New York, New York (November 15, 2005) ﾖ ﾖ The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) is proud to announce its exciting line up of prominent jurors and influential panelists for the film festival December 8-11, 2005. ﾠﾠIn celebration of Cinema in Paradise, the Second Annual BIFF will present sixty-eight films, encompassing international features, shorts, documentaries, animation and panels. ﾠAdditionally, the festivalﾴs Career Achievement Award recipient, Spike Lee will be hosting a film residency program for young filmmakers at the festival.
The Spirit of Freedom category, presented by Versace, will honor one dramatic film and one documentary film. ﾠThe subject matters touch upon the filmmakersﾴ personal convictions and journeys into the human spirit, with ties to themes such as religion, politics and the freedom of expression. The jurors for the Spirit of Freedom Dramatic Competition are actor Anthony Mackie, Duopolyﾴs Liz Manne and journalist Harlan Jacobsen. The jurors for the Spirit of Freedom Documentary Competition are MOMAﾴs film division curator, Jytte Jensen, Film Finders co-owner Sydney Levine, and writer/producer John Pierson.
The New Visions category is for narrative films only and is presented by the Hard Rock Caf�. This category will focus on emerging artists who have completed no more than two films. The jurors for the New Vision competition are director Lee Daniels, IFP�s Executive Director Michelle Byrd and Tribeca Film Festival�s programmer David Kwok.
Films entered into the competition categories will be eligible for a Grand Jury Prize. ﾠOther film categories that are non-competitive will include Special Screenings, Family Film, World Cinema, Touching Africa Sidebar and Caribbean Spotlight.
