Press Releases
For Immediate Release
Press contact: press@vailfilmfestival.org
VAIL FILM INSTITUTE UN-VAILS FIRST ANNUAL VAIL FILM FESTIVAL
New York, NY – Hang on to your snow boots because this is no April fools; Vail, Colorado, the most popular ski resort in North America, is about to witness an invasion of independent filmmakers.
The Vail Film Institute is proud to announce the first annual Vail Film Festival, set to take place April 1 - 4, 2004. Sponsored by the Town of Vail and Vail Resorts, the festival promotes independent filmmaking, with a special focus on new and innovative filmmakers. The four-day event will offer feature films, documentaries, shorts, student films, as well as an Extreme Sports Showcase, and a unique Television Pilots category. The festival will also debut the unprecedented Gershwin Showcase, a short-film contest sponsored by the Gershwin Foundation, which grants indie filmmakers the rights to Gershwin songs for the first time.
Filmmakers Scott Cross, Sean Cross and Denis Jensen, founded the festival to foster and celebrate independent filmmaking. "The Vail Film Festival is about art and expression, about broadening the medium's boundaries," says Scott Cross. "We want filmgoers and filmmakers to come together and celebrate their passion. We'd like to bring a sense of discovery back to the festival experience."
The festival will feature workshops, seminars, and panel discussions with award-winning actors, writers, and directors. There will also be an awards ceremony celebrating the best films, filmmakers, and actors. And Kodak, one of the festival's sponsors, will present a special student cinematography award. Studio World Premieres, VIP Parties, a Festival Concert, and Closing Day Brunch promise to make the Vail Film Festival a truly exciting and memorable experience.
Vail is North America's #1 ski resort and its surrounding areas provide the perfect location for film events. Local residents have always been highly involved in the arts. Vail hosts renowned annual dance, theatre, music and wine festivals, and is the ideal setting for a world-class film festival. "We're looking to keep it truly independent, with an emphasis on innovation," says Jensen. "We'd really like to perpetuate the momentum that independent cinema has right now."
The Vail Film Festival promises to become an annual tradition, drawing talented filmmakers from across the globe. "I think the world is waiting to see how the next generation of independent filmmakers will change the landscape of film," says Sean Cross. "We'd like the Vail Film Festival to help usher in the next century of filmmaking and the next century of filmmakers."
The Vail Film Festival is currently accepting submissions at www.vailfilmfestival.org for the 2004 event.
See you on the slopes!