Vail Film Festival Announces 2006 Film Selections and Festival Jurors

Vail Film Festival Announces 2006 Film Selections and Festival Jurors

16 World Premiere Films to be Screened at 2006 Festival

VAIL, Colo., March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vail Film Festival, with presenting sponsor Best Life magazine, today announced the jurors and complete line-up of films selected to be screened at the 2006 Festival, taking place March 30 - April 2, 2006 at America's top-rated ski resort in Vail, Colorado. The Festival will screen 75 films from around the world, including 20 feature films, 16 world premieres, as well as 55 documentaries, short films, animated films, action sports, student films and television pilots.

The 2006 Vail Film Festival opens on March 30 with a screening of Ambush Entertainment's THE OH IN OHIO, starring an ensemble cast that includes Parker Posey, Paul Rudd, Mischa Barton, Miranda Bailey, Liza Minnelli and Danny DeVito. This film follows the wild journey of Priscilla Chase, after her husband unexpectedly leaves her, ultimately leading her to satisfaction and love in the most unlikely of places.

AMERICAN DREAMZ was selected as the closing film on Saturday, April 1. Starring Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Marcia Gay Harden, Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein and Judy Greer, the film is a satire of American identity, based around the wildly popular television singing contest with the same name.

Other feature film highlights at this year's festival include: THE SASQUATCH DUMPLING GANG from the makers of Napoleon Dynamite, starring Justin Long, Jeremy Sumpter, Carl Weathers, Rob Pinkston and Joey Kern; THE KING starring William Hurt, Gael Garcia Bernal, Pell James, Paul Dano and Laura Harring; and AMERICANO starring Dennis Hopper, Joshua Jackson, Leonor Varela, Timm Sharp and Ruthanna Hopper.

Filmmakers Scott and Sean Cross founded the festival to foster new filmmakers and encourage innovative filmmaking. "We are excited to debut an amazing line-up of work by some of the world's best independent filmmakers," said Scott Cross. "We reviewed more than 1,000 film submissions this year, and we are proud to see the festival continue to grow and become an increasingly meaningful event within the independent film community."

The year's Festival will mark the world premiere of 16 films, including THE NAKED APE, 10 MPH, KEEP YOUR DISTANCE, OUTSIDE SALES, STALKING SANTA, JAM, SNOWBLIND, BON APETIT, FAST TALKERS, BY THE WAYSIDE, ZOMBIE PROM, ONE PER CENT, ALTERED BY ELVIS, THE DEATH OF SALVADOR DALI, NO MENUS PLEASE and LAUNDRY NIGHT.

Film details and the entire line-up of 2006 film selections in all categories are now available at www.vailfilmfestival.org.

Vail Film Festival jurors were also announced today. Jurors in the features category will include: Laura Bickford, Oscar-nominated producer of TRAFFIC; writer and director Tim Kirkman; Wellspring Media's VP of Acquisitions, Rob Williams; actor, writer and director Alex Winter (THE LOST BOYS, BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE); and Stephen Perrine, Editor in Chief of Best Life magazine.

Documentary jurors include: Tiffany Thiessen (HOLLYWOOD ENDING, Beverly Hills 90210); writer and producer Dean Johnson (JUST PRAY); and David Gaynes, director of the 2005 Vail Film Festival's award winning documentary KEEPER OF THE KOHN.

Jurors in the categories of shorts, student films and television pilots include: producer and editor Deborah Rosenberg; University of Minnesota professor and actor Tom Isbell; voiceover artist Chip Bolcilk; Jen Marie Jones; Peter Duffy; Lorri Lindberg; Lydia Antonini; Josh Schaer; and Jennifer Yale.

Now in its third year, the 2006 Vail Film Festival is rapidly growing in prestige, setting record ticket sales. Last year's festival drew more than 9,000 attendees from around the globe, doubling attendance from the previous year.

Additional Festival highlights include an opening night gala at the Donovan Pavilion on Gore Creek, a filmmakers' reception at Larkspur at the base of Golden Peak, the festival awards ceremony and party on-mountain at Vail's Eagle's Nest Marketplace, and the festival closing brunch at Larkspur.

The Best Life Lodge, which will act as the festival's central hub, will feature such partners as L'Oreal, Subaru, Serengeti, Realities, Stella Artois and iTravel and will be open to all festival passholders. Also this year, Best Life has aligned the festival with some of Vail's finest restaurants, Kelly Liken, La Tour, Larkspur, Sweet Basil and Terra Bistro to feature their signature dishes during lunch and apres ski events all four days of the festival.

About Vail Film Festival

Vail Film Festival promotes independent filmmaking, with a special focus on new and innovative filmmakers. Besides screenings, the festival will also feature workshops, seminars and panel discussions with award-winning actors, writers and directors. An awards ceremony, family festivities, VIP parties, and live music will round out the four-day event. The Vail Film Festival is produced by the Vail Film Institute, a non-profit arts organization that is dedicated to fostering independent cinema and creative filmmaking.

Festival passes incorporate a combination of movies, filmmaker panels, galas and music, with deep discounts on skiing for festival passholders. For tickets and additional information, visit www.vailfilmfestival.org or call (866) 476-1092.

About Best Life Magazine

Best Life is a new lifestyle magazine from Rodale Inc. targeted to active, accomplished, discerning men that offers positive, practical advice about balancing family, career and self. It is both a celebration of the good life and a playbook that gives readers the tools to enjoy their two most precious resources-time and money. Best Life now reaches 2,000,000 readers and is published 10 times each year.

Editors Note: Logo and hi-res images available at www.vppublicrelations.com/press.

Source: Vail Film Festival

CONTACT: Brooke Smith, +1-646-723-0129 brooke@vppublicrelations.com, for
Vail Film Festival

Web site: http://www.vailfilmfestival.org/

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