









THE ELLIOTT FOUNDATION AND THE DIRECTOR’S CUT PLAN CHILDREN’S FILM PROGRAM
AT THE 2007 DOMINICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Children
are invited to participate in one-of-a-kind film workshops with actor
Manny Perez during the Third Annual Dominican International
Film Festival
Puerto
Plata, Dominican Republic (September XX, 2007) –The Elliott Foundation
and The Director’s Cut are announcing two new children’s
film
workshops at Sun Village Resort & Spa on November 9th and 10th
during the Third Annual Dominican International Film Festival.
Manny
Perez, a native Dominican and accomplished
actor attending the Festival, will be on site to offer expertise to the
children’s productions.
The film programs will be open to 12
future filmmakers per session. Six of the opening spots will be
offered to children staying at Sun Village
and the
additional six will be awarded to local children through their school
competition who have the best story-idea to be created into a
film.
This unique program was designed through a partnership with the
Elliott Foundation and The Director’s Cut, a Canadian-based mobile
film
and imaging studio dedicated to children in Canada and now the
Dominican. The theme will be “Voices & Vision”,a positive, look
into the
child’s vision of their future.
Providing the opportunity for children between the ages of 5 - 17
to experiment with digital film and imaging software and hardware, this
program will be a unique and valuable experience for all
participants. The Elliott Foundation is a Non-Profit private
Institution, dedicated to
develop and promote programs for
education, health and community development in benefit of poor,
particularly children. These relief
projects include
schools, orphanages and programs related to the protection and welfare
of children in the local communities of Dominican
Republic as well as developing countries.
“We
are excited about this unique opportunity to bring our children’s film
workshops to Sun Village Resort & Spa in the Dominican Republic
for
the first time,” said Gail Valentine, Marketing Director of The
Director’s Cut. “With the help of the Elliott Foundation, The
Dominican Film
Festival and Manny Perez, we are looking forward to further enhancing the knowledge and creativity of future film makers.”
Manny
Perez is a native Dominican born in a suburb of Santiago. At the
age of 10, his family relocated to the United States where Perez fell
in
love with acting. He is best known for his roles
on hit television shows such as “Rescue Me” and “Third Watch,” and
films such as this
summer’s highly anticipated and
critically acclaimed El Cantante starring opposite Jennifer Lopez and
Mark Anthony and Illegal Tender with
Michael Phillip Del
Rio and D.C. Benny. Perez was recently acclaimed for his acting,
co-writing and co-producing of the independent film
Washington Heights.
The
Third Annual Dominican International Film Festival will be held at Sun
Village Resort & Spa on November 8 – November 11, 2007. The
festival
is currently accepting film entries in four categories including, Short
Film (5-30 min), Feature Film (60-180 min), Latin American
Feature
Film (the film must originate in a Spanish-speaking country and between
60-180 min) and Documentary (no time restriction).
Festival passes and special packages are available now at www.DominicanInternationalFilmFestival.com.
About The Director’s Cut
The
Director's Cut is the first mobile film and imaging studio dedicated to
children in Canada. The workshops provide an opportunity for
children
between the ages 0f 5 - 17 to experiment with digital film and imaging
software and hardware. As former educators in the public
system,
founders Bryan and Lori Godmintz have created templated workshops to
introduce the "digital kid" to everything from publishing
storybooks,
comic books, claymation and many other film genres. The program
now includes 70 schools and works with over 2000 children
annually in Canada.
About Dominican International Film Festival
The
Dominican International Film Festival is a young, rapidly growing
festival dedicated to promoting independent filmmaking. The
Festival
separates itself from other film festivals by
embracing the Latin American flavor through screenings of Latin
American feature films,
promoting renowned Dominican stars
and its dedication to providing live Dominican entertainment. The
2007 Festival will include a variety of
screenings of some
of the year’s top films, panels and workshops that feature
award-winning actors, writers and directors, VIP parties and
live
entertainment. This year’s Festival will also introduce a new
award category: The 2007 Rising Dominican Star Award. The
Dominican
International Film Festival is produced by
Elliott, the dynamic parent company of Sun Village Resort & Spa and
the new Maxim Bungalows in
the Dominican Republic and Vincent Partners, a NY-based marketing and communications company.
Sun Village Resort & Spa in Cofresi Beach
Sun
Village Resort & Spa in Cofresi Beach is an all-inclusive luxury
resort with 300 rooms, managed and operated by Elliott. Sun Village
Resort
is located within a dramatic mountain-beach setting on the northern
coast of the Dominican Republic and is serviced by nearby
Puerto Plata and Santiago International airports.