A host of celluloid creative talent will be found at the "CIFF
2006", Cyprus' first International Film Festival. This four-day
cinema competitive event opens on 24 March and is being held in Limassol,
Larnaca and Nicosia.
The festival offers
the opportunity to the young aspiring directors from anywhere in the
world, to have their work shown in front of a stellar VIP Jury
Committee. Cyprus starts very dynamically presenting more than 130 films
from over 40 countries from all corners of the earth!
This year's three
main competition film categories are: feature, short and animation. The
best feature film will be awarded the 'Golden Aphrodite' award together
with a cash prize of C£10.000, which the winner director is required to
use making his or her next film in Cyprus!
The festival
programme includes also out of competition categories such as a
selection of films by awarded Cypriot directors, films by Cypriot
directors living abroad forming the innovative category entitled 'NÓSTIMON
IMAR', fiction, documentaries, sport films and midnight movies. A
screenwriting seminar, photograph exhibitions and workshops on make-up
and Special Effects are also scheduled. These special satellite
presentations, to be given by top industry professionals will surely
further enhance the festival.
The awards ceremony
is a 'red carpet/black tie' event in true Hollywood style, that will
take place in a magnificent venue decorated specifically for CIFF and
attended amongst others, by Eleni Filini, famous Greek actress awarded
the Bronze Remi Award at the Houston World Film Festival for 'Medusa',
Stuart Alson, founder of the 'New York International Film and Video
Festival' (1993) and publisher of the 'Independent Film Quarterly
Magazine', which is distributed at the Cannes International Film
Festival, Gregory Cascante, Hollywood producer and CEO of August
Entertainment Productions in LA, Phaedon Papamichael, production
designer of John Cassavetes' films, Chris Eyre, film director, first
shown in Sundance, Van Papadopoulos, coordinator for the Official
Selection and programmer of the Cannes Classics section of the Cannes
International Film Festival, film director, producer and key festival
consultant to CIFF and Dr Andrew Horton, awarded script writer ('Dark
Side of the Sun' with Brad Pitt), director of Film Studies at Oklahoma
University.
Passes for unlimited
access to events and screenings, either daily or for the duration of the
entire festival, can be obtained from the special festival
stands/booths, located at all K-Cineplex centres and at Dessange Paris
Medical Wellness Day Spa in Nicosia.
For further
information on the 1st Cyprus International Film Festival call 22 375209
Categories
The CIFF hosts six
competitive categories in all genres, including animation, ie:
1.
Feature
2. Short
3. Documentary
4. Commercial
5. Music video
6. Video art
and includes also
several film genre sections, ie:
- Cult-Midnight
Movies
- Awarded Cypriot
Film Directors
- Panorama (films
out of competition)
- 'Nostimon Imar'
(Greek/Cypriot cinematographers who live abroad)
- 'Fair Play'
(sports genre and/or olympic spirit)
The CIFF 2006
Awards are:
1. Golden
Aphrodite Award for the Best Feature Film
2. Silver
Aphrodite Award for the Best Short Film
3. Silver
Aphrodite Award for the Best Documentary
4. Silver
Aphrodite Award for the Best Animation, sponsored by NEC
5. Silver
Aphrodite Award for the Best Video Art
6. Silver
Aphrodite Best Actor in a leading role Feature Film
7. Silver
Aphrodite Best Actress in a leading role Feature Film
8. CIFF 2006 Cinematography Award Best Feature Film, sponsored by
KODAK and Seahorse Films
9. Silver Aphrodite Award Fair Play - films of an athletic theme
10. Silver Aphrodite Award Nostimon Emar - films from directors of the
diaspora
There will be
given two special awards:
11. CIFF 2006
Humanitarian award
12. CIFF 2006 Public prize sponsored by Chivas Regal
The CIFF 2006
winning films will be screened at the New York Film and Video
Festival, while the short films will be screened at the special
category ‘Short Film Corner’ at the Cannes International Film
Festival
The CIFF 2006 other non competition categories are:
13. Panorama - All
categories out of competition
14. Awarded
Cypriot Directors - includes the film ‘The Cherry Orchard’ by
Michael Cacoyannis
15. Cult Midnight
Movies - to be screened at 24.00
16. Commercials
17. Music Video
