Curtain Goes Up on Third Annual Ellensburg Film Festival

October 1, 2007

ELLENSBURG, Wash.-- Award-winning films highlight the popular four-day Ellensburg Film Festival, (EFF) which opens Thursday, October 4. The annual festival celebrates the art, innovation, and culture of filmmaking and film viewing by showcasing the best in global and independent films. A partnership between Central Washington University and the Ellensburg Community, EFF also gives visitors a chance to see movies they might not otherwise see in their hometowns.

The 2007 EFF features 50 films in 35 screenings across five local venues, including the Student Union and Recreation Theater, McConnell Auditorium, Grand Meridian Theater, Gallery One Arts Center, and the Hal Holmes Community Center.

"I think even we are surprised by the caliber of this year's films," says Djordje Popovic, the founding member and coordinator of the Ellensburg Film Festival. "The 2007 EFF films come from 20 countries and have played at over 200 festivals world wide, from Cannes and Berlin to Toronto and Sundance. What a great accomplishment for our university and the Ellensburg community."

This year's line-up includes:

• Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner "War/Dance," a story of three internally displaced boys in war-torn Uganda, who find hope in preparing for a national dance festival;
• "This is England," a deeply moving British coming-of-age drama;
• "My Best Friend," an acidic French comedy about the meaning of friendship;
• "Gypsy Caravan," a boisterous celebration of Romani culture through song and dance;
• "Beyond Belief," a widely acclaimed documentary about two 9/11 widows who travel to Afghanistan to discover an unlikely kinship with widows halfway around the world;
• "Ghosts of Cite Soleil," a provocative look at the gangs in Haiti's violent slums; and
• "After the Wedding," an Academy Award-nominated film about a family struggling with the fragility of life and forgiveness.

The Ellensburg Film Festival is supported by the CWU African American, African, and Black Diaspora Studies Program; Campus Activities; Center for Latino and Latin American Studies; Center for Student Empowerment; College of Arts and Humanities, and Diversity Education Center. Off-campus supporters include Humanities Washington, the City of Ellensburg, Grand Meridian Cinema, PBS and the Ellensburg Public Library.

To download the 2007 program or to purchase tickets, visit the Ellensburg Film Festival Web site at www.ellensburgfilmfestival.com. Tickets are also available at the CWU Student Union Box Office and Jerrol's Book and Supply Co. During the Festival, tickets may also be purchased at each venue.

Contact: Djordje Popovic, CWU Diversity Education Center, popovicd@cwu.edu, 509-963-1687