Harvard is down by fifteen points, it's the last game of the season and both teams are undefeated. Follow along in this documentary with original commentary, as well as insightful and funny interviews from actual players as Harvard Beats Yale.

· HAZE (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Pete Schuermann - Haze tells the story of Llynn Gordie Baily, who died during a fraternity initiation event. The epidemic of college alcohol abuse is examined – and the hidden culture of extremism and violence that goes along with it.

· LUKE AND BRIE ARE ON A FIRST DATE (USA, North American Premiere) Dir. Chad Hartigan – with George Ducker, Meghan Webster, Keegan DeWitt. Luke and Brie are a young couple embarking on that all-important first date. Throughout the night, earnest Luke does his best to defend his big night from a who’s who of interlopers, hoping that his charm and wit will help him win the girl in the end.

· MOSCOW, BELGIUM (Belgium, US Premiere) Dir. Christophe van Rompaey – with Barbara Sarafian, Jurgen Delnaet, Johan Heldenbergh, Anemone Valcke, Sofia Ferri. This Belgian import features a romantic triangle between Matty, a world-weary mother of three, her charming but philandering husband, and the hot-tempered, younger truck driver. An unlikely, but very winning romantic comedy.

· THE END OF AMERICA (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg. In this profound and eye-opening film, Award-winning documentarians Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg accompany Naomi Wolf as she discusses America’s dangerous passage towards a society of fear and surveillance, and chronicles her journey to raise awareness about our threatened democracy.

· ONE DAY YOU’LL UNDERSTAND (France/Germany, US Premiere) Dir. Amos Gitai – with Jeanne Moreau, Hippolyte Girardot, Emmanuelle Devos, Dominique Blanc. Jeanne Moreau stars as Rivka, the elegant, elusive mother who refuses to dwell on the past, and Hippolyte Girardot as Victor, the son whose obsession with it threatens to unbalance his life.

· OUR CITY DREAMS (USA, North American Premiere) Dir. Chiara Clemente – with Swoon, Ghada Amer, Kiki Smith, Marina Abramovic, Nancy Spero. A portrait of five women artists who span different decades and represent diverse cultures - but who all work and live in New York City today.

· PICASSO AND BRAQUE GO TO THE MOVIES (USA, US Premiere) Dir. Arne Glimcher – with Martin Scorsese – narrator, Julian Schnabel, Chuck Close, Lucas Samaras, Eric Fischl. Arne Glimcher's documentary introduced and co-produced by filmmaker Martin Scorsese – examines the work of Pablo Picasso and George Braque, in the light of how strongly the new technology of the motion picture influenced their work.

· SLEEP DEALER (USA/Mexico) Dir. Alex Rivera – with Luis Fernando Pena, Leonor Varela, Jacob Vargas. In this political take on the cyberpunk genre, Mexico is cut off from the United States. In virtual reality, workers pilot machines that not only construct buildings—but also patrol borders and fire guns at humans.

· SONG OF SPARROWS (Iran, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Majid Majidi. In this tale set in Iran, Karim works on an ostrich farm and lives contentedly in a small house with his wife and three children. When a runaway ostrich flies the coop, Karim unsuccessfully tries to lure the bird back by roaming the desert in a self-fashioned ostrich costume.

· TERRIBLY HAPPY (Denmark, North American Premiere) Dir. Henrik Ruben Genz – with Jakob Cedergren, Kim Bodnia, Lene Maria Christensen, Lars Brygmann. When exiled Copenhagen cop Robert Hansen encounters the seductive Ingelise during a stint as a constable in a rural village, he becomes preoccupied with rescuing her from her brutish husband, even if it means sinking to the level of the local frontier justice in this dark comic thriller.

· THE BEETLE (Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Yishai Orian. Yishai adores his 40-year-old VW Beetle, even though it barely moves over the hills of Jerusalem. Through interviews with the vehicle’s former owners, cultural politics and personal stories merge into a fond tribute to the iconic car.

· THE ENGLISH SURGEON (UK, NY Premiere) Dir. Geoffrey Smith – with Henry Marsh, Igor Kurilets, Marian Dolishny. Dr. Henry Marsh, a world renowned brain surgeon, deals not only with lack of help and medical supplies in the villages of the Ukraine, but also with his conscience – and very human limitations - as he struggles to save lives.

· THE ROAD AHEAD: THE FIRST GREEN LONG MARCH (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Ryan Wong. In China, as in many places, the cause of environmental protection needs a lot of help. The key is awareness, and the youth movement at the core of this documentary film is determined to overcome attitudinal, bureaucratic, economic and generational obstacles as they spread their message.

· THE WRESTLER (USA) Dir. Darren Aronofsky – with Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood. Master filmmaker Darren Aronofsky triumphs with this stunning and quintessential portrait of an aging professional wrestler struggling to come to terms with his life’s choices at the twilight of his career.

· TWO LOVERS (USA, North American Premiere) Dir. James Gray – with Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Isabella Rossellini, Elias Koteas. Leonard lives at home with his parents in Brooklyn. He goes from being lonely and forlorn to suddenly being torn between two lovers, one chosen for him by his parents, and one who comes into his life out of nowhere and changes it forever.

· WERTHER (Germany, North American Premiere) Dir. Uwe Janson – with Stefan Konarske, Hannah Herzsprung, Aaron Hildebrandt, David Rott, Fritz Roth. A film adaptation of the most passionate, perhaps also the most dangerous traditional text in the German language, about the struggle for uncompromising love.

· WHAT NO ONE KNOWS (Denmark, North American Premiere) Dir. Soren Kragh-Jacobsen – with Anders W. Berthelsen, Maria Bonnevie, Ghita Norby, Marie Louise Ville, Henning Jensen. At mid-age, Thomas is a mess— an unhappy bumbler, but when his sister dies suddenly, Thomas makes the mistake of asking questions, and stumbles into a tangle of personal and political secrets. What seemed routine family dysfunction leads to discoveries of sinister doings at the highest levels.



Films of Conflict and Resolution in Competition:

· FOR MY FATHER (Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Dror Zahavi – with Shredi Jabarin, Hili Yalon. Terek is a young Arab traveling to be a suicide bomber in Tel Aviv, but everything changes when his bomb doesn’t function.

· HEART OF FIRE (Germany/Italy, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Luigi Falorni – with Letekidan Micael, Solomie Micael, Seble Tilahun, Daniel Seyoum, Mekdes Wegene. In Heart of Fire, director Luigi Falorni interprets the dramatic true story of Senait G. Mehari coming of age as a child soldier during the Eritrean civil war.

· SNOW (Bosnia/ Herzegovina/Germany/France/Iran, US Premiere) Dir. Aida Begic – with Zana Marjanovic, Jasna Ornela Bery, Sadžida Šetic, Vesna Mašic,. When a government delegation comes to a quiet Bosnian town four years after the war, offering the villagers money for their land, the locals find it hard to abandon their homes and the memories they hold so dear.

· WHEN CLOUDS CLEAR (Ecuador/USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Danielle Bernstein – with Robinson Piedra Cultid, Polivio Perez, Marcia Ramirez. When Clouds Clear follows the struggles of Ecuadorian farmers as they try to protect their land against copper-mining companies.

· THE HEART OF JENIN (Germany/Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Marcus Vetter and Leon Geller. In 2005, twelve year old, Ahmed Khatib is shot and killed when an Israeli soldier mistakes his toy gun for a real weapon. Ahmed’s father is then faced with the choice of donating his son’s organs for the benefit of other sick children.



Conflict and Resolution Competition jurors include: Giulia d’Agnolo Vallan (Author, US Programmer, Venice Film Festival), Carsten Siebert (Executive Director, Byrd Hoffman Water Mill Foundation & Robert Wilson), Bob Aaronson (Director of Acquisitions and Distribution at Netflix)



Films Of Conflict And Resolution Out Of Competition:

· FOUR SEASONS LODGE (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Andrew Jacobs – with Hymie Abromowitz, Carl Potok, Olga Bowman, Aron Adelman, Genya Boyman. In the quiet Catskill Mountains there is a community where Holocaust survivors have been gathering for decades, a place to get away and be surrounded by people who share a past full of pain and a yearning to enjoy the days that remain.

· KASSIM THE DREAM (USA) Dir. Kief Davidson. This is the story of Kassim "The Dream" Ouma, born in Uganda, kidnapped by the rebel army and trained to be a child soldier at the age of 6. His fight for survival would take him all the way to the boxing world championships and more

· TAKING ROOT: THE VISION OF WANGARI MAATHAI (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Lisa Merton. This inspirational documentary follows the life and work of Wangari Maathai, the first environmentalist and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.



Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Award:­

For the 9th consecutive year, the $25,000 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Prize in Science and Technology for a feature-length film that explores science and technology themes in fresh, innovative ways and depicts scientists and engineers in a realistic and compelling fashion will be presented at the Hamptons International Film Festival.



This years recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan award is Marc Abraham’s, FLASH OF GENIUS, a Universal Pictures release, written by Philip Railsback, based on the New Yorker article by John Seabrook and starring Greg Kinnear, Alan Alda, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney and Jake Abel (one of this year’s HIFF Rising Stars). Based on the true story of a college professor and part-time inventor Robert Kearns' (Greg Kinnear) long battle with the U.S. automobile industry, FLASH OF GENIUS tells the tale of one man whose fight to receive recognition for his ingenuity would come at a heavy price. But this determined engineer refused to be silenced, and took on the corporate titans in a battle that nobody thought he could win.



