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Press releases
Brooklyn International Film Festival 2003
at The Brooklyn Museum of Art
East Coast Premiere of Merchant Ivory Film hits Brooklyn Int'l Film Fest.
Brooklyn, New York (April 15, 2003) - The 6th annual Brooklyn International Film Festival (BIFF) announced MERCI, Dr. Rey, a Merchant Ivory Productions film, will kick off its 2003 installment on April 28. The film, directed by Andrew Litvack, stars Dianne Wiest, Jane Birkin, and Vanessa Redgrave.
"Merci Dr. Rey is like all other Merchant Ivory films in its attempt to hire the best possible actors and technicians for the least possible money and then to turn them loose on the director to help him do whatever he must do. This is our credo," said Ismail Merchant. "Beyond that, Merci Dr. Rey resembles most of our other films in presenting the tangled emotions of mismatched people, who do finally 'connect' to produce some sort of harmony, however precarious," added James Ivory.
Merci, Docteur Rey is a zany, pot-brownie-infused personal-ad-fueled murder mystery that explores the life of a closeted gay son of a narcissistic opera diva. "Merci, Dr. Rey is a fresh, quirky, creative production that exemplifies what we look for in a feature," said Marco Ursino, founder and executive director of the Festival. "It explores narcissism in an ironic way, which also hits on this year's 'personal' festival theme. By delivering a truly international collection of personal, intimate, original, and at times purposely sexy and ironic stories in critical times, the festival promotes self-analysis, creates the opportunity to deeply observe and reflect about ourselves as humans."
The film was one of more than 1578 submissions from 74 countries with budgets ranging from $500 to $5 million. The Festival will screen 96 of these films and award $50,000+ in film services to top participants.
"Although the festival grows year after year, its independent spirit is more alive than ever before. We didn't loose touch with our mission." adds Ursino. "This year we are proud once again to present our program at Brooklyn Museum of Art and to announce BAM as a new venue partner for select programs."
About Brooklyn International Film Festival
The Brooklyn International Film Festival (BIFF) is a competitive festival for and by independent filmmakers. BIFF, originally founded as the Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival (WBFF), is in its sixth year running. This year's festival takes place at the Brooklyn Museum of Art and will show 90+ films total in the Feature, Documentary, Animation, Experimental and Short Film categories. BIFF will also screen select programs at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). BIFF's goal is to showcase up and coming filmmakers from around the world to Brooklyn's diverse population of film fans, as well as further the careers of featured film makers. BIFF's mission is to discover, expose, and promote independent filmmakers while drawing worldwide attention to Brooklyn's artistic, business and cultural communities. BIFF 2003 takes place at Brooklyn Museum of Art April 28-May 4 - then continues with a summer showcase series throughout the neighborhoods of NYC. BIFF/WBFF is a non-profit organization. BIFF's 2003 sponsors are Campari, DTV by Time Warner Cable, WNYC Radio, J.P. Morgan Chase, Panavision NY, and NYSCA among others.
CONTACT:
Matt Heindl - press08 wbff.org
Tel.: 718-486-5889 - Fax: 718-599-5039
printable version
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