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Brooklyn International Film Festival 2002 - Progress Edition

Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival: Bigger, broader festival gets new name, new title sponsor, new locale in 5th year.

Brooklyn, New York (February 14, 2002) - The Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival (WBFF), the first international competitive film festival in Brooklyn, has undergone a name change in step with its new, broader format. Now known as the Brooklyn International Film Festival (BIFF), BIFF will be held April 29-May 5, 2002 at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Produced and managed by the core staff of the immensely popular WBFF, BIFF's title sponsor is Stella Artois.

"Our growth and popularity has snowballed to the point where we needed to align ourselves with a larger venue and encompass more than just one Brooklyn neighborhood," says festival founder and director Marco Ursino. "The festival began as a whim more than five years ago as a ploy to get my own film shown," jokes Ursino. "Through tremendous community support, a driven core production team and a progressively impressive and diverse program each year we have built upon each years' successes."

BIFF exposes and promotes local and international filmmakers while feeding its Brooklyn audiences with the best the world has to offer. BIFF is about unification, open to new ideas, formats, and languages and this year's program is as diverse as the festival's home, Brooklyn. "The transition from an exclusively Williamsburg setting to our museum in the heart of Brooklyn will not only benefit the Brooklyn Museum of Art and BIFF, but also give larger, more diverse audiences access to the festival's wonderful film programs," said Mona Smith, Manager of Adult Programs at the BMA. "Festival ticket-holders can enjoy a whole day at the museum and BMA's permanent collections for free".

This year BIFF has received 1,000 submissions from 60 countries. 80/100 films, representing 25/35 countries, will be selected to compete in the upcoming festival. Since its conception in 1997, the festival has grown exponentially each year. The seemingly rapid growth of the festival has not caused a diversion from its mission in the slightest. "BIFF is the liaison between the filmmakers and the audiences, films and distribution companies, media and sponsors. In all of the elements we have proven to be a natural bridge, "said Ursino. "The festival is founded on the simple basis of good taste, international curiosity, and respect for the natural progression of the independent film industry. We operate on a new platform where a new market is aligning itself to the art world".

CONTACT:
Matt Heindl - press08

wbff.org
Tel.: 718-388-4306 - Fax: 718-599-5039

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