(1888PressRelease)
April 14, 2009 - This years' Festival is most excited to host this World Premiere movie, among many others. The Ambassador of the Festival, Ms. Karolina Evstigneeva has secured 12 Russian Films for screening in Monaco, and MCFF USA Program Director Mr. Georges Chamchoum, has lined up films from the USA, South Korea, Lebanon and many other parts of the world. Mr. Chamchoum says that this years' Festival, which opens with the remarkable Turkish film “Devrim Arabalari” (Cars of the Revolution), will be the best ever in terms of film screenings in Monaco which are FREE TO THE PUBLIC. The evening of May 16 caps the Monaco Charity Film Festival with the 4th Annual MCFF Charity Gala Cocktail and Dinner at the Fairmont Hotel in Monaco.
MCFF is negotiating to have Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attend and award the film honors to the winners of the 2009 Monaco Charity Film Festival. Saudi Princess Nauf Al Saud has enthusiastically confirmed her attendance at this years Festival to introduce young artists from the Middle East and to help raise money for the charities that MCFF is funding. The Monaco Charity Film Festival is the only festival worldwide that annually showcases promising young filmmakers from 2 Film Schools internationally. For 2009, Notre Dame University in Lebanon and Dongseo University in Pusan, South Korea have been selected.
Festival Founder and Chairman Vicente-Andres Zaragoza has re-iterated again the festival's dual purpose and mission: To help new, independent and talented filmmakers get recognition and financing for their art, and to raise money for impoverished and abandoned children around the world, and for medical research.
Mr. Jean Sarkozy - son of French President Nicolas Sarkozy – has been invited to become Chairman of the MCFF Film Jury, and world-renowned Japanese architect Mr. Shigeru Ban has accepted the position of Honorary Chairman for this year’s Festival. In addition, we are pleased to announce that Dr. Daniel Cohen - the world's leading genetic scientist will speak on May 16 during the Gala Dinner at the MCFF charity event, after a special luncheon held in his honor on May 15.
UK Film distributor and financier - Screen Opus, is a Sponsor of the Festival and will be on the lookout for films and film projects to finance and distribute worldwide. Mr. Olivier Lacic of Capital Image Fund, also a Sponsor of the Festival, will be available for film financing discussions. Film financier Mr. Ross Cooper from Los Angeles, together with some executives from 20th Century Fox will also be attending the festival and searching for film projects to finance.
Variety Magazine - a Monaco Charity Film Festival Sponsor in France, called the MCFF concept and event “a genius of an idea". Mr. Legendre of Variety Magazine stated that the dual purpose of the festival: to help filmmakers and to use film stars to raise money for charity, is "the best event idea that Monaco has going" at this time.
"Monaco Charity Film Festival 2009" will be a very important event for Monaco as well as for independent filmmakers and various charity recipients worldwide.
The worldwide public is invited to come to Monaco May 11-16, 2009, before the Cannes Film festival and the Monaco Grand Prix, TO VIEW ALL FILM SCREENINGS FOR FREE and to attend the Gala Cocktail and dinner on May 16, 2009, at the Fairmont Hotel in Monaco.
For more information, and a full schedule of the selected films for Monaco Charity Film Festival 2009, please go to: www.monacofilmfestival.org
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