Two of Hollywood’s acclaimed actors, Carrie Fisher and Richard Dreyfuss, will co-chair the Jury tasked with deciding the winning films in three categories at this year’s Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF). Joining them will be Bermudian filmmaker Lucinda Spurling, documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson, actor Ben Newmark, film festival director Tamara Tarasova, and short filmmaker Vito Rocco.The three categories are: the Mary-Jean Mitchell Green Award for Best Narrative Feature; Best Documentary; and the M3 Wireless Bermuda Shorts Award.

“We are delighted to have assembled such a fine and diverse group as jurors for our tenth anniversary festival,” festival director Aideen Ratteray Pryse said.

The Festival opens on Friday next, March 16, and continues through March 24.

Richard Dreyfuss<$> is one of the most talented and popular American actors of his generation. He has appeared in more than 40 feature films, including ‘The Graduate’, ‘American Graffiti’, ‘The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz’, ‘Jaws’, ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’, ‘The Goodbye Girl’, ‘Whose Life is it Anyway?’, ‘Down and Out in Beverly Hills’, ‘Stand By Me’, ‘Tin Men’, ‘Stakeout’, ‘Moon Over Parador’,’ The American President’ and ‘Mr. Holland’s Opus’. His most recent film is ‘Suburban Girl’, also featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alec Baldwin, which is due for release later this year.

Carrie Fisher: Since her feature debut opposite Warren Beatty in ‘Shampoo’ in 1975, Ms Fisher has been a compelling force in the film industry. She attained international recognition as Princess Leia, a role that made her a cultural icon, in the box office sensation ‘Star Wars’, and the smash hit sequels, ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘Return of the Jedi’. Other acting credits include ‘The Blues Brothers’, ‘Garbo Talks’, ‘The Man with One Red Shoe’, ‘Hannah and Her Sisters’, ‘The Burbs’, ‘This is My Life’, ‘When Harry Met Sally’, ‘Austin Powers’, ‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back’, along with Charlie’s Angels II, Wonderland, Stateside, Undiscovered, Romancing The Bride, the upcoming Cougar Club and Fanboys, as well as previously hosting the Oxygen Network’s popular hit show, Conversations frome Edge.

Stanley Nelson: Award-winning documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson is executive producer of Firelight Media, a not-for-profit documentary production company dedicated to giving a voice to people and issues which are marginalised in popular culture. His 2003 film, ‘The Murder of Emmett Till’, earned him a Special Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, a coveted award from the International Documentary Association, and the highest honour in broadcast journalism: the George Foster Peabody award, among many others. His films include ‘A Place of Our Own’ (2004), ‘Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice’ (2005) and his most recent production, ‘Jonestown: The Life and Death of People’s Temple’ (2006).

Tamara Tarasova wears a multitude of hats in the Russian film industry. She is the producer and co-owner of the Kinoshock Short Film Festival in Anapa, a spa town on the Black Sea.. In addition to her festival activities, Ms Tarasova is also engaged in film distribution with Cascade Film, Russia’s largest film distribution company. She is a graduate of the All-Union State Institute in cinematography, and following graduation worked as a producer of the Moscow International Filestival.

Ben Newmark starred in the 2007 Academy Award winning short film ‘West Bank Story’. This pro-peace musical comedy is about the Israelis and Palestinians. In his latest TV appearance he played Will’s son on the series finale of ‘Will and Grace’. Mr. Newmark has written a pilot with his brother, entitled ‘The Wilton’, which they shot and also starred in, using their friends as the actors, editors and director so that they would have a visual presentation to help them pitch the show. The method worked, and CAA came on board, packaging and selling it to the CW Network and Warner Brothers Studios. Ben is currently developing other show ideas with his brother.

Lucinda Spurling is a seasoned producer and editor with more than ten years of experience in the film industry. She specialises in documentary film production, and has a diverse portfolio complete with award winning works, such as ‘Rare Bird’, which, following its premiere at BIFF 2006, was accepted to international film festivals, and will be distributed to international television networks this year. She is currently working on a new project, ‘The Lion and the Mouse’, a documentary exploring the political and personal relationship between the United States and Bermuda from the colonial period through the Second World War.

Vito Rocco’s film, ‘Goodbye Cruel World’, won the Bermuda Shorts Award at BIFF 2005. His short films, music videos and work for television and theatre have won numerous awards, including Best Film at the BAFTA Short Film Showcase, Best Live Action Film at the Palm Springs Film Festival, Best Direction and Best Film at the New York No Spot Creativity Film Festival, as well as nominations for Best Short at the Berlin and Tribeca Film Festivals, and MTV Best Video at the Ericksson Music Awards. He is currently developing his first feature film, ‘Faintheart’, a comedy set in the world of battle re-enactments.

The mission of the Bermuda International Film Festival is to advance the love of independent film from around the world, and create a community welcoming to filmmakers and filmgoers.

Tickets to BIFF 2007 are now available from the festival web site, www.biff.bm or from the box office at No. 6 Passenger Terminal, Front Street, Hamilton. The box office is open daily, except Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.