Tourism, Culture and Recreation
October 16, 2007

18th St. John�s International Women�s Film Festival Begins Tonight

The 18th St. John�s International Women�s Film Festival, an event which has become a highlight of the Newfoundland and Labrador arts and cultural scene, will be launched this evening (Tuesday, October 16), at the Arts and Culture Centre in St. John�s.

The Honourable Tom Hedderson, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, will attend tonight�s opening, which features local filmmaker Barbara Doran�s film, To Dublin with Love. Singer/songwriter Ron Hynes will also be performing.

"The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is a proud supporter of the Women�s Film Festival, which has grown from modest beginnings to become a first-class, international event," Minister Hedderson said. "Its contribution to the development of local filmmakers and to the reputation of this province�s growing film industry cannot be overstated."

Submissions to this year�s festival reached a record high of 515, with about 80 films selected to be featured at various venues over the next five days. A full schedule can be viewed at: www.womensfilmfestival.com

"I am pleased to note that this year�s festival will feature submissions from 11 local filmmakers, and I encourage the public to take in as many events as possible," Minister Hedderson said. "These films are, as the festival theme says, �Made by Women � For Everyone�, and everyone should take the opportunity to see some of the best documentaries, short films and feature films the industry has to offer."

Festival Chair Noreen Golfman said that while this year�s program reflects a diversity of genres and subjects, formats and styles, it most notably reflects the seriousness with which women have taken up the business of filmmaking.

"We like to think of our festival not only as an exhibition venue for brilliant work but also as an opportunity for disseminating, provocative and challenging dramas and documentaries - works that take chances, unsettle the status quo, and move audiences to think in new ways about time-honoured subjects," Ms. Golfman said. "Of course, we also guarantee a lot of spirited fun, and even a few jolts of silliness, because that�s also who we are and what we like to do."

The Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation provides the St. John�s International Women�s Film Festival with a $25,000 operating grant. It is part of the more than $3 million the Provincial Government invested in the local film industry in 2007. Since 2003-04, film production activity in Newfoundland and Labrador has averaged approximately $10 million annually.

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Media contacts:

Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca
Karen Kennedy
Media and Publicity Co-ordinator
St. John�s International Women�s Film Festival
709-754-3141
Kelly@womensfilmfestival.com

2007 10 16                                                   12:10 p.m.

 


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