DIRECTOR OF WORLD-RENOWNED FILM FEST COMES TO THE PHILIPPINES Sundance Film Festival Director Geoff Gilmore to grace Philippine shores Cebu, PHILIPPINES (May 21, 2007) – Geoff Gilmore, Director of the Sundance Film Festival and an icon in the international independent filmmaking scene, will be in Manila and Cebu on May 26 and 28, respectively, to conduct workshops on independent filmmaking aptly named Sundance in Manila! and Sundance in Cebu! Gilmore is also set to deliver the keynote speech at the commencement exercises of the Batch 3-06 One-Year Immersion students of the International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT). As Director of Sundance for seventeen years now, Gilmore has been responsible for the film selection in all sections of the Festival, as well as overseeing its overall artistic direction of and general management. Apart from directing the Sundance Film Festival, Gilmore directs the annual Sundance Independent Producers Conference, a four-day forum on the production, financing, marketing and distribution of independent film. He is also a programming consultant for Robert Redford, the Sundance Group, the recently created Sundance Film Series, and – since its establishment in 1996 – the Sundance Channel. In addition, Gilmore has been a vital component of numerous committees ranging from the National Endowment for the Arts, to the California Arts Council; and international film juries including the Sarajevo Film Festival, the Locarno Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, the Moscow Film Festival, the Shanghai Film Festival, and the Jerusalem International Film Festival. He has served on the Board of the Independent Feature Project and was a member of the Independent Spirit Awards Committee. A holder of both Masters and PhD Degrees in Film Criticism, Gilmore teaches in the Producers Program of the School of Theater, Film and Television of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where, earlier, he served as head of the University’s Film and Television Archive’s Programming Department for 15 years. He also annually teaches a special master class for the Paris Film School Le Femis and the Ludwigsburg Film Academy, and regularly participates in numerous seminars and guest lectures at film schools and other institutions. Furthermore, Gilmore presents and hosts a range of seminars and conferences about independent filmmaking and distribution in various international venues including Mexico, Argentina, Japan, China, Israel, Brazil, Spain, Germany, Canada and France. The Sundance Film Festival is the world-renowned independent film festival that happens for a week-and-a-half each year in the town of Park City, Utah. Ranking alongside the Cannes, France, Venice, Italy, Berlin, Germany, and Toronto (Canada) festivals as one of the most prestigious in the world, Sundance is the premier showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers. The festival was founded by esteemed actor Robert Redford in 1978 and named after The Sundance Kid, a character that Redford portrayed in the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Sundance has launched the careers of such noted directors as Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill), PT Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) and Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Ocean’s Eleven). It also brought such movies as The Blair Witch Project, Sex, Lies and Videotape, Napoleon Dynamite and, more recently, Little Miss Sunshine, to a much wider audience. In 2004, the Philippines’ Ramona Diaz came into prominence when she won Best Cinematography for her documentary Imelda. Catch first-hand information from Geoff Gilmore, on independent filmmaking – the international way – at one-of-a-kind interactive workshops named Sundance in Manila! and Sundance in Cebu! Sundance in Manila! happens on March 26 at the De La Salle University-Taft Ave. Campus, while Sundance in Cebu! happens on May 28, 2007, 2:00-5:00 p.m. at Bigfoot’s Dolby Mix Theater at the Bigfoot IT and Media Park in Mactan. Sundance in Manila! and Sundance in Cebu! are presented to you by Bigfoot Entertainment and the International Academy of Film and Television; co-presented by the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the De La Salle Professional Schools, and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and brought to you by Fashion TV, RCTV Channel 36, Dream FM 106.7, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, Platinum Plus Services, Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort, Cebu Daily News, 92.3 xFM and 101.9 Charlie. Special thanks are given to QTV-11, Roma Mia, Loft Restaurant Lounge, ABC5, and the Arts Council of Cebu Foundation. Sundance in Cebu! is a Cebu Business Month 2007 event. Score your tickets to Sundance in Manila! Call Lali Suzara of the Film Development Council of the Philippines at 02-523-4295, or Alex Roxas of the De La Salle Graduate School of Business at 02-523-4295. To get your tickets to Sundance in Cebu! call Polyne Latonio at 032-493-8889, extension 5227, or Lilu Alino at 032-412-8811. You can also get tickets at Loft Restaurant Lounge and any Roma Mia outlet. Students are given discounted rates to both workshops. Limited seats available. Buy your tickets early. For more information, please call +63-32-493-8889, extension 5258 or 5259, or 1-866-300- 7207 (toll-free from U.S.) Alternatively, you can visit www.bigfootentertainment.com and www.filmschool.ph. ### ABOUT BIGFOOT ENTERTAINMENT Bigfoot Entertainment’s mission is to create an innovative, profitable and socially responsible organization and learning environment that provides quality content, products, and services for our stakeholders and the global market place. Based in Asia, Bigfoot Entertainment is the parent company of Bigfoot Productions, Bigfoot Production Services, the International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT) and Bigfoot Partners. Through all of its divisions, Bigfoot Entertainment strives to be recognized as a globally competitive organization that provides critically acclaimed and commercially viable content as well as providing facilities, services and training to international filmmakers. Bigfoot Entertainment - leaving lasting footprints in the world of entertainment! For more information, visit www.bigfootentertainment.com ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF FILM AND TELEVISION The International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT) offers courses that combine theory and application training under the expert auspices of leading Hollywood filmmakers serving as faculty mentors. Located in the heart of Asia on Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines, this tropical beachside campus houses state-of-the-art facilities for filming and post production. IAFT extends a comprehensive, hands-on approach to making films and videos using the latest in equipment and technology. Courses are designed for aspiring filmmakers as well as industry professionals looking to advance their skill sets. IAFT presents a unique internship program that allows selected students to work on feature films and television productions with Bigfoot Entertainment. Our curriculum serves to nurture the creativity and individual talents of each student, cultivating the next generation of filmmakers, and continuing the entertainment traditions of Hollywood and other film capitals of the world. The International Academy of Film and Television brings Hollywood to Asia. For more information, visit www.filmschool.ph For media enquiries, please contact: Angela B. Emphasis Coordinator - Public Relations & Special Interests Bigfoot Entertainment, Ltd. Office : +852-2572-2727 HK, extension 5201 +63-32-493-8889 PH, extension 5201 Mobile : +63-926-755-3478 Email : [email protected] High-resolution images for print as well as, video, can be provided upon request. .