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2007 Brooklyn International Film Festival

10th Annual Festival, "Identity"

10th Annual Festival, "Identity"

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May, 2007- The Brooklyn International Film Festival (BiFF), the first international competitive film festival in New York, is proud to announce the 2007 film line up. The competitive, 10-day event will be held in multiple Brooklyn communities while increasing the number of total programs from 36, in 2006, to 81. For the first time this year, every film will have 2 screenings and customers will be able to catch movies everyday from 1pm to 11:30pm.

“Since 1998, BiFF has been searching for its own identity and for filmmakers with unique traits.,” said Marco Ursino, Director of BiFF. “For the 10th anniversary, BiFF turns inquisitive in the search for a refined identity and a new balance. BiFF 07 is about revelations. It’s about uncovering the truth that lies beneath. It is about revisiting and emerging to leave a mark. Ultimately, BiFF 07 is about individuality, personality, distinctiveness, uniqueness, and the courage to be oneself. “
Highlights of the films to be shown are:

MADE IN BROOKLYN / World Premiere
[Dir: Alosio, Angela, Mazzola, Tabb, Palanca, United States, 88 min, 2007, Feature]
The picture captures the essence of Brooklyn, its people, hangouts, smells, life, irony and the comedy of a bunch of wise guys. Made In Brooklyn was shot on location in NYC, Brooklyn and upstate NY. Sopranos Star Sharon Angela (Rosalie Aprile) makes her directorial debut; Other Sopranos cast members include Richard Portnow, Vince Curatola, Michael Rispoli, John Enos and Danny Grimaldi, who join the rest of the cast: Peter Dobson, Joe Tabbanella, John Enos, Costas Mandylor, and Katherine Narducci.

FORFEIT / East Coast Premiere
[Dir: Andrew Brendan Shea, United States, 84 min, 2006, Feature]
FORFEIT explores the human traits of greed, obsession, and revenge. This clever and engaging heist flick tells the story of a man hell-bent on exacting vengeance on the people who have wronged him. Frank O'Neal (played by Billy Burke) appears to be readjusting to life back in his old neighborhood, including reconciliation with his ex-girlfriend. We quickly learn however, that his motives are not entirely what they seem. Andrew Shea's taut thriller features an impressive cast, including Sherry Stringfield (ER), Gregory Itzin (24) and Wayne Knight (Seinfeld).

ARRANGED / NY Premiere
[Dir: Stefan Schaefer & Diane Crespo, United States, 89 min, 2007, Feature]
Two young women – one an Orthodox Jew, the other Muslim – meet and become friends as first-year teachers at a public school in Brooklyn. Over the course of the year they learn they share much in common, not least of which is that they are both going through arranged marriages.

NICKY’S BIRTHDAY CAMERA / East Coast Premiere
[Dir: Andrew J. Traister, United States, 93 min, 2006, Feature]
This remarkably original little film takes you from a world you think you know so well, into one you hope you never come close to. What if YOUR best home video, became your worst nightmare? 12-year-old Nicky Hanson got a video camera for his birthday, and proceeded to make a little home movie about his family, friends, and his seemingly idyllic life on Little Secret Lake. Where this movie goes and what it uncovers is truly amazing and stunning. This film stars Airplane’s Robert Hays.

HOUNDED / US Premiere
[Dir: Angelina Maccarone, Germany, 87 min, 2006, Feature]
In an obsessive sexual encounter with a sixteen-year-old boy Elsa is exposed to the relentless revelation of her own desires. Elsa Seifert is a successful probation officer, completely immersed in her work. She lives with Raimar, the father of their daughter Daniela. Triggered by the fact of her daughter leaving the parental home, cracks start to appear in Elsa’s daily routine. Compromises, which, for decades, had stood the test of time, no longer seem to occur to her, she is no longer prepared to toe the line.

BODY/ANTIBODY / World Premiere
[Dir: Kerry Douglas Dye & Jordan Hoffman, United States, 98 min, 2007, Feature]
Kip Polyard (Robert Gomes) suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and hasn't left his Manhattan apartment in 10 months. When the beautiful Celine (Leslie Kendall) moves in next door, Kip is compelled to finally open his door to romance. But when Celine's ex-boyfriend Andy (Frank Deal) shows up, Kip realizes he's let in more than he bargained for.

WAKE UP WORLD
[Dir: Carlo Nero, England, 31 min, 2006, Documentary]
Includes exclusive interviews with Kofi Annan (Secretary-General of the United Nations); Ann Veneman (UNICEF Executive Director); UNICEF Ambassadors Ralph Fiennes, Angelique Kidjo, Liam Neeson and Vanessa Redgrave; Stephen Lewis, The UN Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa; and Sir Richard Jolly, former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations. Wake Up World highlights what UNICEF can and must do to meet the desperate needs of children and teenagers all over the world. The film was produced by Vanessa Redgrave who, together with Director Carlo Nero will be available for Q&A after the screening.

SUSAN FOR NOW / East Coast Premiere
[Dir: Robin Franzi, United States, 54 min, 2007, Documentary]
The narrator of this first person documentary is in her forties, a finance professional with a Masters Degree who had been celibate for ten years while raising her only child and working. The husband and child now gone in separate directions; she replaces the empty nest syndrome by reclaiming her sexual freedom. This film seeks to dispel the myth that all forms of BDSM (Bondage, Domination, and Sado-Masochism) and fetishes are inherently deviant.

CHILDREN OF THE WAR / NY Premiere
[Dir: Alexandre Fuchs, England, 81 min, 2006, Documentary]
"Hijos de la Guerra" tells the story of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), an international Hispanic street gang founded by Salvadoran civil war refugees which the U.S government singles out as the fastest-growing and most violent gang in the country. The film explores the root personal reasons for gang membership, the ensuing explosion of fratricidal violence.

BiFF was established in 1998 as the first international competitive film festival in New York. Conceptually unique, the festival has grown exponentially each year in terms of number of submissions, program quality and size, international exposure, media coverage, audience attendance and participation, sponsorship, endorsements, community outreach, and budget. For the 2007 edition, BiFF received 2,000 film submissions from 100 countries and will select 150 film premieres to be part of the competitive program. 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 the past few years went on to be released theatrically and/or are available at video stores near you. BiFF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.

BiFF’s 2007 list of sponsors include Peroni, Time Warner Cable, WNYC Radio (NPR), Steiner Studios, Red Bull, Fiji Water, Hotel Chandler, Sweet & Low, Independent Community Foundation, and ConEd. The festival is strongly connected to film industry players such as Panavision NY, Technicolor, Lowel Light, and Avid. BiFF is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts and by over one hundred local advertisers.

VENUES & SCHEDULE OVERVIEW
June 1 / Steiner Studios: 7:30pm (party follows opening night screening)
June 2-10 / Cobble Hill Cinema: 1, 2, 3:30, 4:30, 6, 7, 8:30, 9:30pm
June 5 & 6 / Brooklyn Heights Cinema: 8pm
June 7 & 8 / Galapagos Art Space: 7:30pm (parties follow)
June 3 & 9 / kidsfilmfest at Brooklyn Children’s Museum: 1, 3pm