Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

Although attendance figures are still being tabulated, festival organizers have seen a 20% increase in Box Office receipts over the previous year, and the number of attending filmmakers ?representing 40 countries ?has also doubled since the 2003 edition. The increase in audiencesand attending filmmakers has been attributed to the consistently strong programming featuring dozens of US and World Premieres, the conveniently centralized "AFI FEST Village" location at ArcLight Hollywood, and critical industry alliances like the Kodak CONNECT program, the launch of European Film Promotion's "New Faces in European Cinema" program and the recently announced alliance with the American Film Market (AFM).

Director of Programming Nancy Collet said, "Over the last 10 days, we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from filmmakers, audiences, sponsors and press. AFI FEST 2004 presented by Audi has been extremely successful on every level.?Added Festival Director Christian Gaines, �It�s a thrill to provide a world-class global film event for the people of Los Angeles, and to make a significant impact on the international film community.?
The 10 days of screenings included a number of sold-out films, including Ivo Trajkov�s THE GREAT WATER, Luis Mandoki�s INNOCENT VOICES, Asia Argento�s THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS, Dick Rude�s LET�S ROCK AGAIN!, Terry George�s HOTEL RWANDA, Wash Westmoreland�s GAY REPUBLICANS, Robin Scovill�s THE OTHER SIDE OF AIDS, Prachya Pinkaew�s ONG BAK: THAI WARRIOR, Jonathan.

Jakubowicz�s SECUESTRO EXPRESS, Rafal Zielinski�s DOWNTOWN: A STREET TALE, Gurinder Chadha�s BRIDE AND PREJUDICE, Niels Mueller�s THE ASSASINATION OF RICHARD NIXON, Pete Travis?OMAGH, Quentin Lee�s ETHAN MAO, Christophe Barratier�s LES CHORISTES, Pedro Almod�var�s BAD EDUCATION, and the TRIBUTE TO PEDRO ALMOD�VAR. Additionally, this year�s four SHORTS PROGRAMS were extremely
well-attended, many with sell-out crowds.

AFI FEST 2004 kicked off with the US Premiere of BEYOND THE SEA, directed by and starring Kevin Spacey, and showcased more than 136 films from 42 countries. In addition to opening and closing night, this year�s festival included red carpet gala presentations of HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, directed by Zhang Yimou, BAD EDUCATION, directed by Pedro
Almod�var, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE�S THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, directed by Michael Radford, and A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. AFI FEST 2004 also featured a Tribute to internationally acclaimed director Pedro Almod�var. Luminaries from around the globe attended AFI FEST 2004, including, Mark Addy, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Pedro Almod�var, Alejandro Amen�bar, Sharif Atkins, Kevin Bacon, Eric Balfour, Javier Bardem, Gael Garcia Bernal, Thora Birch, Orlando Bloom, Kate Bosworth, Benjamin Bratt, Red Buttons, Gurinder Chadha, Don Cheadle, Lynn Collins, Kevin Costner, Penolope Cruz, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Willem Dafoe, Tim Daly, Dodd Darren, Rosario Dawson, Michael Des Barres, Stephen Dorff, Flea, Joseph Fiennes, Jodie Foster, Cuba Gooding Jr., John Goodman, Joshua Jackson, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Scarlett Johansson, Udo Kier, David Lynch, Oliver Martinez, Emily Mortimer, Brittany Murphy, Edward James Olmos, Hailey Joel Osment, Ron Pearlman, Pink, Michael Radford, Robert Rodriguez, Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Spacey, Harry Dean Stanton, Paprika Steen, Patrick Swazye, Audrey Tautou, Marissa Tomei, Gaspard Ulliel, Deborah Kara Unger, James Van Der Beek, Leslie Anne Warren, Ziyi Zhan, and many more.

JURY AWARDS
INTERNATIONAL SHORTS COMPETITION
GRAND JURY PRIZE
TWO CARS, ONE NIGHT (New Zealand)
Directed by Taika Waititi
SPECIAL MENTION
RYAN (Canada)
Directed By Chris Landreth
Jurors: Actor, Shohreh Aghdashloo; Film Critic, Wade Major; Filmmaker, Ray McKinnon
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
GRAND JURY PRIZE
THE TAKE (Canada)
Directed by Avi Lewis

SPECIAL MENTION
THE OTHER SIDE OF AIDS (USA)
Directed By Robin Scovill
Jurors: Filmmaker, Xan Cassavetes; Filmmaker, Paola Di Florio; Filmmaker, Allen Hughes
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE COMPETITION
GRAND JURY PRIZE
DUCK SEASON /TEMPORADA DE PATOS (Mexico)
Directed by Fernando Eimbcke
Jurors: Actor/Filmmaker, Joshua Jackson; Actor, Emily Mortimer; Film Scholar, Peter Scarlet
The Jury Award winners above received film-related prizes and in-kind from our sponsors
including Eastman Kodak Company, Best Buy, Panavision, Variety, Indiewire, Avid,
Entertainment Partners, Final Draft, ifilm and Ameoba Music.
AUDIENCE AWARDS presented by Los Angeles Times
BEST SHORT FILM
MY PARENTS/MEIN ELTERN
Directed by Neele Leana Vollmar
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
GAY REPUBLICANS
Directed by Wash Westmoreland
BEST FEATURE FILM
HOTEL RWANDA
Directed by Terry George

Now in its 18th year, AFI FEST presented by Audi�the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival�is the longest-running film festival in Los Angeles and one of the most influential and fastest growing film festivals in North America. A program of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST spans 10 days each November, featuring international competitions of new feature films, documentaries and shorts from emerging filmmakers, global showcases of the latest work from the great film masters and red-carpet gala premieres. Beginning this year, AFI FEST 2004 presented by Audi (November 4 - 14) and the 2004 American Film Market (November 3 - 10) have established a strategic alliance creating a formidable festival/market combination�the only one of its kind in North America�which will dramatically deepen the well of cultural and commercial possibilities for participants at both events. For more information on AFM, visit www.americanfilmmarket.com.