SMALLER festivals such as the Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) offer as important an experience to film-makers as more established events in Cannes, Toronto and Edinburgh, industry veteran Timothy Burrill believes.

Although there is a certain prestige attached to winning films in better-known events, the important and essential element to any festival is the audience, says Mr. Burrill.

"I think festivals, when professionally run anywhere in the world are important to encourage people not to just go to the cinema, but to take advantage of films that can't afford the publicity of big American major productions," he said. "When you go to see a film that hasn't been (as well) promoted, can be such an experience; it can leave you completely bowled over by it.

"I think that the element which is incredibly valuable is to watch a film with an audience. I don't know Bermuda, but I would imagine audiences there are more like those in America and Europe, so it's of real value to see a film and hear the audience react (to it)."

A member of BIFF's advisory board and associate producer of The Pianist - a film by Roman Polanski for which the director and star Adrien Brody have received nominations from the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts & Sciences - Mr. Burrill began his career in film-making more than 30 years ago.

He devoted three years to documentary film-making before moving on to feature films. Since then, he has worked on Superman the Movie, The Pirates of Penzance, The Fourth Protocol, To Kill a Priest and several others. His many noteable collaborations with Mr. Polanski include Tess, nominated for an Oscar in 1980.

A former chairman of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Mr. Burrill has also served as the vice-chairman of the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television - an organisation representing more than 1,000 independent films and television producers in the United Kingdom - and chairman of the First Film Formations, a charity which supports first-time film-makers.

At the moment, Mr. Burrill's eyes are on the biggest prize for all members of the industry - this Sunday's Oscar presentations. Although pleased to be associated with a film which has received an Oscar nod, the producer downplayed his involvement in bringing The Pianist to the big screen.

"It's always an honour to be invited. It shows your work is considered important. It's a big night and it is the final prize. However, all credit, as far as The Pianist, goes, is to its French producers. They supported the film from the moment Roman said he wanted to make the book. My share of the work load was fairly modest on this film. I was involved in casting and (hiring) the (British) crew, but I wasn't there on a day- to-day basis.

"(As producers), we're all different. You have producers who are entrepreneurs; whose only pleasure is raising money and finding films. There are others who work closely with writers and directors, who watch over the film-making and the editing and who are very hands-on.

"For me, this involves selecting a crew, getting people to work together, and (generally) upholding a team under what are sometimes very difficult circumstances - they have to work long hours, the hotels are sometimes awful, the weather can be poor. There's some skill in keeping everybody happy. I enjoy the camaraderie of a film crew. It's a co-operative effort and we all have an influence on the film."

Although unaware of BIFF before joining its board, Mr. Burrill said he was pleased to be able to participate.

"My lawyer had been a representative but thought that he didn't have the time or expertise to be of much use and so he put my name forward. I'm very much looking forward to meeting them all.

"I enjoy (open discussions). On many occasions, I learn more than I teach. It's very good to try and explain to people who have a potential future in the film industry what sort of problems there are and expose them to my experiences.

"I hope to see an enthusiastic audience. I hope to see people who are interested, and fascinated by films. I hope to meet with other film-makers and learn from their experiences and hope to expose my weaknesses and share my strengths with other people."

q The Bermuda International Film Festival runs April 11 through 17. Passes for any 7 or 14 films are on sale between through March 24 at www.bermudafilmfest.com. Individual tickets go on sale March 31 at the Visitors Service Bureau on Front Street.