Friday, June 1-------On its tenth anniversary, the Brooklyn International Film Festival (BIFF) is reinventing itself. The Festival has launched a thematic challenge entitled IDENTITY, which is in part a self-search to find its unique identity in a sea of New York film events, and to assist its audiences in redefining what it means to be Brooklynites, now that the outer borough is going through a cultural renaissance and is one of New York's "cool" destinations.

The Festival, running June 1-10, 2007, is ready to bring the competitive 10-day event to multiple Brooklyn communities while increasing the number of total programs from 36, in 2006, to 81. For the first time this year, every film will have 2 screenings and customers will be able to catch movies everyday from 1pm to 11:30pm. Opening night will be celebrated on Stage 1 at Steiner Studios. The main competitive event will be held at Cobble Hill Cinema, where two screening rooms will operate side-by-side. Sidebar programs will run at Galapagos Art Space, Brooklyn Heights Cinema, and Brooklyn Children’s Museum. BiFF is dedicated to discovering, exposing, and promoting independent filmmakers and their work. BiFF is committed to expanding the rich and diverse cultural resources that are the heritage of Brooklyn citizens.

Since 1998, BiFF has been searching for its own identity and for filmmakers with unique traits. For the 10th anniversary, BiFF turns inquisitive in the search for a refined identity and a new balance. BiFF 07 is about revelations. It’s about uncovering the truth that lies beneath. It is about revisiting and emerging to leave a mark. It’s about being transparent in an opaque system. Ultimately, BiFF 07 is about individuality, personality, distinctiveness, uniqueness, and the courage to be oneself.
 
Festival executive director, Marco Ursino, enthusiastically states, “This year’s theme is a healthy exercise we should try to replicate every year. Refreshing our identity means asking to ourselves the most difficult questions in relation to the environment. The World and its identity are mutating rapidly and we need to know who we are and where we stand. In other words, BiFF 07 is about the hottest issues of our times.” For information on the films and events, log on to the Festival website: www.brooklynfilmfest.org

BiFF was established in 1998 as the first international competitive film festival in New York. Conceptually unique, the festival has grown exponentially each year in terms of number of submissions, program quality and size, international exposure, media coverage, audience attendance and participation, sponsorship, endorsements, community outreach, and budget. A panel of journalists, film festival directors, and film related professionals grade each film to select the best in its category, awarding the Chameleon Statuette (and prizes) to five winners. The festival board selects the best film of the year among the five winners, awarding it the Grand Chameleon Award ($50,000 in services). The festival also assigns one Spirit Award and one Audience Award in each category. Other awards are: Best Production, Best New Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, Best Actress and Best Actor. At the 2007 festival, through the resources of our film sponsors, BiFF will award the winners with prizes totaling over $80,000 in film services, products, and cash. A single prize of $5,000 cash, the “Diane Seligman Award”, sponsored by Lowel Light, will be given to Best Documentary. So, get on the subway and experience the film festival, Brooklyn style.

Sandy Mandelberger, Film New York Editor