Editor

Eurocinema, the first movie channel in the country dedicated solely to foreign films, has a Valentine’s Day present for lovers of European cinema throughout South Florida and across the country. Some 25 independent first-run foreign feature films will make their premieres on U.S. soil at the First Annual Eurocinema European Film Festival, February 6 through February 15, 2009 at indoor and outdoor venues throughout the greater Miami area.

The new 10-day event is an outgrowth of the widely acclaimed and hugely successful “Romance In A Can” film festival that has captivated Miami area audiences the past two years. “RIAC,” the brainchild of local community leader and arts patron Isabelle Landman, is the only festival of romantic films in the U.S. That festival paired screenings of feature-length European films making their domestic debuts with an array of special events, as well as raised funds for youth arts programs.

The new film festival is a natural extension of the Eurocinema brand. The company is the only movie channel dedicated to presenting award-winning European and international films – the majority of which rarely, or never, reached U.S. theaters, rental stores, or television – to a wider audience. Offered as Video-on-Demand on cable and broadband services, including such influential powerhouses as Time Warner, Charter, and DirectTV, Eurocinema is currently carried in over 20 million homes across the U.S. and Canada, and pending deals with Cablevision and others will increase carriage exponentially in the coming months.

“We are proud to present this festival,” said Sebastien Perioche, chairman and CEO of Eurocinema. “Not only will it be home to great award-winning European films making their domestic debuts, but it will also be a fun and exciting atmosphere and a place where people want to be…like the ‘Art Basel’ of the film festival world.” (Art Basel is the premier international art show for modern and contemporary works).
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P. 2—Eurocinema International Film Festival in Miami

Perioche noted that the festival will not only appeal to a consumer audience, but also to advertisers and marketers looking for multi-platform sponsorship opportunities because of Eurocinema’s presence both on TV and on the Web.

“Preserving romance during Valentine’s week, far away from the war and from violence, is my vision for the film festival,” said Isabelle Landman, executive director of Red Chemistry, Inc., producer of the RIAC festival. “Bringing something uplifting and refreshing, a program of comedies and artsy feature films, should draw a very diverse audience in the very romantic town of Miami.”

Landman and Red Chemistry Inc. are working with Eurocinema in planning and producing the new festival.

As with the RIAC festival, Eurocinema doesn’t just show films. It enriches the entire film-viewing experience. Its two-hour themed program block offers viewers context and understanding of these unique films. Each block’s centerpiece is a high-quality, popular feature, spanning all genres and ranging from those produced by leading international studios to independent artistic productions. The library – with contemporary and classic titles, not to mention prize winners at worldwide festivals – covers the work of such directors as Pedro Almodovar, Roman Polanski, Ari Kaurismaki, and Jean Luc Godard, and globally-recognized stars including Monica Bellucci, Alain Delon, Catherine Deneuve, and Penelope Cruz, among many others.

To enhance the viewing experience, each block also offers one or two never-before-seen short format films relevant to the feature, as well as commentary from the director, cast, or others.

For more information www.eurocinema.com or www.romanceinacan.com .