April 12, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Stacey Roberts

(617) 510-8269
Stacey@PtownFilmFest.org

PROVINCETOWN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES HONOREES, SPECIAL EVENTS & PROGRAMMING, RETURNING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Provides Grant for Portuguese Film Program,
Actors Kathleen Turner and Alan Cumming To Receive Awards

Provincetown, Mass., April 12, 2007 – The Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF), scheduled for June 13-17, enters into its ninth year of showcasing independent American and international films, nurturing aspiring independent filmmakers, honoring industry luminaries, and preserving and sustaining cinema as an art form through educational forums. Several additions have been made to the Festival’s award line-up, executive team, and film program that are sure to have audience members singing in their seats. The complete programming line-up will be announced mid-May, Festival Passes and Special Event tickets available now, and public tickets go on sale May 23. For more information about the Festival, programming, tickets or travel, visit www.ptownfilmfest.org.

“I am honored to be a part of this Festival,” noted Gabrielle A. Hanna, Executive Director of the Provincetown International Film Festival. “Each year the programmers find new gems to present and the sponsors continue to show their support.”

As part of the Festival’s celebration of independent careers in film, several honors will be awarded to actors and filmmakers. Kathleen Turner will receive the Provincetown International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award Sponsored by Bacardi Peach Red and Alan Cumming will receive The Excellence In Acting Award. Recipients of the Filmmaker on The Edge Award sponsored by The Boston Phoenix and The Faith Hubley Memorial Award sponsored by The Provincetown Banner will be announced closer to the Festival.

Golden Globe winner and Oscar and Tony nominated actress Kathleen Turner is best known for her film performances (THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, SERIAL MOM, MOONLIGHT AND VALENTINO, THE REAL BLONDE and THE VIRGIN SUICIDES) and on-screen collaborations with Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito in ROMANCING THE STONE, JEWEL OF THE NILE, WAR OF THE ROSES and WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT. Fresh off playing Mrs. Robinson in the Broadway staging of The Graduate, Turner is back as Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? on Broadway. She is passionate and outspoken about changing the current social climate in America to one that respects women’s health and women’s health choices and currently serves as the Chair of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Board of Advocates.

Tony, Olivier and Independent Spirit Award winning actor Alan Cumming has enjoyed success in many acclaimed films (CIRCLE OF FRIENDS, TITUS, EMMA, URBANIA, EYES WIDE SHUT, SWEET LAND and NICHOLAS NICKLEBY) as well as crossing over to blockbusters such as SPY KIDS, X2 and GOLDENEYE. He can next be seen in TIN MAN, an original mini-series offering a new take on The Wizard of Oz, along with Richard Dreyfus and Zooey Deschanel, and SUFFERING MAN’S CHARITY, which he also directed.

After a year-long sabbatical, Connie White re-joins the Festival’s executive team as Artistic Director. A founding member of the Provincetown International Film Festival, Connie has been active in the independent film business for twenty years, as an innovative film programmer for art-house cinemas across the country, co-founder of the Boston International Festival of Women’s Cinema, and founder of Balcony Releasing, which designs and implements theatrical distribution strategies for independently produced documentary features. She served on the jury for the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, and is currently a consultant for the Sundance Institute’s “Art House Project” Initiative.

“I’m thrilled to rejoin Executive Director Gabby Hanna and Programming Director Andrew Peterson as we plan this year’s festival, selecting and inviting our esteemed honorees and the best films, as we shape the panel discussions and special events,” said Connie White, Artistic Director of the Provincetown International Film Festival. “The exciting part of my on-going work with various independent film projects year round is that it puts me in touch with a wide variety of fresh voices and untold stories which can contribute to the festival’s programming line-up, as well as films that connect with the Provincetown community.”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) has awarded the Festival with a $10,000 grant to produce a Portuguese-specific film program. PIFF programmers have partnered with IndieLisboa Festival Programmer Nuno Sena to select high-profile films, such as ALICE by Marco Martins which was Portugal’s official 2007 Oscar submission, as well as films that will appeal to residents of Provincetown and Southern Massachusetts, home to a very large Portuguese community.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) and the Academy Foundation instituted a Festival Grants Program that provides funding to festivals across the country that focus on independent and alternative filmmaking, and social and cultural diversity. These grants are also given to festivals that make their events more accessible to the general public, especially to segments of the populace who might not normally be able to attend; that give screening access to minority and less visible filmmakers; and that bring the public into contact with films and filmmakers. For more information, visit http://www.oscars.org/grants/filmfestival/film_grants.html.

The heart of PIFF is its film programming, screening over 60 films from around the globe and including festival favorites from Sundance to Berlin. The complete line-up will be announced mid-May. The Festival is also known for hosting screenings that encourage audience participation, including the “Sing-Along Film Spotlight.” This year’s film is the cult classic XANADU, directed by Robert Greenwald and staring Olivia Newton-John. Though it will never go down as one of the great movie musicals, XANADU does boast one of the greatest soundtracks (by ELO), including the hits “Suddenly,” “All Over The World,” “Magic” and it’s title song, “Xanadu.” Continuing to inspire its legions of fans, XANADU will soon take on a new life as a legitimate Broadway musical starring Kerry Butler and Tony Roberts.

Festival passes are on-sale now online at http://www.ptownfilmfest.org and offer discounted admission, easy access, and tremendous flexibility. They range in pricing from $100 to $225. Also available online are tickets to Festival Special Events, ranging in price from $5 to $15. Individual film screening tickets for the 2007 Provincetown International Film Festival will go on sale May 23, 2007.

The Festival Box Office, located in the Aquarium Mall at 209 Commercial Street in Provincetown, will open Memorial Day Weekend with the following hours of operation:

Provincetown International Film Festival

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