Writer/Director Dito Montiel and Executive Producer Sting

Thursday, October 19---With the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival already in high gear, a number of special guests and VIPs are expected in town over the next few days, bringing some film star power to South Florida audiences.

Tonight, writer/director Dito Montiel will be present at the screening of his debut film A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS. The film, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, was a double-prize winner there, winning the Best Director prize for Montiel and Best Acting Award for its ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Chazz Palminteri, Dianne Wiest, Rosario Dawson and newcomers Shia LeBoeuf and Channing Tatum (the breakout star of this summer's smash hit STEP UP). Montiel is a renaissance man who has been a singer and a musician and a published writer before his first venture in independent filmmaking. He caught the eye of Sting and his producer wife Trudie Styler, who served as Executive Producers and mentors for the film.

Dito Montiel

On Friday evening, television hearthrob Ian Ziering will be at the Festival to celebrate the world premiere of his short film MAN VS. MONDAY, which screens right before the Opening Night Film, Pedro Almodovar's VOLVER, at the historic Parker Playhouse. Ziering, who began as a television child star, was first noticed for his recurring role on the longtime daytime soap opera GUIDING LIGHT before starring in a number of television series and made-for-television movies. He is probably best known for his role as Steve Sanders on the megahit television series BEVERLY HILLS 90210, where he was the originals who stayed till the series finished in 2001. Ziering has also had a 25 year film career, having made his feature film debut in ENDLESS LOVE (1981) as well as more recent films FLASH FLAME, SAVATE and STRIPPED DOWN.

Ian Ziering

Distributor-turned filmmaker Jeff Lipsky is on tap Saturday evening for the premiere of his indie sleeper FLANNEL PAJAMAS, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. With a nod toward the films of Woody Allen and Oscar winner KRAMER VS. KRAMER, Lipsky's second film as a director is a quintessential New York story about falling in love....and then the pressures that pull a marriage apart. Lipsky is an independent film pioneer, having released dozens of independent and international films while at October Films and Lot 47 Films. While he has several projects in the hopper, he has returned to specialty distribution with the platform release of the award-winning period drama SWEET LAND by Ali Selim. FLANNEL PAJAMAS will screen on Saturday evening at 6:45pm at the Cinema Paradiso.

Jeff Lipsky

Other weekend guests visiting South Florida for the Festival include director Miles Merritt, director of UNA CAUSA NOBLE, who previous film EL COCHERO played FLIFF in 2005; and Matt Tauber, the debut director of THE ARCHITECT, starring Anthony LaPaglia and Isabella Rossellini. The film has three screening dates: Sunday, October 22, 3:00pm, Saturday, October 28, 8:00pm and Monday, October 30, all at the Cinema Paradiso.

Sandy Mandelberger
Festivals Editor