The four day festival brought leading filmmakers and film enthusiasts from Mexico, the U.S. and around the world to Cabo, Mexico for films, a Mexico - US film forum with guest Diego Luna, celebrity conversations and Q&A's including a Variety Conversation with Michael Apted and a conversation with Matt Dillon and Barry Gifford, panel discussions on film financing and film distribution, filmmaker reception, an announcement of the Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund in partnership with LaboDigital and the Sundance Institute, and nightly events at some of the most beautiful spots in Cabo. The star-studded Opening Night Ceremony and Gala, featuring a special presentation of Ariel Vroman's "The Iceman," starring Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, James Franco, David Schwimmer, Ray Liotta and Stephen Dorff, kicked off the festival on Wednesday. On Thursday night guests were invited to the Puerto Los Cabos Wirikuta Cactus Garden, a botanical desert garden home to over 1500 varieties of desert plants from around the world, for an outdoor screening of Lynn Hershmann's "Hecho in Mexico," followed by dinner featuring food from many of the most popular restaurants in Cabo. Friday evening featured an art walk showcasing pieces by celebrated Mexican artist Leonora Carrington as well a special outdoor concert by Los Angeles' Hotel Cafe Performers Sara Bareilles, Cary Brothers, Harper Blynn, Holly Conlan, and Madi Diaz at the Puerto Los Cabos Marina.
Special guests of the festival included Patrick J. Adams, Danny Arroyo, Gael Garcia Bernal, Vanessa Branch, AJ Buckley, Kat Coiro, Rachael Leigh Cook, Giancarlo Esposito, Barry Gifford, Daniel Gillies, Dolores Heredia, Cody Horn, Allison Janney, Mike Judge, Josh Lucas, Diego Luna, William Mapother, Esai Morales, Natalie Morales, Barbara Mori, Mark Polish, Gabriela Roel, Octavia Spencer, Martin Starr, Tate Taylor, Blayne Weaver and more, who participated in the week's festivities.
Winners of the inaugural Virgin Produced Screenplay Competition, launched in partnership with Virgin Produced and the Baja International Film Festival include:
1(st) Place - MATERMINATED by Carey Dunn2(nd) Place - Last Waltz of Vienna by Brian Weakland3(rd) Place - Painkillers by Giles Daoust
The Festival competition accepted feature-length screenplays in all genres, and the winning screenplay is now eligible for option consideration by Virgin Produced, the film and television arm of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group.
ABOUT THE BAJA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The inaugural Baja International Film Festival is co-founded by Festival President, Eduardo Sanchez Navarro, longtime supporter of the arts in Los Cabos, BIFF festival directors Scott Cross and Sean Cross, co-founders of the Colorado Film Institute and Vail Film Festival, and business leaders and arts supports Juan Gallardo, Alfonso Pasquel, Eduardo Sanchez Navarro Torres, and Pablo Sanchez Navarro. Scott and Sean Cross also serve as the Festival's artistic directors alongside Jorge Sanchez Sosa, former director of the Guadalajara Film Festival. Nancy Collet, former Director of Programming at the American Film Institute, serves as Festival Senior International Films Programmer. The Baja International Film Festival will include four days of special presentations, as well as competition screenings of feature films, documentaries, and short films, as well as nightly galas, panel discussions, filmmaker receptions, and award ceremonies. The festival is run by a bi-national team of experienced film and business managers who share a passion for bringing Mexican and U.S. cultures together through film. The Baja International Film Festival is supported by the Mexico Tourism Board and endorsed by the State of Baja California Sur and the Los Cabos Tourism Bureau as the Official Festival of Cabo, Mexico. For more information and to order tickets please visit: www.bajainternationalfilmfestival.com or email info@bajafilmfest.com.
Contacts: Andy Gelb/Stephanie Samson Slate PR (310) 461-0111 andy@slate-pr.com /stephanie@slate- pr.comBaja International Film Festival
Web site: http://www.bajainternationalfilmfestival.com/
