The International Film
Festival Summit (IFFS) announced their 2009 Certified Film Festival Professional
(CFFP) Program graduating class earlier this month at a special ceremony which
preceded the 6th annual International Film Festival Summit.
The International Film Festival Summit (IFFS)
announced their 2009 Certified Film Festival Professional (CFFP) Program
graduating class earlier this month at a special ceremony which preceded the 6th
annual International Film Festival Summit.

"We are thrilled to announce
this year's graduating class of accomplished festival professionals from across
North America," said Waco Hoover, Co-Founder & President of the
International Film Festival Summit. "The CFFP is the only course of its kind
providing a comprehensive training program for professionals working in the film
festival industry. The program provides unparalleled training that will serve
professionals for the duration of their careers."

This year's graduating
class consisted of: Linda Kass, Founder & Director of Events and
Communications, High Desert Shorts International Film Festival; Sage Paul,
Manager, Imagine Native Film & Media Arts Festival; Charlie Prince,
Director, Lighthouse International Film Festival; Terry Scerbak, Festival
Director, Reel Shorts Film Festival, Taiwo Taiwo, CEO, Tywo Tywo Enterprises;
Cristina Uranga, Media Coordinator, DALLAS International Film Festival; Deborah
Venezia, Executive Director, After Hours Film Society; Ann Weston, Festival
Director, Focus Film Festival; and Maria Marcus, Festival Director, Short Script
Awards.

The CFFP Program is a two-day course that provides an in-depth
training curriculum covering the most important elements involved in film
festival work. The course content for each section is developed by a top
professional in that field and is taught using lecture and small group session
formats.

The course is designed for film festival professionals and
anyone interested in acquiring more knowledge about film festival work,
particularly those who aspire to a career as a film festival founder, director,
or staff member.

The class explored principal topics in-depth including:
film festival operations and management, marketing & PR, funding &
sponsorship, programming, acquisition & distribution, digital technology
solutions, executive management, and long term planning.