The fifth annual Haapsalu Horror & Fantasy Film Festival set to kick off this Friday will be awarding White Lady awards to three film-makers whose films are being screened at the festival.  At a ceremony to be held 9pm at Friday in the courtyard of the Episcopal Castle, Adam Mason will be awarded a world premiere award for his new film, "Pig", as well as  Shinya Tsukamoto will receive a festival's achievement award.

British film-maker Adam Mason wins his White Lady for a world premiere  of his latest offering, „Pig", which Haapsalu festival-goers will see in its entirety for the first time anywhere. This psychological horror film - produced under a veil of great secrecy - is Mason's ninth full-length; his internationally most acclaimed work, "Broken" was featured at Haapsalu in 2007.

Shinya Tsukamoto's White Lady award for lifetime achievement in the cinema of the fantastic is a token of appreciation for such world film classics as Tetsuo from 1989. At previous festivals, Haapsalu has screened Tsukamoto's "Nightmare Detective" (2006); while the director displayed his talents as an actor in "Marebito", featured at the first Haapsalu Film Festival.

Tsukamoto has made a total of 13

full-length feature films.

And festival special guest Andrey Iskanov wins a White Lady for the world premiere of a modified version of his latest effort, "Tourist" (Ingression). Iskanov, based in Khabarovsk, Russia and known for his extreme horror films, will present three films on two nights of the festival. Besides "Ingression", festival-goers will see his debut "Nails", which sparked a furore when it was released in 2003, and his short film "A Glimpse of Hell" (2007).

The prizes were made possible by the Haapsalu Horror & Fantasy Film Festival in cooperation with the Haapsalu City Government.

A total of 31 films from 15 countries will be screened at Haapsalu. Also making their international debut at Haapsalu: a French documentary on new French horror, the German thriller "Iron Doors" with a sneak peek, and two Estonian shorts - Tanel Ranna's vampire film "Transfusion" and one of the openers at Haapsalu, Robi Uppin's ghost tale "Wanderer".

The Haapsalu Horror & Fantasy Film Festival runs through Sunday.

Visit http://www.hoff.ee/ for the festival programme, schedule and more information,