press release

WBFF 2000 - white2000axis Edition

For immediate release: March 6, 2000

WILLIAMSBURG BROOKLYN FILM FESTIVAL 2000 RUNS MAY 10-14
Third Edition, titled white2000axis, features international lineup representing 15 countries.

The third annual Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival, titled white2000axis, presents an international program of features, documentaries, experimental films and short subjects at Williamsburg's Commodore Theatre from May 10-14, 2000. WBFF screened 521 submissions from 21 countries to create the festival's largest lineup to date. The festival has been expanded from 3 to 5 days.

In a neighborhood that is continually in flux, the Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival has grown rapidly communicating with filmmakers from 21 different countries and sharing information with film festivals in Europe and Asia. "white2000axis promotes a candid approach to the rotation of perspectives and connects Brooklyn to Europe, Asia, and the rest of the US," states Festival Director Marco Ursino. "We encourage the development of a common visual language through which we can all learn and enjoy our differences."

Highlights of the program include: US Premiere of "Venti" (Feature Length -Comedy) by Italian director Marco Pozzi, screened at the Berlin Film Festival 2000; US Premiere of "Bad Money" (Feature Length - Drama) by Canadian director John Hazlett, starring Graham Greene and Karen Sillas; East Coast Premiere of "Dolphins" (Short-Experimental) by Iranian director Farhad Yawari, Audience Award at Slamdance 2000; US Premiere of "Virtual Body of God" (Short-Experimental) by Russian director Andrej Velikanov.

For the second year, WBFF will be cybercast live at wbff.org by metal-tiger.com.

A total of $50K in film related services we be presented to festival winners, including $30K to the the winner of the Grand Chameleon Prize.

WBFF is sponsored by Avid, Brooklyn Brewery, Chase Manhattan Foundation, Deutsche Bank, Independence Community Foundation, Key Span Energy, Kodak, Kozmo.com, Panavision, National Video, Technicolor, Time Warner Cable, TimeOut New York, Thirteen WNET NY, and WNYC Radio.

The WBFF Advisory Board includes Anne Tilghman, Independence Community Foundation; Patricia Reed Scott, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater, and Broadcasting-NYC; Spike Lee, Filmmaker; Stephen Hindy, President and Co-Founder of the Brooklyn Brewery; David Chachere, Publisher, NY Independent Film Monitor; and Terri Ferrari, Metal Tiger Technologies.

The Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival runs Wednesday, May 10 to Sunday, May 14. Screening tickets are $8 per program. Daily passes are $10-$20. Festival passes are $60. Tickets are available online at www.wbff.org and www.acteva.com. The Commodore Theatre is located at 329 Broadway (near Marcy Avenue) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. More festival information can be found on the Festival web site, www.wbff.org, or by calling the festival office at 718-388-4306.