The Hamptons/Sloan feature Film Prize comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s program in public understanding of science and forms part of a broader effort to stimulate leading artists in film, television, and theater to create more credible works about science and technology. The program aims to enhance people’s lives by providing a better understanding of the increasingly scientific and technological environment in which we live. It also strives to convey some of the challenges and rewards of the scientific and technological enterprise, and of the lives of the men and women who undertake it.



Israel at 60

This year, the Hamptons International Film Festival will celebrate Israel's 60th Anniversary with a program focusing on films and filmmakers from contemporary Israel. LEMON TREE (Israel, East Coast Premiere) directed by Eran Riklis, will be the Opening Night Film of the Israel at 60 Program, and East Hampton's Vered Gallery will host a Israel at 60 Reception following the film. Other films in the program include THE BEETLE (Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Yishai Orian; FOR MY FATHER (Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Dror Zahavi; ONE DAY YOU’LL UNDERSTAND (France/Germany, US Premiere) Dir. Amos Gitai; THE HEART OF JENIN (Germany/Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Marcus Vetter; VASERMIL; (Israel, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Mushon Salmona.

Also part of the program, the Festival will be presenting the game PeaceMaker, an interactive video game inspired by real events in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. PeaceMaker™ offers Hamptons festival-goers the opportunity to practice leadership skills and sustain peace in the Middle East by way of a virtual setting, and game makers Asi Burak and Eric Brown will attend the festival to offer tutorials and game tips. Additionally, the Israel at 60 filmmakers, game makers and invited guests will participate on a panel to to discuss the current state of the film and media industry in contemporary Israel.


THE ARTIST’S EYE:

We are pleased to inaugurate this new annual program by honoring legendary artist, filmmaker, and Montauk native Bruce Weber. The Hamptons is privileged to showcase some of Weber's classic commercials, music videos, and shorts, alongside a selection of other short form works never before seen by the public. The screening will be followed by an intimate conversation between Weber and Rajendra Roy, Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of the Department of Film at the Museum of Modern Art and former Hamptons Film Festival Artistic Director to discuss his past and upcoming films (including his long-awaited documentary on Hollywood's epitomical iconic bad-boy Robert Mitchum) in an intimate conversation sure to be as revelatory as his work itself.

As a visual artist, Weber's work has been exhibited in over 60 gallery shows and museums around the world, and his photographs are in the permanent collections of London's Victoria and Albert Museum as well as in the Photography Division of the City of Paris. Weber is perhaps best known for his popular, much-imitated advertising campaigns for brands like Calvin Klein, Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, and Abercrombie & Fitch, and for his award-winning music videos for Chris Isaak and the Pet Shop Boys. Weber is also the director of 10 short and feature films, earning awards from the International Documentary Association, and an Academy Award nomination for his classic documentary on jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, LET'S GET LOST.

Films For Families: Sponsored by The Hallmark Channel, this fun-filled program great films that the whole family can enjoy together! ’77 Dir. Patrick Read Johnson; AN OLD FASHIONED THANKSGIVING Dir. Graeme Campbell; FLASH OF GENIUS – Dir. Marc Abraham STONE OF DESTINY Dir. Charles Martin Smith; THE BEETLE (Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Yishai Orian; Youth Media and Children’s Shorts.

View From Long Island: This popular section presents a group of films made by filmmakers from the area, highlighting the wealth of creativity and film resources on Long Island. HAZE Dir. Pete Schuermann; NURSERY UNIVERSITY Dir. Marc H. Simon & Matthew Makar; PICASSO AND BRAQUE GO TO THE MOVIES Dir. Arne Glimcher; THE ARTIST’S EYE: BRUCE WEBER and East End Shorts.

To The Point: Women Telling Stories through Media: This is a joint venture of the Hamptons International Film Festival and New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT). In its fifth year, this series of shorts honors women’s voices and visions through film — narratives, documentaries, animated and experimental and video. No more than 20 minutes long, these works explore the unique, personal stories of women — past, present, and future.


Gray Matter Shorts

NEXT FLOOR (Canada, NY Premiere) Dir. Denis Villeneuve; RESOLUTION (Russia, North American Premiere) Dir. Pavel Oreshnikov; STAND UP (UK, North American Premiere) Dir. Joseph Pierce; SWEETS (Korea, US Premiere) Dir. Lee Soo-kyung; THE ADVENTURE (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Mike Brune; THE SCAVENGERS (Canada, US Premiere) Dir. Cory Bowles.



Comedy Shorts

CUTE COUPLE (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Courtney Moorehead Balaker; FANTAISIE IN BUBBLEWRAP (USA) Dir. Arthur Metcalf; GOLDTHWAIT FAMILY HOME MOVIES (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Bobcat Goldthwait; HOW I LEARNED TO LOVE RICHARD GERE (UK, World Premiere) Dir. Detsky Graffam; OKTAPODI (France) Dir. Julien Bocabeille, Fraçois-Xavier Chanioux,Olivier Delabarr, Thierry Marchand, Quentin Marmier & Emud Mokhberi; UNREEL SPORTS (Canada/USA, US Premiere) Dir. Adam Brodie; PATH (USA) Dir. E.S. Frushtick.



East End Shorts

A RELATIONSHIP IN FOUR DAYS (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Peter Glanz; IT WAS A DARK AND SILLY NIGHT (New Zealand/USA) Dir. Steven-Charles Jaffe; SECOND GUESSING GRANDMA (USA) Dir. Bob Giraldi; THE MUFFIN TOP (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Gloria Dios; TWIN LENSES (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Nina Rosenblum; OUT HERE IN THE FIELDS (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Alec Hirschfeld.



Children’s Shorts

ACADEMANIA (USA) Dir. Gina Guerrieri; A SUNNY DAY (Germany) Dir. Gil Alkabetz; ED MEETS HIS MAKER (USA) Dir. Larry Sarezky; HOT DOG (USA) Dir. Bill Plympton; LAST TIME IN CLERKENWELL (USA) Dir. Alex Budovsky; PAPIROFLEXIA (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Joaquin Baldwin; ROJO RED (Colombia) Dir. Juan Manuel Betancourt; SLEEPING BETTY (Canada) Dir. Claude Cloutier.



NYWIFT Shorts

FLASHBACK (Sweden, North American Premiere) Dir. Linnea Widén; FLYING LESSON (USA) Dir. Rosane Chamecki, Andrea Lerner, Phil Harder; FORGET MY NAME (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Julia Kots; JUST A MINUTE (Canada, World Premiere) Dir. Allison Beda; LOVE YOU MORE (UK, North American Premiere) Dir. Sam Taylor-Wood; RE-SPITE (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Annette Apitz; THE PIG (Denmark, US Premiere) Dir. Dorte Hoegh.



Documentary Shorts

ANNE AND THE REVEREND (France, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Francois Uzan; PASSAGES (Canada, US Premiere) Dir. Marie-Josee Saint-Pierre; WE SAW SUCH THINGS (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. James Ponsoldt and Amy Seimetz.



Shorts Before Features

ALL SAINTS DAY (USA) Dir. Will Frears; BEGINNING FILMMAKING (US) Dir. Jay Rosenblatt; BLOG STALKER (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Todd Rohal; ONE BRIDGE TO THE NEXT (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Kim Snyder; PAINTS ON CEILING (USA, North American Premiere) Dir. Jeremiah Zagar; SLAPPER (UK, North American Premiere) Dir. Chiwetel Ejiofor; THE GRAFFITI IF MR. TUPAIA (New Zealand, US Premiere) Dir. Christopher Dudman; UNBROKEN (Germany, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Jolanka Hoehn; VOYAGE D’AFFAIRES (France, World Premiere) Dir. Sean Ellis; WHAT WOULD THE DROP KNOW ABOUT THAT (Germany, NY Premiere) Dir. Jan Zabeil; WAIT FOR ME (USA) Dir. Ross Kauffman.



Conflict & Resolution Shorts

NEW BOY (Ireland) Dir. Steph Green; THE BRIDGE (Austria, US Premiere) Dir. Haris Bilajbegovic; WITH A LITTLE PATIENCE (Hungary, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Laszlo Nemes.



Descriptions and synopses of short films are available on the web-site and the festival catalogue. For further information on the 2008 Hamptons International Film Festival please visit www.hamptonsfilmfest.org.



Undergraduate and Graduate Student Film/Video Awards:

· AMERICAN DREAM (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Joseph Mann. When selling lemonade fails to solve her family’s financial woes, young Laura decides to use the cover of a school field trip to rob the local savings and loan.

· CLOUDED (USA) Dir. Ajae Clearway. A classic coming-of-age story takes a powerful turn when Sean’s struggle to understand who he really is explodes the lie that goes to the core of his being, his relationship with his father, and his future as a man.

· ONE MORE GAME WITH YOU (USA, North American Premiere) Dir. Ryan Parma. When John falls in love with a badminton champion, he can’t seem to find the words to speak to her. So he tries singing.

