The opening and closing films for the 11th annual Bermuda International Film Festival have been announced with a broad English comedy and an warm-hearted Israeli award winner respectively getting the nod.

The Brit film 'St. Trinian's', starring Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Steven Fry, Mischa Barton and Bermuda-born Lena Headey, will open the festival on Friday, March 28 at Southside Cinema at 7.30 p.m.

'St. Trinian's' brings back to the screen an institution of British girl-power antics and mischief.

The infamous school for 'young ladies' – is once again facing a dire financial crisis.

The bank is threatening the headmistress with closure. Meanwhile her unorthodox doctrine of free expression and self-empowerment is also under threat from the new Education Minister.

The St. Trinian's girls are smart, fearless and determined to defend the school they love, so they join forces with a motley crew of teachers and the fiendishly charming Flash Harry to pull off the heist of the century. But can their combined cunning, girlish wiles and total lack of shame win the day before the authorities close them down for good? Check out BIFF's opener to find out.

Israeli hit 'The Band's Visit' will close the festival with a 6.30 p.m. showing on April 5 at Liberty Theatre. 'The Band's Visit' picked up seven prizes at the Israeli Academy Awards as well as 15-minute standing ovation and the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes.

Meticulously observed, director Eran Kolirin's debut feature tells the story of the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Band from Egypt.

Invited to play at the opening of an Arab cultural centre in an obscure Israeli town, they take a wrong turn – and end up in an even more obscure Israeli outpost, where they decide to stay the night before continuing on to their destination the next morning.

Conductor Tewfiq (veteran actor Sasson Gabai) and handsome Haled (Saleh Bakri) stay with the self-assured and witty café owner Dina (Ronit Elkabetz), whose earthy sensuality has them both smitten.

Overnight, the band members forge connections with the villagers as cultural assumptions are shaken, and both sides learn the value of an open mind, a shared meal, a good tune – and, in an especially memorable scene, even a dating tip at the roller disco.

Another highlight of this year's festival is expected to be the four-film sidebar on Modern South African Cinema.

Among the offerings are documentaries on healing and empowerment through music, a courtroom drama and a road-trip comedy.

'We are Together' has won 16 awards worldwide including the Audience Choice awards at the Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Tribeca and Amnesty International festivals. Filmed over three years, 'We are Together' tells the remarkable and moving story of a group of children who use music to overcome hardship and loss. It is the story of an orphanage, and of the drive of these remarkable young singers and their teachers to make it to London for a series of concerts.

Life has not been easy for 12-year-old Slindile, her siblings and her friends at the Agape Orphanage, where most of the children have lost their parents to AIDS. But when they lift their voices in song, something extraordinary happens. With unforgettable kids, soaring music and a plot full of surprises, 'We are Together' is a stirring and uplifting experience.

A second music-themed doc featured in the sidebar will be the charming and uplifting documentary 'Soweto Strings'.

This is the story of a white British music teacher's adventure in the black township of Soweto, enabling kids to transcend the constraints of their environment and find hope through creative involvement in music.

The Buskaid Music School in Soweto was founded by a distinguished British viola-player, Rosemary Nalden, who originally came to South Africa at the invitation of a local black music teacher.

The film tells the story of Rosemary's work in Soweto and follows the development of a small group of pupils. The changes that occur – both in terms of musical skill and understanding and self-confidence – are in every case remarkable. The quality of the musicianship displayed by the young South Africans has received international acclaim.

This fascinating film is musically very rich as well as emotionally gripping.

The courtroom drama 'Red Dust' marches viewers through the complexities of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Set in 2000, police officer, Dirk, has applied to the TRC for amnesty in the beating and torture of Alex 14 years earlier.

Alex, now a popular politician, was beaten so badly he does not remember what he endured or what happened to his friend, Steve, who was in jail too.

He is represented by Sarah, a South African born attorney now living in US, who spent some time in the same jail as a girl.

The TRC requires total disclosure and complete honesty as it judges the authenticity of amnesty claims, and tension builds as Dirk must decide what "the whole truth" actually involves.

The film will be proceeded by a 22-minute short, 'Barren'. The film's three characters – a cop, a security guard, and his wife – come together to find out if they are suspects, or victims, in the serial murder of three pregnant women.

Finally 'Bunny Chow', from director John Barker, takes the sidebar on the road, far from the path of Truth and Reconciliation and on to hanging out, hook-ups and ganja. Kags, Dave and Joey are three Johannesburg friends who want to be stand-up comics. Together they hit the road to attend an open-air music festival at Oppikoppi, and the film becomes a series of extended riffs. Dave meets Carla and falls prey to two kinds of performance anxiety. Joey buys some dubious drugs. Kags will be Kags.

The plan is to take the stage and become instant comic rock stars, but plans change. Shot through with the wicked humour of modern, urban South Africa and featuring a cool soundtrack of lounge music, indie beats and hard-charging reggae, Barker and his cast generate a sexy, laid-back vibe.

Tickets to BIFF 2008 will go on sale Wednesday, March 19 at 10 a.m. both online at www.biff.bm as well as at the festival's physical box office, Washington Lane, Hamilton.