PO Box 1071 | Ellensburg, WA 98926

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

Ellensburg Film Festival Rolls Out the Red Carpet

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Five years in the making, the Ellensburg Film Festival has seen many expansions and this year is no different. The event has been organized by eleven board members and spear headed by EFF President Pedro Bicchieri, one of the festival’s founding fathers. Always held the first weekend in October, the festival will be held from October 2-4, 2009. The 5th Annual Ellensburg Film Festival will be held at one of our three host venues: Central Washington University’s Student Union Theatre (SURC), Central Washington University’s Music Building Recital Hall and Gallery One that serves as the EFF Headquarters. This is one of the greatest events in Central Washington dedicated to film education, exposure and the enrichment of our local community.

The Festival gets started with the screening of Endless Tunnel followed by the feature Sin Nombre, that received the Excellence in Cinematography Award and Directing Award at Sundance. The screening will start at 7:00pm in the Central Washington University Music Recital Hall. After the screening head over to EFF headquarters at Gallery One, located at 408 North Pearl Street, for the Opening Gala and Awards Ceremony held at 9:00pm with live musical performances by Argus and Star Anna and The Laughing Dogs. Argus, originating from Yakima, WA, will perform “timeless classics that will surely bring you out of your Face-Space-Twitter-induced funk and into new era of toe tappin' tomfoolery”. Between performances, be the first to hear the 2009 EFF Awards announced. It is also a chance to meet visiting filmmakers, actors, musicians and other film enthusiasts. Afterward, join local legend Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs as they perform their signature rootsy, alt-country sound that carries a rock ‘n’ roll punch through the remainder of the evening.

Saturday, October 3, 2009, the festivities continue with numerous screenings that include films such as: Horn Dog that won Best Animation at the Marin County International Festival of Short Film and Video, plus Mantra which received Best Picture at the Fifth Annual Fright Night Film Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. Following select screenings; enjoy Q & A sessions with visiting directors and actors that have traveled great distances to support their creative processes and cinematic education. Speak with Ronald Colby (Director) of Pirate for the Sea plus Mike Vogel (Director) and Audrey Walker (Actress) from The Waiting List.

After a full day of exceptional, independent, cinematic exposure head over to the EFF Headquarters for Saturday Night’s Bar Noir featuring a live performance by Portland, Oregon’s Jon Davidson. Jon has toured in 5 countries and over 35 states. He has shared the stage with such artists as Puddle Of Mudd, Powerman 5000, Hurt, Houston Calls, Intervision, We Shot The Moon, A Change Of Pace, Under The Flood, Fall From Grace, Nonpoint, and The Exies. Jon’s first full-length solo album, Perfect Cliché, was released in October 2008. Singles from the album have received airplay on six different radio formats: Modern Rock, AAA, Hot AC, Country, Rock, and College. The latest single, "Going Home," has charted on over 100 stations around the country, landing the #1 spot on the Hot 200 College Radio chart on six stations and held the #1 spot on WUMM 90.5 for eight consecutive weeks. Jon has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and on E! Television. In addition, his song "What Can I Say" has been chosen for inclusion in the upcoming feature film Twisted Redemption. Following Jon’s performance EFF resident mix masters, DJ Caution and DJ Ness, will spin a variety of music ranging from memorable movie soundtracks, world beats, mainstream favorites plus the latest and greatest in underground dance music.

Sunday, October 4, 2009, the festival wraps up the weekend with an array of screenings such as Monster Camp that received Best Documentary at the Rome International Film Festival. There is also another chance for the audience to participate in additional Q & A sessions with featured filmmakers throughout the day such as: Kevin Tomlinson (Director) and Judy Meryl Kaplan (Producer) of Back to the Garden, Ilana Sol (Director) from On Paper Wings and Tammi Sims (Producer) of Sweet Crude. Sunday also features

Indie-Fest, an online film competition sponsored by IndieFlix that works with filmmakers and festivals to market, provide technology, and user support to cater to and built an aggregated festival audience to support the world of Independent film. The audience has a voice in programming by choosing a winner. The winner receives a preferred 90/10-distribution deal plus a special screening at the 5^th Annual Ellensburg Film Festival in the CWU Music Recital Hall at 2:00pm and will be immediately followed by the Shorts Program. The Shorts Program includes such films as: Undressing My Mother which won a host of awards including Best Irish Short Film at the Cork Film Festival and an Honorable Mention in Short Filmmaking at Sundance. Cantata in C Major is also a part of the Shorts Program and received the award for Best Experimental Film at the Route 66 Film Festival and the Juror's Award at the River's Edge Film Festival.

This year you can follow the 5^th Annual Ellensburg Film Festival (@EburgFilmFest) on Twitter to receive up to the minute news on our films and events as they happen. For tickets, detailed information about the festival’s program and other event information, please visit http://www.ellensburgfilmfestival.com or pick up one of the EFF Festival Programs at participating venues for more information.

This event is sponsored by: Laughing Horse Arts Foundation, Gallery One Visual Arts Center, IndieFlix, TLS Design Studio, Ellensburg Arts Commission, Hampton Inn, Withoutabox, Central Washington University Diversity Education Center, Iron Horse Brewery, Sage Cliffe, My Jungle Studio, Rufus Tech, Jerrol’s Book & Supply Co., D&M Coffee, Lily’s Cantina, Bluestone Academy, and Wahluke heights Orchards.

Media Contact: Tami Sawyer, EFF Public Relations & Marketing, press@ellensburgfilmfestival.com

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