· ROSALIE (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Nicholas Berger. More than 200 feet below sea level, in the desert community of Slab City, a beautiful and mysterious woman built a library out of found objects.

· THE HOLLOW TREE (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Patrick Steward. Two orphaned children and their fantastical journey in a magical forest.



Youth Media Program: Curated by Maria Marewski and Emily Bennison through the Children’s Media Project since 1999, The Youth Media Program brings the creative perspectives of videomakers from across the globe to the Hamptons International Film Festival. Although the young people who have created the videos in this Program may well be the videomakers of the future, we celebrate that they are also the videomakers of today in their own right.



Cinematography Master Class

Master cinematographer Ellen Kuras, an unprecedented three-time recipient of Sundance Film Festival's Best Dramatic Cinematography Award, will hold an in-depth discussion on the art of creating cinema. This intimate event provides both filmmakers and film aficionados with a rare view into the creative process. This event is free and open to the public.

Kuras’ work includes: SWOON, Tom Kalin's acclaimed independent film, Isaac Mizrahi's UNZIPPED, Mary Harron's I SHOT ANDY WARHOL, and Spike Lee's Oscar-nominated 4 LITTLE GIRLS, as well as his features SUMMER OF SAM, and BAMBOOZLED. She was DP on Rebecca Miller's ANGELA and THE BALLAD OF JACK & ROSE, Ted Demme's BLOW, and Harold Ramis' ANALYZE THAT starring Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal. More recent films include ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND and BE KIND REWIND directed by Michel Gondry, HEART OF GOLD, the Neil Young concert film and LOU REED'S BERLIN. She is currently shooting Sam Mendes' film MIDDLEMARCH. THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON) is her directorial debut.
Festival Panels



Alfred P. Sloan Screenplay Reading - Book of Water by Bradford Tatum (standing on fishes, Salt), a participant in the HIFF/Sloan 8th Annual Screenwriters' Lab this past May. Directed by Jay Anania (2006 Festival Attendee with Day On Fire - starring Olympia Dukakis and HIFF Rising Stars Carmen Chaplin and Noah Fleiss), Book Of Water combines historical fact with a vibrant magical realist style to tell the story of the life of Leonardo da Vinci.



Breakthrough Performer Roundtable - Join the international group of Rising and Shooting Stars in an informal and intimate discussion about the craft of acting, how the process compares in different countries, and what their experiences were with each of their films in the 2008 Festival.



Israel at 60 – Join the participants of this year’s Israel at 60 Program to discuss contemporary Israeli film and media. Participants include Eran Riklis, director of Lemon Tree, and Asi Burak, co-creator of the video game PeaceMaker™. Moderated by Nancy Buirski, Documentary Producer and Founder of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.



Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Discussion of is Marc Abraham’s FLASH OF GENIUS - Join director Marc Abraham for an in-depth discussion and viewing of clips from our Sloan award winning film Flash of Genius.



Ticket Information:

Passes and tickets can be ordered on-line through the festival website, www.hamptonsfilmfest.org - or through the new East Hampton Box Office location at Design Within Reach - 30 Park Place, East Hampton. Tickets by phone 1-888-329-6877.

Founders Pass $1200; Spotlight Package $350, Southampton Package $150, Film Discovery Package $100,Opening Night Package $100, Closing Day Package $50, Opening Night party $75; Saturday Night Filmmakers’ Reception $75, A Conversation With - $25; Spotlight Films $25; Panel Discussions $10; Films $15; Early Bird Screenings $12, Children 12 and under $8.

Festival Venues:
United Artists Theatres - 30 Main Street, East Hampton

Southampton Regal Cinema - 43 Hill Street Southampton

Montauk Movie - 3 Edgemere Road Montauk

The Ross School - 18 Goodfriend Drive, East Hampton

Bay Street Theatre - Corner of Bay & Main (on the Long Wharf, opposite the Windmill), Sag Harbor
Gurneys Inn - 290 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk

Panel Discussions - Alison Restaurant at The Maidstone Arms - 207 Main Street, East Hampton

Festival Headquarters& Press Office - The Huntting Inn - 94 Main Street, East Hampton

Filmmaker & Industry Lounge, Turtle Crossing 221 Pantigo Road



Presenting Sponsors: American Airlines and Altour International.

Major Sponsor: Saunders Associates.

Host Sponsor: The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Patron Sponsors: RoC Skincare, Heineken, Fox 5 New York, OK! Magazine, The Hallmark Channel, Silvercup Studios, IndieWire.

Founding Sponsors: WVVH, Hampton Jitney.

Contributing Sponsors: Kodak, Lifetime Movie Network, Indiepix, Nespresso, A&E Indie Films and Traditional Home Magazine.

GSA Sponsors: Arenson Props, Feature Systems, Gotham Sound, Greenburg Traurig, LLP, Hamptons Locations, HomeNYC/Postfactory, Indiepay, JFA Film Production Accounting, K/A/S Lighting, Kits & Expendables, Liman Video Rental, Mark Forman Productions, Mechanism Digital, Motion Picture Enterprises, Inc., On Location Education, Panavision, Qube Cinema, Refinery New York, Wits End Group Inc., Writers Bootcamp.

The Nantucket Film Festival is issuing a call for entries for their 14th Annual Festival, running June 19-21, 2009.

Submissions for their annual screenplay competition are due Friday, March 13, 2009. The late deadline for film submissions is Tuesday, March 31st, 2009.

Extended deadlines for both screenplays and films are available online. For submission forms please visit www.nantucketfilmfestival.org

Previous winners of the screenplay competition include 2002 recipient Down to the Bone by Debra Granik, which went on to be included in the 2004 Sundance Film Festival; 2007 recipient Peck by Marc Arneson, which recently filmed starring Marcia Cross; and 2006 recipient Cold Souls by Sophie Barthes, which stars Paul Giamatti and was acquired by Samuel Goldwyn as it played on the festival circuit. Ms. Barthes first met Mr. Giamatti at NFF, which is where she presented the script to him.

The NFF® was founded in 1996 to spotlight screenwriters, screenwriting and storytelling in today's cinema. The festival takes place the third week of June on the idyllic island of Nantucket, MA. Now in its fourteenth year, NFF® has become a prestigious annual event within the international film industry. The festival is a significant attraction that draws over ten thousand attendees, screenwriters, producers, agents and development executives each year.

The 11th Annual Regal Entertainment Group SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL will get underway on Friday evening March 27, 2009 and run through Sunday, April 5, 2009. The Festival will be presented at Sarasota’s Hollywood 20 Cinemas with Opening Night at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, Closing Night Tribute at the Sarasota Opera House, screenings and conversations at the Historic Asolo, and other area venues.

This year’s Festival will present over 160 narrative, documentary and short films from the U.S. and around the world throughout the 10-day event. There will be the acclaimed programs Sarasota audiences have embraced over the years such as the “A Conversation With…” series held at the Historic Asolo Theater; Tribute Awards, film competitions in the narrative, documentary and short film categories – and, of course, audience award competition in all categories; our award-winning Outreach and Education Programs; and there will be three exciting new sidebars – the Green Cinema Now! Program and two retrospective presentations - Being Hal Ashby: Mind of A Hollywood Rebel and Environmental Spaces: Christo and Jeanne-Claude On Film. And, of course, there will be the events, soirees and glamorous parties that the Sarasota Film Festival does so well.

Tickets for individual films go on sale to the general public on Friday March 13 at 11:00 AM at the Festival Box Office, 1991 Main St, in Downtown Sarasota. Tickets are also available on the Festival website at www.sarasotafilmfestival.com.

“As we enter our second decade of providing the best film programming, special guests, events and parties to our Sarasota audience,” stated SFF President Mark Famiglio, “we thank you for sharing our passion with us all these years and welcome you to continue on our amazing journey. We have over 160 films, new industry partnerships, as well as those already forged or being strengthened in our West Coast community, our award-winning Outreach and Education program, the conversations, panels and just good old festival excitement. We have worked hard to make this year’s Festival much more accessible to our audience, by reducing selected ticket prices to expanding our programming to appeal to our diverse Sarasota community.”

"We look forward to sharing our Festival program with the terrific Sarasota audience,” stated Director of Programming Tom Hall. “We hope that members of the community will join us to celebrate these films and the artists who created them. This year's program features a broad spectrum of ideas, issues and stories and we're excited for audiences to discover them during this year's festival."

The Opening Night Film of the 11th Sarasota Film Festival will be director Oren Moverman’s The Messenger, starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton and Jena Malone. The Messenger, winner of the Silver Bear for Screenwriting at the recent Berlin Film Festival, is a timeless story of military brotherhood and service and examines universal themes of hope, redemption and the resilience of the human spirit. The film is a deeply moving tale about the complex and unexpected ways people reach out to one another to gain strength, and offers a unique and inspiring vision that deftly balances strong emotions with humor, compassion and empathy. Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson and Oren Moverman are expected to attend.

