HREE local productions have been selected for presentation at the Bermuda International Film Festival next month.

Getting their world premiere at the ninth event are by Lucinda Spurling, by Johnathan Rogers and Wendy Davis Johnson, and , by Vicky Zabriskie.

Festival organisers made the announcement this week, highlighting the film-makers' works.

A feature-length documentary, is the true story of the cahow, a seabird species native to Bermuda that was believed to be extinct as of 1620 only to be rediscovered 325 years later".

A BIFF spokesperson said: "The bird's existence has been threatened by man-made development, invasive species, the pesticide DDT, global warming ? and, in 2003, by the category four Hurricane Fabian.

"The 81-minute film is also the story of David Wingate, the 15-year-old boy who helped to find the bird. He went on to become Bermuda's first Conservation Officer, and dedicated his life to ensuring the continuation of this unique species."

The film is Ms Spurling's third in the Festival. was screened in 2002 and the documentary , was shown in 2004. is a short documentary about a three-week international summer dance institute presented last August by the National Dance Foundation (NDF) of Bermuda and the world-renowned American Ballet Theatre (ABT).

As explained by the spokesperson, students from Bermuda, the United States and Canada were chosen by audition to attend the intensive programme, a first for both the NDF and ABT.

"The National Dance Foundation is dedicated to providing world-class training opportunities to Bermuda's talented dancers, and this first-ever summer intensive was a giant first step towards accomplishing that goal," NDF chairman Don Kramer said.

"We felt it represented a historic moment in the development of dance in Bermuda and we're delighted that as an entrant in the Bermuda International Film Festival, we are able to share it with the Bermudian community."

Director Vicky Zabriskie's , is a short film, a "sharp thriller" starring local actors Rebecca Hanson and Jym Brier. As described by the spokesperson, it "provides a disturbing, voyeuristic view of one couple's intimate negotiations".

The six-minute film was written by Christian Zabriskie, who doubles as its director of photography. Steve Gallant composed the score.