Editor

It was announced today that Golden Globe Award-winning actress Kim Cattrall (“Sex in the City” franchise, “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Meet Monica Velour”), Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of the Lambs,” “The Manchurian Mandate”), BAFTA Film Award-winning Hollywood wardrobe designer Michael Kaplan (”Blade Runner,” “Burlesque,” “Fight Club”) and Academy Award®-nominated director Milcho Manchevski (“Before the Rain,” “Mothers”) will be attending the 2nd Annual Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF). In addition, the special guests will participate in the Festival’s “In Conversation With” series engaging the Festival audience. The announcement was made by AIFF Founders and Producers Giuseppe Cioccarelli and Jonathan Vieira and Artist Director Claudio Masenza. This year’s Festival takes place June 10-16, 2011.

Cattrall will kick-off the Festival’s opening night Red Carpet on Friday, June 10, 2011 at Paseo Herencia, and the “In Conversation With” series on Saturday, June 11, 2011. Demme will begin his series on June 12, 2011. Kaplan and Manchevski’s dates will be announced later this month.

Cattrall's impressive cross-platform acting career has included film, stage and television, and she is a New York Times best-selling author. The most substantial work Cattrall has contributed to entertainment and pop culture has been her role of Samantha Jones on HBO's “Sex and the City” franchise. Cattrall has been celebrated and recognized for her work in the series with a Golden Globe, two SAG Awards, and five Emmy Award nominations.

Demme, winner of an Oscar for best director for “The Silence of the Lambs,” is a critically acclaimed helmer of character-driven films that includes “Philadelphia,” “The Manchurian Candidate” and “Rachel Getting Married,” just to name a few. “The Silence of the Lambs” became one of only three films to win Academy Awards in all five major Oscar categories and cemented his reputation as being one of the most versatile and accomplished filmmakers of his day. The New York native is currently in production for his animation drama “Zeitoun.”

Since 1981, Kaplan’s impeccable work as a wardrobe designer won him accolades for Best Costume Design by the 1983 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards for his costume design work in “Blade Runner,” the first theatrically-released film he worked on as a costume designer. He went on to become a nominee in the Costume Designers Guild Awards 1999 and the Costume Designers Guild Awards 2005 in the category of Excellence in Costume Design for Film - Contemporary for his costume designs for “Fight Club” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” respectively.

Kaplan most recently worked on the Golden Globe Award-winning musical “Burlesque,” starring Christina Aguilera and Cher. His contribution to this film landed him a 2nd Costume Designers Guild Award nomination for "Excellence In Contemporary Film.”

Yugoslavian director Manchevski wrote and helmed the feature films “Before the Rain” (1994), “Dust” (2001), “Shadows” (2007) and “Mothers” (2010), which collectively earned him an Academy-Award nomination, over thirty awards, and screenings at more than a hundred festivals, and have been distributed in close to 50 countries (theatrically, TV, cable and video).

Rapper, actor and multi-tiered business mogul Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson will also be attending AIFF for the red carpet Caribbean premiere of his latest feature film “Things Fall Apart.”

About the Aruba International Film Festival

The breathtaking Caribbean island of Aruba provides the backdrop for the film industry’s newest “must-attend” event, taking place June 10-16, 2011, with an inviting atmosphere, suited like none other, to attract actors, directors, filmmakers, and film lovers.

AIFF stands to further global awareness for the Island of Aruba as a center of art, culture and creativity and serve as a platform to promote the understanding and appreciation for the art of cinema and filmmaking. With participants enjoying a relaxed Aruban ambiance and a casual interaction between filmmakers and audience.

The annual AIFF will bring people from around the world to view a wide selection of films, join in discussions and attend special parties and events.

AIFF has a mission to encourage, educate and activate young Aruban filmmakers. Throughout the Festival, notable film professionals will be conducting master classes on all facets of filmmaking and the creative process.

For more information please visit the Aruba International Film Festival website at www.arubafilmfest.com