In a written statement, the U.S. Army endorsed the film by saying "The United States Army began its support of the feature film The Messenger by working on the script with the writers and director. Once the script was accurate in the portrayal of the military, LTC Paul S from the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, Los Angeles Branch, was assigned the mission of working on the production as the Military Technical Advisor. The producers, actors and director met with Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs personnel in Alexandria, Virginia and also visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center in order to make certain the portrayal of all military personnel were accurate and responsible. In addition, the production filmed for one week at Fort Dix, New Jersey where they used actual military personnel as extras. In doing so, they were able to add an authenticity to the film not seen in non-DOD/US Army supported projects. The Messenger is a powerful portrayal of military personnel who perform the function of Casualty Notification Officers."

The Sarasota Film Festival will dedicate this special opening night screening of the acclaimed drama The Messenger to the honor of active duty and retired service men and women and their families. Because the themes of this powerful drama honor the service of our men and women in uniform, the festival will be partnering with the filmmakers and MacDill Air Force Base to host over 400 members from all four branches of our armed forces as our special guests for this screening.

In addition, veterans from all branches of the service and will be offered a special 25% discount (in person, at the festival’s Box Office at 1991 Main St.) to attend for what promises to be a powerful salute to our soldiers past and present. The festival will be offering the opportunity for members of the community to donate tickets and "Send a Solider To Opening Night" For each ticket donated, the SFF will "match" with a complimentary ticket for a soldier. Information on how to "Send a Solider To Opening Night" can be found online, and this ticket will be available online at www.sarasotafilmfestival.com and at our Box Office starting March 13, 2009.

SFF’s Closing Night Film will be Every Little Step directed by Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern. Every Little Step is the story of the smash hit musical “A Chorus Line,” from its humble beginnings in Michael Bennett’s workshop to the new Broadway production of the show, featuring young dancers and actors following their own dreams of landing a role on The Great White Way. Much like the play itself, backstage rivalries, personal intrigues, histories and hopes mingle with the chance to dance and the film is there every step of the way, from the first auditions to Opening Night on Broadway. A glittering example of the power of Broadway to inspire dreams, Every Little Step is one singular sensation.

This year, the Sarasota Film Festival will present three exciting Sidebar Programs.

Being Hal Ashby: Mind of A Hollywood Rebel. One of the brightest lights of American cinema in the 1970’s, Hal Ashby is remembered for producing an unprecedented collection of films that defined a generation. Born in Ogden, Utah in 1929, Ashby followed his dream to California where, as a young man, he learned the craft of film editing, culminating in an Oscar for Film Editing in 1967 for his work on Norman Jewison’s classic In The Heat Of The Night. Soon after, with Jewison’s encouragement, Ashby made his directorial debut with the 1970 film The Landlord, starring Beau Bridges. Before his tragic and untimely death in 1988, Ashby went on to make over a dozen films of remarkable diversity, warmth and grace.

Ashby’s influence on the cinema has been profound, inspiring generations of filmmakers and artists who continue to shape the future of the movies. It is with tremendous pleasure that we honor the late Hal Ashby with a program featuring a retrospective of the director’s most important work, including the World Premiere of a never-before-seen Director’s Cut of the film Lookin’ To Get Out, presented in a newly re-mastered Hi-Definition print, and an evening’s salute to the Ashby’s life and career featuring some of the Director’s most important collaborators at our Tribute event on Saturday, April 4, 2009 at The Sarasota Opera House.

Among Hal Ashby’s films that will be screened throughout the 2009 SFF are: Harold And Maude; Shampoo; The Last Detail; The Slugger’s Wife; Bound For Glory; The Landlord; Lookin’ To Get Out; Coming Home and Being There.

The Festival is also proud to partner with author Nick Dawson on the launch of his new biography, Being Hal Ashby: Life Of A Hollywood Rebel. Mr. Dawson will be on hand to sign copies of his book and will be our moderator for the Tribute.

Environmental Spaces: Christo and Jeanne-Claude On Film. The Sarasota Film Festival presents a complete retrospective of the films documenting the work of the acclaimed artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, beginning with Michael Blackwood’s Wrapped Coast (1969) through to Wolfram Hissen’s Along U.S. 50 (2009), a World Premiere screening of a film in progress that documents the ongoing work to complete the Over The River project. Christo and Jeanne-Claude will attend the festival’s closing weekend.

“Our projects are discussed and argued about, pro and con, before they are realized,” they say. “To understand our work one must realize what is inherent to each project. However there is an important difference between our works of art and the usual architecture and urban planning, we are our own sponsors and we pay for our works of art with our own money, never accepting any sponsors.”

The films of the work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude presented at the Sarasota Film Festival include: Along US 50; Christo And Jeanne-Claude; Christo In Paris; Dem Deutsche Volke: Wrapped Reichstag 1971-1995; The Gates; Islands; Running Fence and Umbrellas. The Shorts Include: Christo’s Valley Curtain; Wrapped Coast; Wrapped Trees and Wrapped Walkways.

The Sarasota Film Festival is proud to announce the Green Cinema Now! program for our 2009 edition. This program is a collection of films and discussions that deal with issues and activism surrounding the environmental challenges that face our community, our nation and our planet.

Presented in partnership with The Video Project (www.videoproject.com), this program will feature 6 films in our main festival program, including Food Inc.; Upstream Battle; Burning The Future; Crude; Taking Root: The Vision Of Wangari Maathai; and The End Of The Line. 10 short films will be available during the festival on our website, each with a unique message about our environment and each with a call to action for activism that continues long after the film has ended. Visit www.sarasotafilmfestival.com beginning March 25, 2009 to view a complete selection of shorts. In conjunction with the Green Cinema Now! Program, filmmaking activist Steve Michelson and filmmaker David Novack (Burning The Future) will moderate a panel on how to create and build long-term campaigns and calls to action around environmental filmmaking. The panel is free and open to the public.

Among this year’s Special Events are:

Luncheon Under The Banyans on Friday, April 3, 2009. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. The lush, tropical beauty of the idyllic Marie Selby Botanical Gardens sets the stage for SFF to showcase the life and work of our selected honoree Regal Entertainment Group’s Career Achievement Award winner, Bill Paxton. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Selby Gardens Children’s Rainforest Project.

In Conversation With Bill Paxton at the Historic Asolo Theater on Friday, April 3, 2009. Bill Paxton’s career spans from his gut-busting performance as Chet in Weird Science through to his major roles in Twister; Titanic and Apollo 13. Already one of the top-grossing box-office performers of all time, Paxton also stars in HBO’s “Big Love,” one of the network’s most popular series. Join us for an evening of conversation with one of the cinema’s most compelling actors.

In Conversation With Christo and Jeanne-Claude at the Historic Asolo Theater on Saturday, April 4. At the artist’s request, this event will be a direct dialogue between the artists and the audience about the art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Though not required, guests are encouraged to explore the artist’s work and see the retrospective of films playing at the festival in order to fully participate in this discussion.

World Cinema Film & Celebration on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 with screening at the Hollywood 20 and Celebration following at the Sarasota Bayfront. Join World Cinema Event Chairman – David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox - for our World Cinema Film & Celebration. The film Sugar, directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, focuses on the world of American minor league baseball and a young Dominican pitcher Miguel “Sugar” Santos who thinks that he has what it takes to achieve the major league dream. Following the film, the Celebration, a breezy Caribbean-inspired evening, will take place at the Sarasota Bayfront. This celebration benefits the Sarasota City Parks Foundation and contributes toward the construction of a shade structure for the Bayfront Children’s Playground.

Sarasota Film Festival’s 2009 Filmmaker Tribute on Saturday, April 4, 2009 at the Sarasota Opera House. This Gala event at the Sarasota Opera House will honor the late director Hal Ashby. The festival will be creating a tribute film in Mr. Ashby’s honor, and an on-stage conversation about his life and work will follow. Among those expected in to honor Hal Ashby are David Carradine, Illeana Douglas, Norman Jewison, Jon Voight and the director’s daughter, Leigh MacManus. In addition, the festival will be handing out our filmmaking awards and honoring other special guests in attendance.

And this year, we have a special In Performance… with TJ and Dave on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at the Historic Asolo Theater. Winners of numerous awards in New York City and Chicago, TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi are improvisational performers who improvise a unique one-hour play each time they take the stage; no two performances, stories or characters are the same twice! Join us as they bring their unique performance to the Historic Asolo in support of their new film, Trust Us, This Is All Made Up, and be prepared for a true once in a lifetime experience.

The 2009 SFF Feature Film Competition Program

The Sarasota Film Festival, in partnership with the companies Film Movement and First Run Features, is thrilled to present our very first feature film competitions that carry distribution prizes. The eight films in the Best Documentary Competition will compete for a US Distribution deal with First Run Features, the acclaimed North American distributor of daring independent, foreign and non-fiction films. The Best Narrative Feature winner will receive an offer for US Distribution from Film Movement, the full-service North American distributor of critically acclaimed and award-winning independent and foreign films.

The 2009 Sarasota Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Award, Presented by Film Movement and BAMcinematek features eight films in competition: Adela by Adolfo Alix Jr.; Children of Invention by Tze Chun; Française by Souad El-Bouhati; The Maid by Sebastián Silva; The Man Who Loved Yngve by Stian Kristiansen; Nurse.Fighter.Boy by Charles Officer; Prince Of Broadway by Sean Baker and You Won't Miss Me by Ry Russo-Young.

