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Liz Morgan, Liz Morgan PR
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Tom Carruthers, Connecticut Film Festival
203-247-4273

CONNECTICUT FILM FESTIVAL SELECTS JUDGES FOR SHORTS, FEATURES
-Six day festival is October 3-8, 2006-

BETHEL, CT (August 30, 2006) - Organizers of the upcoming Connecticut Film Festival recently announced that they've tapped some of the Northeast's most acclaimed industry professionals as judges for the event. The debut of the Connecticut Film Festival will be held in multiple cities across the state October 3-8, 2006.

Plans are in place to screen more than 100 independent films in Bantam, Bethel, New Haven, New Milford, Norwalk, Westport, Waterbury and Stamford

Among those selected are Heidi Hamilton, Film Division Director - Commission on Culture & Tourism; John Courtmanche, Producer for Sonalysts Media in Waterford; Thomas Campbell, professor of filmmaking, video production and journalism at Adelphi University; and Jessica Hough, curatorial director at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield.

Heidi Hamilton is a native of Los Angeles. After 13 years as a commercial litigator in Manhattan, she moved to Connecticut in 1996. Her work included Yale School of Medicine's Office of Grants and Contracts, Office of New Haven and State Affairs, Community Builders, Inc. and the Housing Authority of New Haven. For the past five years she has transitioned into the film industry, serving as the executive director of Film Fest New Haven and as a film fellow with the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism (CCT).

John Courtmanche has a long industry history, including two years as Director of State of Connecticut Film Office. His work as producer, writer, editor or videographer has been seen in numerous productions including FOOD NETWORK @ INDY500 hosted by Marc Summers; LIGHTING OF THE UNICEF SNOWFLAKE - hosted by Barry Bostwick with Liv Tyler and Michael Bloomberg; CNN EARTH MATTERS; Animal Planet and Discovery Networks.
Tom Campbell has worked as a video producer, writer and teacher for over 20 years. His film/video productions, Rooftop Serenade and West Side Demise, were finalists in the national Telly awards. Buying Wine or How Not To, which he shot and directed, screened at the 2004 Barbados Festival of Caribbean Film and Video. His recent work includes feature editing and documentary post-production. He has also written for numerous publications, including American Cinematographer, and his interview with filmmaker James Szalapski is featured on the recent DVD release of the country music documentary Heartworn Highways. He also taught the first documentary production course offered by the Tribeca Film Institute, working with high school students from the five boroughs of New York City.
Jessica Hough is the curatorial director at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, where she has worked since 1998. She recently curated Alyson Shotz: Light, Sound, Space (2005) and Karkhana: A Contemporary Collaboration (2005). While earning her MA from The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, she focused her thesis research on the work of three contemporary artists; Byron Kim, Shahzia Sikander, and Yinka Shonibare in a paper titled Liberating Tradition.
"The caliber of judges we've secured to date reflects our goal to become a highly regarded and prestigious festival - not just for our attendees but in the eyes of our visiting filmmakers," said Tom Carrthers, Executive Director. "Their work is going to be reviewed by some our area's and our industry's finest."
The multiple markets of the 2006 Connecticut Film Festival were specifically selected, and the two-year plan includes expansion into downtown Hartford, West Hartford, Mystic and New London. This year's event kicks off October 3 and 4 in multiple venues in Westport and Norwalk and continues in the additional cities beginning October 5.

Tickets go on sale September 1. Prices for parties and other events vary; please visit www.CTfilmfest.com for updates, film descriptions and details.

"Whether it's your first festival or your fiftieth, a team of experienced film festival directors and arts and entertainment marketing experts designed this event for true film lovers," said Carruthers. "From the screenings to the parties to the panels, it's tailored for cinema afficiandos."

Submissions are being accepted through August 31 for the Connecticut Film Festival through www.WithoutABox.com.

Making its debut in October 2006, the Connecticut Film Festival was established to create a lasting cultural tradition for the state by celebrating the art of filmmaking by bringing independent and international film to the area.

The Connecticut Film Festival launch dovetails with the release of new tax credits for the production of digital media and motion pictures in Connecticut. The legislation calls for a tax credit equal to 30% of qualified digital media and motion picture production, preproduction and postproduction expenses incurred in the state that exceed $50,000.
The statewide 2006 Connecticut Film Festival will ramp up over a two-year period. In 2006, the festival screenings and events with will reach out to three of the five CT Dept of Culture and Tourism regions. In 2007 and 2008, The Connecticut Film Festival will expand by premiering in the New London and Mystic area as well as the downtown and surrounding suburbs of Hartford.
For the latest films added to the line up or for more information, log on to www.CTfilmfest.com.
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SUBMISSIONS are being accepted through AUGUST 31 for the Connecticut Film Festival through www.WithoutABox.com.
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CONTACT: Tom Carruthers ~ Connecticut Film Festival ~ TWCarruthers-AT-cs.com ~ 800 655 0900 ~ www.CTfilmfest.com
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