Dominican International Film Festival Announces Special Travel Packages, Film Selections and Award Recipient

Dominican International Film Festival Announces Special Travel Packages, Film Selections and Award Recipient

Six Days of Film, Sun and Fun at Sun Village Resort & Spa, Cofresi

COFRESI, Dominican Republic, Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Hollywood hits the beach at the annual Dominican International Film Festival, taking place from November 6-11, 2006 at the Sun Village Resort & Spa in Cofresi Beach. From A-listers to budding starlets, film lovers can begin planning their fall getaway now with 7-day and 4-day travel packages to experience this unique, oceanfront film festival.

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Special all-inclusive travel packages to the 2006 Dominican International Film Festival at Sun Village Resort & Spa include film festival passes to 30 feature, documentary and short film screenings, VIP parties and special events, as well as filmmaker panels and discussions. Packages also include access to the resort's seven swimming pools, five superb restaurants, stunning beaches, bars, lounges, nightclubs, as well as additional resort facilities and activities. Trips to this exciting event can now be purchased through www.dominicaninternationalfilmfestival.com/travel.php, and guests may choose from three types of travel packages, including:

*VIP All-Access Package Starting at $2,121 (USD)
Package includes first-class access to all film screenings, parties and
receptions, private filmmaker reception, VIP Villa Party, and film panels
& discussions.

*Premier Package Starting at $1,813 (USD)
Package includes access to all film screenings, film panels & discussions,
plus parties and receptions.

*Film Package Starting at $1,421 (USD)
Package includes access to an international collection of independent and
studio film screenings

*Above pricing based on 2-person room occupancy for a 7-day package.
Packages for 4 days, and festival passes that do not include
accommodations are also available.

Sun Village Resort & Spa -- Cofresi is located on the Northern Shore of the Dominican Republic and is easily accessible through both Puerto Plata and Santiago airports.

The second annual Dominican International Film Festival (DIFF), which screens right on the spectacular beachfront at the Canadian owned and operated Sun Village Resort & Spa in Cofresi Beach, will present Anthony Anderson with its 2006 Rising Star Award. An actor and producer, Anderson first gained attention as one of Jim Carrey's sons in Me, Myself and Irene and has subsequently appeared in such blockbuster films as Barbershop, Kangaroo Jack, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 the Grave, Two Can Play at That Game, Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4, as well as the critically acclaimed Hustle and Flow. Anderson appeared in the upcoming film The Departed directed by Marin Scorsese and also starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Martin Sheen, among others. Recently, Anderson joined the cast of the Dreamworks' feature film Prime Directive, directed by Michael Bay.

Preliminary film selections for this year's festival include:

L'Audition

Written and directed by Canada's own Luc Picard, and co-starring Suzanne Clement, Denis Barnard, Alexis Martin, this film tells the story of a "repo man" who, although no stranger to strong-arm tactics in his work, has dreamed of becoming an actor since he was a child. When cousins help him land an audition, he recruits the help of a famous actor to help him secretly rehearse his scenes. He doesn't even tell his girlfriend, Suzie (Clement). But Suzie has a secret of her own -- she is pregnant and doesn't want her child to grow up in an atmosphere of violence.

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

Directed by Michael Lembeck and starring Tim Allen, Martin Short, Alan Arkin, and Judge Reinhold, the film finds Santa (Allen) faced with double-duty -- keeping his new family happy and stopping Jack Frost (Short) from taking over Christmas.

America Brown

Directed by Paul Black, this coming of age drama stars Ryan Kwanten, Michael Rapaport, Hill Harper and Natasha Lyonne. High school football star Ricky Brown (Kwanten) flees his hometown in West Texas to start a new life in New York City. There he begins to cope with the accidental death of his older brother, Daniel (Rapaport), and the lingering pressures of a small town's football-crazed culture.

Dead Lenny

Directed by Serge Rodnunsky the film stars Nicole Eggert, Steven Bauer, John Heard, Joe Piscopo, Whitney Able, Steve Baker and Armand Assante. Mobster Tony Thick (Assante) is expecting $5 million in cash to be delivered by Lenny Long (Bauer) from Los Angeles. Lenny is a mule for the mob, and he's gone missing with the cash. Is he dead? No one knows... until Lenny appears in a new show and Thick sends Shady (Baker) to LA to look for the missing cash and begins a complicated chase for the money.

About the Dominican International Film Festival

The Dominican International Film Festival returns to Sun Village Resort & Spa in Cofresi Beach, Dominican Republic on November 6, 2006. The annual festival will host thousands of filmmakers, industry executives, celebrities and film lovers for six days of film, sun and fun. Festival guests will enjoy screenings on sandy beaches, a mix of some of the year's best studio and independent films, panels with prominent industry members, as well as VIP parties and events throughout the week. The six-day festival kicks off with an opening night screening and gala and culminates with a special awards ceremony on Friday evening. Festival passes and special packages are available now at www.DominicanInternationalFilmFestival.com.

About Sun Village Resorts

Sun Village Resorts is the largest Canadian-owned and operated resort company in the Dominican Republic. Sun Village Resort & Spa in Cofresi Beach, the company's flagship property, is an all-inclusive luxury resort with 305 rooms (420 by December 2006). The resort showcases seven swimming pools and five superb restaurants and dining facilities featuring a variety of fares from around the globe. The resort is located within a dramatic mountain-beach setting on the north coast of the Dominican Republic and is serviced by nearby Puerto Plata and Santiago International airports. Sun Village Resort & Spa in Cofresi Beach recently opened The Spa, a state of the art 7,250 square-foot spa and fitness center that offers a range of luxury products and services for mind, body and soul.

Sun Village Resorts is scheduled to open its second all-inclusive Sun Village Resort & Spa in 2007. The new 240-room Sun Village Resort & Spa in Juan Dolio will feature an expanded and revitalized beachfront and serve as the pre-eminent destination of the Dominican Republic's "New South Coast."

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PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: 2006 Dominican International Film Festival

CONTACT: Brooke Smith of VP Public Relations,
brooke@vppublicrelations.com, +1-646-723-0129, for Dominican International
Film Festival

Web site: http://www.dominicaninternationalfilmfestival.com/
http://www.dominicaninternationalfilmfestival.com/travel.php

NOTE TO EDITORS: Interviews with and high-res images of Sun Village Resort & Spa -- Cofresi, Anthony Anderson, Luc Picard and all DIFF films are available upon request.

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