The winning film receivesa DVD/VOD/Educational/Television and "first look" theatrical offer from Film Movement. In addition, the film will be screened in New York at BAMcinematek, presented by the Sarasota Film Festival and Film Movement. The Jury for the 2009 Sarasota Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Award, Presented by Film Movement and BAMcinematek includes: Rebecca Conget, Film Movement; Adley Gartenstein, Film Movement; and Mike Maggiore, Film Forum.

The 2009 Sarasota Film Festival Best Documentary Feature Award, Presented by First Run Features consists of eight films in competition: 21 Below by Samantha Buck; Blood Trail by Richard Parry; Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be The Same by Jody Lee Lipes; Letters To The President by Petr Lom; Loot by Darius Marder; Old Partner by Chung-Ryoul Lee; Over The Hills And Far Away by Michel O. Scott; Winnebago Man by Ben Steinbauer.

The winning film receives a DVD/VOD/Educational/Television and "first look" theatrical offer from First Run Features, and a screening in the Fall 2009 “Stranger Than Fiction” line-up, held at the IFC Center in Manhattan. Jury members for the SFF documentary competition include: Florence Almozini, BAMcinematek; Karina Longworth, Spout.com; Marc Mauceri, First Run Features.

The 2009 Sarasota Film Festival Audience Award for Best Short Film, Presented by Cinetic Rights Management. The winning filmwill receive a standard Cinetic Rights Management offer for VOD from Cinetic Rights Management, presented by CRM’s Matt Dentler.

In addition to these above current partnerships, the Sarasota Film Festival is partnering with Indiepix as the Official DVD and Download Partner of the 2009 Sarasota Film Festival. The Sarasota Film Festival website will be launching an online DVD store on March 25th, 2009. DVDs of Official Selections from past Sarasota Film Festivals will be available for purchase on the site, as well as films recommended by the festival.

2009 SFF Films:
All film descriptions are available in the 2009 SFF catalogue and/or online at www.sarasotafilmfestival.com.

21 Below (USA), directed by Samantha Buck. Best Documentary Feature Competition.

Adela(Philippines), directed by Adolfo Alix Jr. Best Narrative Feature Competition.

African Underground: Democracy In Dakar(USA, France, Senegal), directed by Magee McIlvaine, Chris Moore, Ben Herson. Documentary Feature (youthFEST).

Along U.S. 50 (2008) (USA), directed by Gebrüder Hissen. Documentary Feature (Christo and Jeanne-Claude Retrospective). Preceded by Wrapped Trees (1998).

Art & Copy (USA), directed by Doug Pray. Documentary Feature.

Ashes of American Flags: Wilco Live (USA), directed by Brendan Canty, Christoph Green. Documentary Feature.

Beeswax(USA), directed by Andrew Bujalski. Narrative Feature.

Being There(USA), directed by Hal Ashby. Narrative Feature (Hal Ashby Retrospective).

Blood Trail(UK), directed by Richard Parry. Best Documentary Feature Competition.

Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be The Same(USA), directed by Jody Lee Lipes. Best Documentary Feature Competition.

Bound For Glory (USA), directed by Hal Ashby. Narrative Feature (Hal Ashby Retrospective).

Boy Interrupted(USA), directed by Dana Perry. Documentary Feature.

The Burning Plain(USA), directed by Guillermo Arriaga. Narrative Feature.

Burning The Future(USA), directed by David Novack. Documentary Feature. .

Children of Invention(USA), directed by Tze Chun. Best Narrative Feature Competition.

Christo & Jeanne-Claude (1995) (USA), directed by Michael Blackwood. Documentary Feature (Christo and Jeanne-Claude Retrospective).

Christo In Paris (1990) (USA), directed by Albert and David Maysles, Susan Frömke. Documentary Feature (Christo and Jeanne-Claude Retrospective). Preceded by Wrapped Walkways (1978).

Coming Home (USA), directed by Hal Ashby. Narrative Feature (Hal Ashby Retrospective).

Crude (USA), directed by Joe Berlinger. Documentary Feature (Green Cinema Now!).

D-Tour (USA), directed by Jim Granato. Documentary Feature.

Dem Deutschen Volke: Wrapped Reichstag 1971-1995 (1996) (France, Geremany), directed by Wolfram and Jörg Daniel Hissen. Documentary Feature (Christo and Jeanne-Claude Retrospective).

Egon & Donci (Hungary), directed by Adam Magyar. Animated Feature (youthFEST)

The End of the Line (UK), directed by Rupert Murray. Documentary Feature (Green Cinema Now!).

The English Surgeon (UK), directed by Geoffrey Smith. Documentary Feature.

Every Little Step(USA), directed by Adam Del Deo and James Stern. Closing Night Film.

Examined Life (Canada), directed by Astra Taylor. Documentary Feature.

The Extraordinary Journey of Fernando Bujones (USA), directed by Israel Rodriguez. Documentary Feature.

The Family Jams (USA), directed by Kevin Barker. Documentary Feature.

Food Inc. (USA), directed by Robert Kenner. Documentary Feature (Green Cinema Now!)

Française (France/ Morocco), directed by Souad El-Bouhati. Best Narrative Feature Competition.

The Gates (USA), directed by Albert and David Maysles, Antonio Ferrera. Documentary Feature (Christo and Jeanne-Claude Retrospective). Christo, Jeanne-Claude and Antonio Ferrera in attendance

Girl From Monaco (France), directed by Anne Fontaine. Narrative Feature.

Goodbye Solo (USA), directed by Ramin Bahrani. Narrative Feature.

Gotta Dance (USA), directed by Dori Berinstein. Documentary Feature.

Harold and Maude (USA), directed by Hal Ashby. Narrative Feature (Hal Ashby Retrospective).

Herb and Dorothy (USA), directed by Megumi Sasaki. Documentary Feature.

Hounddog (USA), directed by Deborah Kampmeier. Narrative Feature.

Infinite Space: The Architecture of John Lautner (USA), directed by Murray Grigor. Documentary Feature.

Invisible Girlfriend (USA), directed by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin. Documentary Feature.

Islands (1987) (Canada), directed by Albert and David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin. Documentary Feature (Christo and Jeanne-Claude Retrospective). Preceded by Wrapped Coast (1969).

Julia (Belgium, France, USA), directed by Erick Zonca. Narrative Feature.

Kimjongilia (France, USA), directed by N.C. Heikin. Documentary Feature.

The Landlord (USA), directed by Hal Ashby. Narrative Feature (Hal Ashby Retrospective).

The Last Detail (USA), directed by Hal Ashby. Narrative Feature (Hal Ashby Retrospective).

Lemon Tree (France, Germany, Israel), directed by Eran Riklis. Narrative Feature.

Letters To The President (Canada, Iran), directed by Petr Lom. Documentary Feature.

Lightbulb (USA), directed by Jeff Balsmeyer. Narrative Feature.

Lion's Den (Argentina, South Korea, Brazil), directed by Pablo Trapero. Narrative Feature.

Lookin' To Get Out (Director's Cut) (USA), directed by Hal Ashby. Narrative Feature (Hal Ashby Retrospective).

Loot (USA), directed by Darius Marder. Best Documentary Feature Competition.

Making Our Own (USA), directed by Adrianne Jorge. Documentary Feature.

The Man Who Loved Yngve, (Norway), directed by Stian Kristensen. Best Narrative Feature Competition.

The Messenger (USA), directed by Oren Moverman. ­Opening Night Film.

The Missing Person (USA), directed by Noah Buschel. Narrative Feature.

Moon (UK), directed by Duncan Jones. Narrative Feature.

Night And Day (South Korea), directed by Hong Sang-soo. Narrative Feature.

No Kidding, Me Too! (USA), directed by Joe Pantoliano. Documentary Feature.

Nurse.Fighter.Boy (Canada), directed by Charles Officer. Best Narrative Feature Competition.

Old Partner (South Korea), directed by Chung-Ryoul Lee. Best Documentary Feature Competition.

Once More With Feeling (USA), directed by Jeff Lipsky. Narrative Feature.

Only(Canada), directed by Ingrid Veninger and Simon Reynolds. Narrative Feature (youthFEST).

Over The Hills And Far Away (USA), directed by Michel O. Scott. Best Documentary Feature Competition.

Paris 36 (France, Germany, Czech Republic), directed by Christophe Barratier. Narrative Feature.

Pressure Cooker (USA), directed by Mark Becker and Jennifer Grausman. Documentary Feature, (youthFEST).

Prince of Broadway (USA), directed by Sean Baker. Best Narrative Feature Competition.

A Quiet Little Marriage (USA), directed by Mo Perkins. Narrative Feature.

Revanche (Austria), directed by Götz Spielmann. Narrative Feature.

Rough Aunties (UK), directed by Kim Longinotto. Documentary Feature.

Rudo Y Cursi (USA, Mexico), directed by Carlos Cuarón. Narrative Feature.

Rumba (Belgium, France), directed by Dominique Abel. Narrative Feature.

Running Fence (1978) (USA), directed by Charlotte Zwerin, Albert Maysles and David Maysles. Documentary Feature (Christo and Jeanne-Claude Retrospective). Preceded by Christo's Valley Curtain (1972).

The Sari Soldiers (USA), directed by Julie Bridgham. Documentary Feature.

Say My Name (UK, USA), directed by Nirit Peled. Documentary Feature.

