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World premiers, international films, and a special pre-release sneak preview on tap for the fourth annual event.

Estes Park, CO August 9, 2009 -- Showcasing over 40 independent films from around the world, the 4th Annual Estes Park Film Festival will take place September 17-20 at the Historic Park Theatre in downtown Estes Park, Colorado. Built in 1913, the Park Theatre is the oldest operating movie theatre west of the Mississippi and is on the national register of historic places. This September filmmakers, festival attendees, and industry professionals from around the world will travel to Estes Park to enjoy the diverse selection of independent films, filmmaker panels, and numerous festival parties.
Featured at this year's opening night party is a special pre-release screening of the internationally acclaimed film "The Eclipse". Fresh from its premier at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, "The Eclipse" is an exquisite and life-affirming atmospheric drama about the redemptive quality of love. In a seaside Irish town, a widower sparks with a visiting horror novelist while he also begins to believe he is seeing ghosts. The film is written and directed by Tony Award-nominated writer/director Conor McPherson and stars Ciarán Hinds (Munich), Iben Hjejle (High Fidelity) and Aidan Quinn (Desperately Seeking Susan). According to festival co-director Sean Doherty, "We're very excited about screening "The Eclipse" at this year's festival! What's great about this is that it will be the only chance for people to see this critically acclaimed film before it is released nationwide later in the fall!"

Other feature films include the bittersweet British comedy "Bomber" starring Shane Taylor (Band of Brothers) about a family's cross country trip through Germany, and the festival's first animated feature film "The Magistical" which takes place in a world of dragons and mystics, where a boy must find the courage to save those he loves. Documentaries include "The Providence Effect" which tells the remarkable story of a K thru 12 school on Chicago's impoverished, high crime West Side, that has been sending 100% of its graduating seniors to 4 year Colleges and Universities for 30 years in a row. "God is American" presents the unusual story about the people of Tanna, a remote island in the South Pacific, who believe that an American pilot from WWII is their prophet and that he will return with riches from the US that they call the Cargo.

Short films in the program include the student action drama "In the Dark" focusing on an Iranian double agent's struggle to escape Iran during the 1979 Revolution, and "The Shaman's Apprentice" about a skeptical anthropologist's run in with a powerful shaman healer. For the first time this year the festival will also present a block of international short films with filmmakers from Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand presenting their work in this program.

Many of the filmmakers will be on hand to introduce their films and will be a part of a filmmaker panel discussion on the creative process of getting their films from script to screen. There will also be plenty of parties where attendees can mingle with the filmmakers and other film enthusiasts. For a complete schedule of film screenings, parties, and panel discussions visit www.estesparkfilm.com or call 970-231-2580. Advance discount tickets to the festival are available online or at the Park Theatre box office. Those interested in volunteering at the festival can also attend a Volunteer Orientation Meeting at the Estes Park Library on August 25th at 6:00 PM. The complete list of official selections is below.

Feature Films: Tre Lire, Primo Giorno, The Eclipse, The Magistical, Bomber, and A Deal Is A Deal

Documentaries: The Providence Effect, God is American, Crossroads on the Columbia, Don't Fence Me In, Ghosts of the Alpine, Kids in Kilts, Seed to Stalk: A Sorghum Tradition, The Road to Fondwa, and Baeder: Pleasant Journeys and Good Eats Along the Way

Short Films: Shudder Speed, Shades of Grey, Alexa, Alone, The Shaman's Apprentice, Therapy, Mrs. Brumett's Garden, Do Not Disturb, Family Recipes, The Chef's Letter, Gaining Ground, Into The Light, Isosceles, A Thing of the Past, & Bathtub to Happiness, The Order, Hands Off, Due Tomorrow, The Tao of Pez, Adobo, Appliance Night Out, The Spam Job, and Imminent.

Student Short Films: Christmas Thieves,Story of Erica,In Search of Captain Kidd,Childhood Fears,Out of the Ashes: South Korea in the Park Chung Hee Era,Une Vignette de Mélancolie, and In the Dark