2005 QUEENS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Borris Bazelais, VP
Email: bbazelais@yahoo.com
Cell : 646-316-0819
Tel : 718-459-5496
In its breakout year, the third annual Queens International Film Festival will be taking over Astoria’s Studio City for four days in November (17th – 20th). Films and film-makers from around the globe will be converging on New York’s hottest production hub, Astoria, Queens. The Museum of the Moving Image, Kaufman Astoria Studios, The Mario Gallery and a variety of other unique Astoria venues will be the backdrop for the anticipated films and parties of the year.
This year’s QIFF has expanded its scope and will feature several international entries for Best Foreign Film at the 2006 Academy Awards such as: acclaimed, prize-winning films and filmmakers from around the world, such as: Paheli by director Amol Palekar, India's entry for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards; Turkey’s Oscar hopeful, Love Lorn directed by Yavuz Turgul; and A Wonderful Night in Split, directed by Arsen A. Ostojic,Croatia’s Oscar entry. From the US, the 2005 QIFF will present: September Tapes by director Christian Johnson the stirring account of an American journalist who travels to Afghanistan to learn the truth behind the search for Osama Bin Laden; and the hilarious and star-studded Life Coach a poignant mockumentary about the shallowness of Hollywood's cult of personality.
Believing that films can educate as well as entertain, this year’s QIFF will feature documentaries that expose humanitarian injustices both abroad and at home, such as: Fighting for Life in the Deathbelt, a groundbreaking film that considers the controversial institution of capital punishment through the eyes of Stephen Bright, the nation’s leading anti-death penalty lawyer; and Bye Bye Havana about a city and a nation pummeled by an unworkable socialism and a voracious consumer appetite.
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In addition to QIFF’s international scope, this year’s festival will showcase and promote New York’s own film scene in two special competitions: Celebrating New York on Film and the Queens Cinema Collection. QIFF has also invited students from the top New York film schools to participate in this year’s QIFF Student Showcase. Also this year the festival will feature a youth program designed to expose at-risk kids from the five boroughs to the exciting and expressive medium of film.
Check out the 2005 Queens International Film Festival (www.queensfilmfestival.com ) for the thought provoking films that are making a difference the world over.