Shampoo (USA), directed by Hal Ashby. Narrative Feature (Hal Ashby Retrospective).

Sita Sings The Blues (USA), directed by Nina Paley. Narrative Feature.

The Slugger's Wife (USA), directed by Hal Ashby. Narrative Feature (Hal Ashby Retrospective).

Somers Town (UK), directed by Shane Meadows. Narrative Feature.

Sorry, Thanks (USA), directed by Dia Sokol. Narrative Feature.

St. Nick (USA), directed by David Lowery. Narrative Feature.

Stingray Sam (USA), directed by Cory McAbee. Narrative Feature.

Sugar (USA), directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck. Narrative Feature. ..

Summer Hours (France), directed by Olivier Assayas. Narrative Feature.

Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai (USA), directed by Alan Dater and Lisa Merton. Documentary Feature (Green Cinema Now!).

That Evening Sun (USA), directed by Scott Teems. Narrative Feature.

Theater Of War (USA), directed by John Walter. Documentary Feature.

Three Blind Mice (Australia), directed by Matthew Newton. Narrative Feature.

Tokyo Sonata (Japan, Netherlands, Hong Kong), directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

Narrative Feature.

Tony Manero (Chili, Brazil), directed by Pablo Larrain. Narrative Feature.

Treeless Mountain (USA, South Korea), directed by So Yong Kim. Narrative Feature.

Trust Us, This Is All Made Up (USA), directed by Alex Karpovsky. Documentary Feature.

Tulpan (Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Russia, Poland, Germany), dircted by Sergei Dvorstevoy. Narrative Feature.

Tyson (USA), directed by James Toback. Documentary Feature.

Umbrellas(1994) (USA), directed by Henry Corra, Grahame Weinbren and Albert Maysles. Documentary Feature (Christo and Jeanne-Claude Retrospective).

Upstream Battle (Germany), directed by Ben Kempas. Documentary Feature (Green Cinema Now!).

VSPRS Show and Tell (Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Netherlands), directed Sophie Fiennes. Documentary Feature.

The Way We Get By (USA), directed by Aron Gaudet. Documentary Feature.

We Live In Public (USA), directed by Ondi Timoner. Documentary Feature.

The Window (Argentina, Spain), directed by Carlos Sorin. Narrative Feature.

Winnebago Man (USA), directed Ben Steinbauer. Best Documentary Feature Competition.

The World We Want (USA), directed by Patrick Davidson. Documentary Feature (youthFEST).

You Won't Miss Me (USA), directed by Ry Russo-Young. Best Narrative Feature Competition.

Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love (USA), directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. Documentary Feature.

Additionally, the Festival will present approximately 40 short films in the regular shorts programs and 16 short films for children and families as part of youthFEST. Titles and descriptions are available in the catalogue and website – www.sarasotafilmfestival.com.

Outreach & Education Programs

The breadth and depth of the Sarasota Film Festival's Outreach and Education Program is unprecedented. Our mission is to inspire, educate, and entertain the community through curriculum in FREE filmmaking, film critique, and movie screening programs. More than a dozen youth and senior programs, some revised and some brand new, have been designed and put into motion for this year's festival and are expanding into year-long operation with the Florida Film Consortium.

This year's youthFEST will reach thousands of community students with over 20 short and feature films and the Hollywood Nights Student Cinema Showcase, a youth event to remember! FREE FAMILY FILMS! Admission is free for all youthFEST family film selections for those 12 years-old and under.

Hollywood Nights Student Cinema Showcase

Sunday, March 29 from 5:00pm - 8:30pm, Whole Foods Market

Films, Performances, Awards, and more!

A celebration of the start of the 11th Annual Sarasota Film Festival starring community students, this is a classic night complete with screenings, red carpet award ceremonies, in-the-spotlight paparazzi photography, hor’devours, and glamorous entertainment! The night kicks-off with screenings of the selections for the Young Filmmakers Showcase, Kids Reel Life Studio, Reel Life Studio: SARASOTA, and Kids Jury Best Family Short Film, followed by Youth Screenwriters Circle performances, awards ceremonies, and an unbeatable party! Don't miss the glitz and glamour of the Sarasota Film Festival's first annual all-inclusive young filmmaker celebration!

Youth Screenwriters Circle LIVE!

Monday, 30 March 2009, 7:00pm, Goldstein Cabaret Theatre

Following the Hollywood Nights Student Cinema Showcase, join SFF for a FREE evening of entertainment featuring all Youth Screenwriters Circle screenplays performed by local actors!

Presented by Florida Studio Theater, Phoenix Academy, Anythis Arts, and The Florida Film Consortium

‘In Focus’ Programs

The Kids Reel Life Studio Documentary Program introduces the art of storytelling and filmmaking to elementary school students as they create a documentary that will highlight a particular aspect of the 2009 Festival. Reel Life Studio SARASOTA brings together aspiring high school filmmakers to capture and share a unique view of their hometown.

‘Through The Lens’ Programs

The Youth Screenwriters Circle invites student writers into the film community through comprehensive screenwriting workshops. The Kids Jury and Classroom Critic programs allow middle school students to become an integral part of the festival's film review process. Students will view and review films, vote on film awards, and learn about critical film analysis and the language of cinema along the way.

‘…And Action!’ Programs

Filmmakers Spotlight brings filmmakers from around the world into high school and college classrooms for screenings and discussions about experiences in the film industry. The Kids VIP Trip facilitates weekday field trips for K-12 students where they will view special selected programs and learn about media and cultural literacy.

Virtual Cannes

“Throw your Tux on over your shorts and enjoy!” (Tom Garrett, Director of Special Initiatives.)

SFF members, students, and the Sarasota community can be a part of this year's Cannes Film Festival (May 13th – May 24th, 2009) with this interactive exhibit. Showcased in local venues, the 24-hour all-access satellite coverage from Virtual Cannes will include daily workshops, panels, press conferences, photo calls, and Red Carpet screenings. While the program is underway in Sarasota, a handful of lucky student interns will be hosted at the festival in France.

The Outreach and Education Program continues its expansion into the community by the formation of The Florida Film Consortium. The FFC’s mission is to both appreciate and advance independent film and filmmaking through the fortification of the budding statewide film community. The Consortium seeks to reinforce Florida's commitment to involvement, exploration, and education in the Arts. Some of the organization’s many offerings include: yearlong community partnerships, event sponsorships, programs and workshops, youth, senior and special needs outreach, and project development support.

On the slate for Summer 2009 are several one-week and four-week student filmmaker camps, as well as in-house curriculum development for schools that would like to focus more on the media arts. The FFC will also sponsor conferences for the film and media industry, making Sarasota and the State of Florida a destination hub for professionals from around the world.

SFF Panels: Florida -The First Hollywood…Shawn C. Bean writer and film historian reveals one of show business’s best-kept secrets: that it was the humble cattle town of Jacksonville, Florida, not glitzy Hollywood, California, that served as America’s first filmmaking capital in the early 20th century. Museum Of Motion Picture History With Richard Lariviere, Director…An exploration of the museum’s collection, one of the most comprehensive available and consisting of over 10,000 artifacts.

Breaking In Acting, A Workshop For Young People…Panel on the "how to's and don’ts" w/film and commercial casting agents and young actors. Anatomy Of A Locally Shot Feature Film…Discussion of films made in and around the Sarasota area, from Hollywood productions to independent projects. The Future Is Unwritten: Following The Money And What’s Next For The Independent Film Producer…The state of the economy has had a profound impact on film production. This panel is a discussion of producing film in this environment. Red One Camera Demo W/ Cinematographer…The RED camera system is unlike any other piece of technology available to the industry and will change the way you think about cinematography. Regional Stories, Indigenous Voices: The New Global Cinema…As filmmakers travel the nation and the globe, new stories are emerging from communities and cultures not traditionally represented on the big screen. KODAK Presents: Stop By. Shoot Film…You'll talk with a top cinematographer, learn how to use a 16mm camera and film, then shoot your own scene - all in under two hours! Following the event, we'll send you a DVD of your footage, so you can see for yourself what film quality means. Called To Action: Building Activist Campaigns Around Cause-Driven Films…This panel will focus on the development of activist campaigns around films from the conception of a project and selection of a subject through to online calls to action and grassroots organizing. Environmental And Wildlife Documentary Filmmaking For Young People…Local wildlife documentarians Daryl Saffer & Diane Mason. Florida Production Coalition Roundtable…Panel of Florida Film Professionals from Miami to Tallahassee discuss the State of film production in Florida and their recent “Rally in Tally” to lobby for re-instatement of Florida film tax incentives.

