THE Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) yesterday announced that award-winning documentarian Chuck Workman, Bermuda's own Errol Williams, and Sony Screen Gems executive Valerie Van Galder have joined this year's jury.

The full complement of jurors will see Ms Van Galder join Newsweek film critic David Ansen and actress Karen Allen on the narrative features jury panel, while Mr. Workman and Mr. Williams will join film exhibitor and marketer Jeffrey Jacobs on the documentary feature jury panel. Film-makers Daniel Gold and Ravi Kumar will judge the shorts.

"Having Chuck, Errol and Valerie on our jury adds even more lustre to what is a most distinguished panel," said BIFF director Aideen Ratteray Pryse.

"As an award winner last year, Errol was one of the first people invited to join the jury but he thought at first he would not be able to make it due to a prior commitment. We are delighted to welcome him back.

"Chuck's record as a documentarian speaks for itself, and Valerie will provide a unique perspective as a Hollywood insider."

Mr. Workman is president of Calliope Films Inc., a Los Angeles-based video and film production company, a former president of the International Documentary Association, and a member of the documentary executive committee of the Directors Guild Of America.

His theatrical short Precious Images, made for the Directors Guild of America, won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short. He has also created films for ten Academy Awards presentations, including a short documentary that appeared on this year's telecast featuring previous winners of an Academy Award speaking about what the award means to them.

Additional achievements, said a BIFF spokesperson, are Superstar, a theatrical documentary on artist Andy Warhol which Mr. Workman wrote, directed and produced, and The Source, a documentary film on the Beat Generation, with performance sequences starring John Turturro, Dennis Hopper and Johnny Depp.

"His history of the motion picture, The First 100 Years, appeared on HBO and received a Cable ACE Award. He has also made several other award-winning documentaries, including films on Israel and Little League baseball.

"Mr. Williams' documentary, When Voices Rise . . ., was the Audience Choice Award Winner at BIFF 2002," the spokesperson added. "It was also selected for screening at the first Commonwealth Film Festival in Manchester, England, and at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Canada, among others.

"He has made films for 15 years, and his documentaries and narrative features have played at festivals and have been broadcast. His film, Echoes in the Rink: the Willie O'Ree Story, was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1998."

The final jury addition for next month's festival, Ms Van Galder, is executive vice-president of marketing at Sony Screen Gems, where she is responsible for creating marketing campaigns for all Screen Gems releases. Films she has marketed include The Full Monty, Waking Ned Devine, Snatch and The Mothman Prophecies.

"Most recently, she oversaw the campaign for Adaptation that resulted in last week's Academy Award for Chris Cooper as Best Supporting Actor," the spokesperson added. "Upcoming releases from Screen Gems include Jane Campion's In the Cut, starring Meg Ryan and Mark Ruffalo."

q The sixth Bermuda International Film Festival will be held April 11-17 at the Liberty, Little and Southside theatres. Some 72 films from 17 countries make up this year's line-up. Tickets go on sale Monday, March 31 at the Visitors' Service Bureau box office. They will be available from Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., until April 10 and thereafter at the theatres.