A CANNES Film Festival award winner is this month's Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) film night selection.

Red Squirrel will screen next Thursday in the auditorium at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.

By acclaimed Spanish director Julio Medem, the film won at Cannes in 1993 and captured a Goya Award - Spain's national film award - for Best Original Score.

A drama, draws its characters and audience into a complex game of lies and deceit. It begins with its protagonist, a former pop star, contemplating suicide until he is interrupted by a motorcycle accident involving a beautiful woman.

On discovering that the woman is suffering from amnesia, the former star pretends to be her boyfriend until forced to confront the consequences of his lie.

Said film series co-ordinator Nick Campbell: "is a colourful mix of love story, thriller, comedy and mystery. The film is both offbeat and insightful as it considers identity, illusion, love and deceit - it is an ingenious, mesmerising and hallucinogenic romance that's also just plain fun."

Preceding is an English short film, . Directed by Simon Wellsford, the film was the grand prize winner at the 2001 Manhattan Short Film Festival.

Said a BIFF spokesman: "This faked documentary tells the story of Adam Crookshaw - in a starring performance from Adam Shaw () - a failed entertainer, whose old act consisted of only two impressions, James Mason and Christopher Walken.

"Gradually, over the years, his impression has taken over Adam's entire personality so that he no longer believes he is doing an impression of the actor, but that he just 'appears'; that they are somehow psychically connected.

"Now working in a caf?, Adam builds towards an actual meeting with Christopher Walken at Heathrow Airport. It is a comic story of hope, broken dreams and the best impression of Christopher Walken you will ever hear."

Screening begins at 7.30 p.m. next Thursday. Tickets to BIFF film nights are $5 for film club members and $8 for non-members. Filmgoers may reserve tickets by e-mail - bdafilmibl.bm - or by calling the BIFF office at 293-3456. Tickets may be picked up from the BUEI from 6.30 p.m. on the evening of the screening.