The Sarasota Film Festival has received international acclaim for its Festival Galas & Parties, and this year won’t be any different. Opening Night Film & Gala, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Don’t miss the first film screening of the Festival and the opportunity to mingle with the cast and other luminaries at the Opening Night Gala. Enjoy a magical evening filled with music, cocktails and fabulous hors d’oeuvres, while Sarasota Bay provides the stunning backdrop for dancing under the stars and other spectacular surprises. Hollywood Nights Student Cinema Showcase, Historic Asolo Theater. Films, Performances, Awards, and more! Starring students from the community film program, this is a classic evening complete with student screenings, a red carpet award ceremony, paparazzi, hors d’oeuvres, and glamorous entertainment! World Cinema Celebration, Sarasota Bayfront. Following the screening of our spectacular World Cinema film, Sugar, join the Chairman of World Cinema, Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz, down by the bay for a breezy Caribbean-inspired evening. Soak up the gentle air while sampling tropical-style cuisine. Relax and mingle or cha-cha and mambo the night away! This celebration benefits the Sarasota City Parks Foundation and contributes toward the construction of a shade structure for the Bayfront Children’s Playground. Luncheon Under The Banyans, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. The lush, tropical beauty of the idyllic Marie Selby Botanical Gardens sets the stage for SFF to showcase the life and work of our selected honoree Regal Entertainment Group’s Career Achievement Award winner, Bill Paxton. Enjoy an exquisite lunch paired with excellent wines at this beautiful oasis – a perfect day and a perfect way to pay homage to one of the most distinguished artists of our day. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Selby Gardens Children’s Rainforest Project. Night Of A Thousand Stars, Michael’s on East. Dance, dine and mingle with the stars and filmmakers at this favorite high-energy festival event, and help celebrate the Festival’s cinematic delights. Filmmaker's Tribute, Sarasota Opera House. Each year, the Sarasota Film Festival honors cinema’s greatest stars at The Filmmaker’s Tribute event, the centerpiece of our annual Festival. This year, the Sarasota Opera House plays host as we hand out the awards to our winning filmmakers. The evening features a cocktail party for our special guests, followed by an evening of entertainment, film, and conversation that is not to be missed. Late Night Wrap Party, Ceviche. After an evening of filmmaker tributes and awards, celebrate another successful year at Florida’s and one of the nation’s premier festivals. Join the stars one last time to enjoy tasty tapas, cocktails and dance into the night.

Lead Sponsors:Amicus Foundation Inc, Famiglio Family Foundation, Florida Film Consortium, Longboat Key Club & Resort, Michael’s On East, Regal Entertainment Group; Major Presenting Sponsors:At Large Inc, Brighthouse, Copytalk, SNN6, Tampa Bay On Demand; Co-Presenting Sponsors:ABC 7, Canvas Café, Ceviche, Comcast, European Goddess Margo Bohati Design, Heineken( Official Beer Sponsor of the Sarasota Film Festival), JJ Taylor, Lexjet, Leiter Group, Libby’s, Marina Jack, O’Leary’s, Sarasota Magazine, Scene Magazine, SRQ Magazine, The Observer, Trinity Digital / Graphics, US Tent Rental, Inc, WUSF; Granting Organizations: AMPAS, City of Sarasota, Arts Council, Publix.

The 11th Annual Sarasota Film Festival opens Friday night, March 27th, and runs through Sunday, April 5th, 2009. The 10-day Regal Entertainment Group Sarasota Film Festival has grown into one of the leading film festivals in North America. Our Mission is to celebrate the art of filmmaking and the contribution of filmmakers by hosting an international film festival and developing year-long programs for the economic, educational and cultural benefit of our community. The Festival supports and encourages the filmmaker by supplying indispensable networking opportunities and open dialogue with knowledgeable, creative and inquisitive consumers of film. The Festival attracts audiences from local, national, and international markets as well as promotes Sarasota, Manatee and surrounding Gulf Coast communities as cultural centers which contribute to the financial and cultural success of our region.

Fans and followers of the 5th annual San Francisco Women’s Film Festival will get a piece of the action this year with the introduction of Indie-fest, the online screening competition sponsored by IndieFlix.com.

Indie-fest is the first interactive voter-based program of its kind to hit the global film festival circuit and IndieFlix.com CEO Scilla Andreen is thrilled to bring it into its second year with SFWFF.

"SFWFF is a festival of discovery, celebration and unwavering support of independent film. We're very happy to be kicking off the new year at one of the best women centric film festivals in the world," says Andreen, "This is a dream I have had since the day we launched IndieFlix - let the people have a voice about what plays in our theaters from the festivals to the multiplex."

Indie-fest, debuted last year at Seattle Int'l FF and the list of festivals participating in Indie-fest is growing. Soon viewers will be able to watch films playing at festivals all over the world all year long.

What is Indie-fest?
Indie-fest online film competition is the American Idol of independent film. It is free for the audience to watch and vote; choosing the winning filmmaker to receive cash awards, theatrical screenings and preferred distribution deals.

IndieFlix developed the Indie-fest concept of screening programmed films in competition utilizing the web as a venue for the festival and letting the audience choose which feature deserves to win the cash prize.

SFWFF Indie-fest viewing and voting is live March 13th and polls close March 29th at midnight. Watch and vote at http://www.indie-fest.com/SFWFF

About IndieFlix.com
IndieFlix.com (Seattle, WA) was founded in 2005 by 2 award-winning filmmakers and is a trusted independent film distribution and discovery site founded on the principles of community, promotion, syndication and transparency with the emphasis on marketing and filmmaker relations. IndieFlix allows independent filmmakers to non-exclusively sell their films while keeping their rights. Our growing library now stands at 1000+ titles with worldwide rights. IndieFlix bridges the gap between the growing festival audience and independent film. [www.IndieFlix.com]

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[Story by Jennifer M. Wood | Published July 31, 2009]-Depending on the era in which one grew up, what is “cool” can be a very different thing. But whether you watched James Dean on the big screen, were introduced to cinema through Quentin Tarantino or believe that great movies begin and end with Michael Bay, “cool” cinema takes us beyond the expected, captures the zeitgeist and changes the way we view the films that come along for us afterward.

The same can be said for the 25 film festivals profiled below. With the help of hundreds of independent moviemakers, festival directors and fest attendees, we scoured the world to identify more than two dozen fests that are creating a truly unique film festival experience (for moviemakers and festival-goers).

ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL
ANN ARBOR, MI • www.aafilmfest.org• Even the best programming can’t save an imperfect screening venue. “The biggest reason for the ‘coolness’ of AAFF,” according to executive director Donald Harrison, “is its home base: The historic Michigan Theater… The quality of projection—both in the 1,700-seat movie palace and its state-of-the-art, 200-seat screening room—is world-class.”

BIG APPLE FILM FESTIVAL
NEW YORK, NY • www.bigapplefilmfestival.com •
With the glut of NYC festivals, it’s easy to get lost in the mix. But BAFF is creating a niche all its own by focusing “primarily on the New York film community,” says founder Jonathan Lipp. An event for independents, BAFF “plays the films that you hope people will get to see, but worry that they won’t be able to—specifically the ones I have been in,” says actor Jesse Eisenberg, who took home this year’s NY Emerging Talent Award.

BIG ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL
WAIKOLOA, HI • www.bigislandfilmfestival.com •
“What could be cooler than watching your film in Hawaii under the stars with palm tress swaying in the gentle breeze and the fragrance of plumeria wafting around you?” asks founder Leo Sears. It’s hard to argue with logic like that, especially when each of the many moviemakers who suggested BIFF for this list made mention of the Waikoloa Bowl at Queens’ Gardens as a truly unforgettable screening venue.

BOULDER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
BOULDER, CO • www.biff1.com • More than 5,000 feet above sea level may not be the first place you look for high-quality cinema, but sisters and fest directors Robin and Kathy Beeck put the moviemaker first. “They really, truly want you there and they want to be absolutely sure that you have fun,” says moviemaker Christine Bonn (In Times of War).

BROOKLYN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
BROOKLYN, NY • www.brooklynfest.org • It shouldn’t be surprising that New York City’s coolest borough offers one of the world’s coolest fests. Though plenty of big names have been a part of the fest, selections are from received submissions only; no films are invited. All films must be independently-produced and every film is in competition, so that “even the smallest film, regardless of its category, can win the Grand Chameleon Award,” says executive director Marco Ursino.

CONEY ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL
CONEY ISLAND, NY • www.coneyislandfilmfestival.com • By sheer virtue of its location, there’s built-in cool in Coney Island. “It’s a friendly, freaky film festival with a small-town familiarity but a gritty, big-town toughness,” says moviemaker Katrina del Mar (Surf Gang). Plus, asks del Mar, “Where else will you get your ticket taken by Insectavora the fire breather? Where else can you walk into a festival that’s housed in the Coney Island Sideshow, with its famous posters of freaks, and eat popcorn while watching sword swallowers perform between great and super-cool films?”

CUCALORUS FILM FESTIVAL
WILMINGTON, NC • www.cucalorus.org • “One might look at Cucalorus and think, ‘What the hell?’” offers director Dan Brawley. “We don’t give out awards, Cucalorus is at the wrong time of year and it all takes place in a quiet, historic port city in North Carolina.” But it’s that non-competitive atmosphere that allows moviemakers to forget the cutthroat nature of their profession and reconnect with their love of movies. “Competition is the opposite of creativity,” says Brawley. “Cucalorus really tries to bring people together to explore creativity.” This ingenuity extends to the social side of the event, which includes a Blue Velvet locations tour.

