Vermont Film Fest opens 25th edition this week end

2010 VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The 25th Anniversary of Vermont’s: OCTOBER 22 – 31, 2010
PALACE 9 CINEMAS, SOUTH BURLINGTON


This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Vermont International Film Festival (VTIFF), best known for featuring groundbreaking and independent films from around the globe and here in Vermont. With a special focus on films with artistic and social relevance, the roster of films seeks to broaden local and world views, while doing what movies do best — entertain.
VTIFF was also the first Vermont festival to showcase Vermont filmmakers. The 2010 festival will continue its long tradition of and dedication to excellence in presenting independent international, domestic, Vermont-made, and student films.
Let’s Go to the Movies!HistoryThe Vermont International Film Festival was born from the anti-nuclear movement in the 1985, making it the world’s oldest environmental and human rights film festival. Founded by two longtime peace and social justice activists, George and Sonia Cullinen, the inspiration for the festival came from the success of their 1981 film, From Washington to Moscow, which documented a Walk for Peace between two rural towns — Washington and Moscow, Vermont. The film won the UNESCO prize at the 1983 Hiroshima International Film Festival in Japan and taught the Cullinens that film and video could motivate people to become involved in their own communities and elsewhere in the world. VTIFF grew out of this vision — the challenge to work for peace, justice, and human rights, and to become involved in a global effort to preserve and enrich life on the planet. Today, the festival continues to grow in the spirit of this original challenge.
The first Vermont International Film Festival was held in 1985 at Marlboro College in southern Vermont. About one hundred people attended the inaugural event. Now based in Burlington, VTIFF has earned a loyal audience for its annual presentation of groundbreaking films spanning the globe, especially films focused on the environment, human rights, and war and peace. Past festival guests have included such activist artists as actor Danny Glover, Bread & Puppet Theater founder Peter Schumann, and historian and playwright Howard Zinn, among others.
New DirectionsVTIFF is currently in the midst of a dramatic redefinition of its community mission. Since the 2008 festival, VTIFF has found a new partner and base of operations at the Palace 9 Cinemas in South Burlington. Aside from the wonderful cinematic environment the Palace offers, the theater’s management (and owner, Harold Blank) is committed to independent cinema and to growing filmmaking and film appreciation in Vermont. VTIFF’s partnership with the Palace has dramatically expanded the scope of films that the festival can screen.
These and future collaborations are the purpose of the Vermont International Film Festival. VTIFF is eager to build relationships with community members and present quality films that might otherwise not make their way to our area. Consider supporting this effort by collaborating with VTIFF to select and show films, cosponsoring screenings, and contributing to the festival. Team up with VTIFF!