DISPOSABLE FILM FESTIVAL
VARIOUS LOCATIONS • www.disposablefilmfest.com • Created in 2007, DFF offers “a democratized space where the work of zero-budget filmmakers is celebrated and exhibited,” says co-founder Carlton M. Evans. So what is a “disposable” movie? “Short films made on non-professional devices such as one-time use video cameras, cell phones, point-and-shoot cameras, Webcams, computer screen capture software and other readily available video capture devices,” says Evans. “With people everywhere gaining access to these devices, we felt the time was right to draw attention to the creative potential of this new mode of filmmaking.”

ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL
WASHINGTON, DC • www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org • Founded in 1993, EFF was green long before it was fashionable. “Environment is a broad topic and the festival reflects that with its extremely diverse selection of films,” says managing director Christopher Head. With more than 100 partner organizations, EFF is internationally recognized as one of the largest environmental film showcases in the world and screens at more than 50 venues, including the Smithsonian museums.

FANTASTIC FEST
AUSTIN, TX • www.fantasticfest.com • Called “The geek Telluride” by Variety, the country’s largest genre film festival specializes in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and “just plain fantastic movies from all around the world,” according to the fest’s Website. Held at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, which Entertainment Weekly named the best cinema in America, the venue is one where attendees can eat, drink and watch movies without being distracted. With past events featuring the world premieres of such films as There Will Be Blood and Apocalypto—and guests including Mel Gibson, Bill Murray, Paul Rudd and Paul Thomas Anderson—this is one fest that truly lives up to its name.

GEN ART FILM FESTIVAL
NEW YORK, NY & CHICAGO, IL • www.genart.org • As one of the world’s largest arts and entertainment organizations, Gen Art hosts more than 100 film, music, art and fashion events annually, including film festivals in New York and Chicago. “While it’s hard as hell to get into,” says Confounded Films’ Stephen Lyman, “the film plus party format is unique and a lot of fun for both the filmmakers and the audience.”

INDIE MEMPHIS FILM FESTIVAL
MEMPHIS, TN • www.indiememphis.com • Promoting artistic crossover, Indie Memphis “inspires filmmakers from across the country through the unique creative landscape that is the home of the blues and the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll,” says executive director Erik Jambor. “Sun Studios, Stax and Rev. Al Green’s Full Gospel Tabernacle church are all part of the filmmaker experience during the festival’s opening weekend, allowing filmmakers to connect as they explore the cultural history that resonates through Memphis.”

LAKE PLACID FILM FORUM
LAKE PLACID, NY • www.lakeplacidfilmforum.com • While some moviemakers hit the festival trail with the sole focus of finding publicity, “one of the main attractions of the Forum is the total lack of frantic publicists, hustling photographers and aggressive celebrity addicts,” says artistic director and co-founder Kathleen Carroll. But that doesn’t mean the A-list sightings aren’t aplenty; Martin Scorsese, Jon Favreau and Steve Buscemi have all been guests. “The Forum is a place where people who are passionate about films can meet and learn from each other,” says famed author—and Forum co-founder—Russell Banks.

LOCARNO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
LOCARNO, SWITZERLAND • www.pardo.ch • “Every August around 180,000 cinemagoers, 1,100 journalists and 3,400 industry professionals converge on the small Swiss-Italian town of Locarno, right in the heart of Europe, which becomes the world capital of auteur cinema for 11 days,” says press coordinator Stefanie Kuchler of the 62-year-old event. While other fests boast outdoor events, Locarno’s Piazza Grande hosts audiences of up to 8,000 for a nightfall screening in the heart of the city, Cinema Paradiso-style.

PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL
PHOENIX, AZ • www.phoenixfilmfestival.com • Director Paul Osborne, whose doc Official Rejection offers a comic take on what indie moviemakers experience on the festival circuit, knows what makes a great fest, and notes that “Far and away, the best we saw was the PFF.” Citing audience turnout, media attention, political fairness and moviemaker treatment as the keys to the fest’s success, Osborne notes that “the festival never takes itself too seriously and its directors are not just available, but actually visible to solve any problems that arise anytime.”

ROGER EBERT’S FILM FESTIVAL
CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, IL • www.ebertfest.com • For more than a decade, Roger Ebert has made an annual event of screening the most overlooked films he’s recently seen, as well as re-released classics, to give them another chance in the spotlight. “Our festival has no prizes, no awards, no deal-making, no submission process,” says festival director Nate Kohn. “It’s purpose is singular: To celebrate 12 films that Roger Ebert feels deserve a second look and further discussion.”

SAN FRANCISCO FROZEN FILM FESTIVAL
SAN FRANCISCO, CA • www.frozenfilmfestival.com • It’s not just cool, it’s frozen. Named for Mark Twain’s famous quip that “The coldest winter I ever spent was my summer in San Francisco,” SFFFF takes place in the dead of summer, when the city “is at its most chill,” according to co-director Gabriel Bellman. The fest includes a strong musical component and screens “animation, documentaries, feature films, shorts, music-based films and skate films. We believe we uniquely capture the music-based and diverse nature of San Francisco itself.”

SEBASTOPOL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
SEBASTOPOL, CA • www.sebastopolfilmfestival.org • This fest is making a big splash in a town that Tom Waits, Les Claypool and Peter Krause call home. Understanding that few things go better with movies than a bottle of wine—particularly in California’s wine country—the doc fest takes place near one of the area’s biggest coalitions of wineries, Wine Road. “Part of being the coolest is knowing about it when no one else does,” says program director Jason Perdue of the two-year-old event, “and being the one to let everyone else know.”

SIDEWALK MOVING PICTURE FESTIVAL
BIRMINGHAM, AL • www.sidewalkfest.com • “After 10 years, Sidewalk has perfected its own personal trifecta: Hospitality, networking and humility,” says festival coordinator Natalie Hummel. “The festival places a huge emphasis on filmmaker attendance, and not for the sake of name-dropping. It likes to mix filmmakers up in an unusual town with unusual activities, thus forcing guests to break out of their shells and share raw, human experiences, both in theaters and on rooftops.”

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST
AUSTIN, TX • www.sxsw.com • Originally founded as a music event, this cutting-edge fest added film into the mix 15 years ago in response to the changing nature of the entertainment business. Since then, SXSW has grown into one of the world’s best known media events, introducing audiences to ground-breaking musicians and moviemakers alike. In 2009, this behemoth event screened more than 250 films and boasted more than 7,000 film participants. In addition to being a featured employer on “The Real World,” SXSW has also partnered with Fantastic Fest (also on this list) to double the cool factor.

SUNSCREEN FILM FESTIVAL
ST. PETERSBURG, FL • www.sunscreenfilmfestival.com • Plenty of fests offer workshops, and most have a well-known guest or two. But a fest that has celebrities teaching the workshops? “From actor Patrick Wilson teaching an actors’ workshop to Oscar-nominated screenwriter Timothy Sexton (Children of Men) and Steven de Souza (Die Hard) teaching screenwriting, Sunscreen gives filmmakers more than just a festival,” says executive director Tony Armer.

TRAIL DANCE FILM FESTIVAL
DUNCAN, OK • www.traildancefilmfestival.com • “Strange” and “cool” aren’t always interchangeable terms. But when TDFF president Anthony Foreman asks, “Where else can you walk right in the middle of a wild west shootout, have a world famous trick-roper twirl a lasso over your head, dance to live rock ‘n’ roll music with a wild west town backdrop and see some of the finest independent films ever produced right in the same facility?” this is clearly one place where the two words converge.

UNITED FILM FESTIVALS
VARIOUS LOCATIONS • www.theunitedfest.com • With events in New York, Los Angeles, Tulsa, San Francisco, Chicago and London, this is one appropriately-named fest. “Rapidly growing in size and scope, and building on a solid festival history, the United Film Festivals showcase top-notch, award-winning narratives, documentaries and short films in six thriving cities across the U.S. and Europe,” says founder Jason Connell. This growing reputation has attracted the attention of well-known indies like Henry Jaglom, who showcased Hollywood Dreams in New York, and Matthew Modine, who premiered Cowboy in Los Angeles.

“WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST WATCH?” COMEDY FESTIVAL
SEATTLE, WA • www.whatthehelldidijustwatch.com • The name alone might be enough to land the event on this list. But this fest, which is dedicated to “bringing the funniest videos we can find to the masses,” according to organizer Kanton Budge, has a lot more to offer, including low submission fees, an intimacy that makes the fest “a great testing bed for filmmakers to showcase their work and see how an audience responds” and free beer! “We’re sponsored by the local brewing company, Mac and Jacks. They provide us with a few kegs every year, and we give out a free beer with every ticket purchase.”

WOODS HOLE FILM FESTIVAL
WOODS HOLE, MA • www.woodsholefilmfestival.org • “The Woods Hole Film Festival is a filmmaker’s festival,” says executive director Judy Laster. “More than just a screening showcase, WHFF has an expansive outreach through our ongoing efforts to help filmmakers get screening opportunities after the festival and through our partnerships with global media organizations.” This includes year-round events on Cape Cod, including programs such as Dinner & A Movie and Filmmaker in the Schools. “Set in the scientific, seaside, summer village of Woods Hole,” Laster says that “a small film can have a worldwide experience.” MM

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HAVE A TIP ON ANOTHER COOL FEST THAT ISN’T INCLUDED IN THIS LIST? E-MAIL YOUR PICK TO FESTS@MOVIEMAKER.COM.