FILM & TELEVISION ACTRESS AND PRODUCER, VIVICA A. FOX HEADLINES THE WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL FILM AND ARTS FESTIVAL
In celebration of its 5th year anniversary in Miami starting on Friday, March 26th
MIAMI, FL — The Women’s International Film and Arts Festival will be celebrating its 5th anniversary from March 26th – April 3rd, 2010 in Miami, Florida. The headline movie for the Festival features Hollywood Star, Vivica A. Fox in Junkyard Dog, a suspense thriller co-starring Brad Dourif, directed by Kim Bass and produced by Deanna Shapiro. The movie will premiere on Friday, April 2nd to a red carpet event on the festival’s closing weekend.
The 5th annual Women’s International Film Festival (WIFF) promises to be internationally star packed. With almost 400 films received from more than 30 countries this year, the nine day festival will screen 68 films all about women in one of the most popular cities of the world–Miami. This year’s films feature notable actors from around the world such as: Ali Zahoor (The EastEnders), Hassani Shapi (Star Wars I &II and James Bond: The World is Not Enough), Narinder Samra (Silver Street), Christopher Villiers (Bloody Sunday), Elaine Hendrix (Parent Trap), Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper), Vanessa Simmons (Run’s House, Daddy’s Girls), Natasha Lyonne (American Pie) and many more.
This year’s event will feature the festival’s “WIFF Around the Globe” theme. A nightly celebration focusing on regions of the world: North America, Africa & Its Diaspora, Europe, India, Asia and the Caribbean with films, food, drinks and other cultural components. In addition, on March 28th there will be a Celebration of Women Concert/Family Fun Fest featuring Sony Latin America Artists. The festival also offers the “Women’s Empowerment Series” hosted by the University of Miami, which presents films addressing women’s issues.
WIFF has garnered unwavering support by many of the most prominent women in the industry and South Florida. Notable mentions include Emmy, Grammy & 2008 Golden Globe Award Winning Actress (American Gangster) and WIFF Founding Honorary Chair Ms. Ruby Dee; and 2010 Honorary Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, US Congresswoman; 2007 Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza (“Babel”); “The Breakfast Club’s” Alley Sheedy, international performing artist Lucrecia, Nighttime TV host Chelsea Handler and many more.
“I am honored to participate in the 5th annual Women’s International Film Festival. This festival not only showcases the talent of women across the world; it brings them together to share in a dialogue about issues concerning women through arts,” said Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
The Festival is anticipating over 10,000 attendees for this year’s event. 2010 sponsors include Sony Music- Latin, The Miami-Dade County, City of Miami, United States 2010 Census, Barefoot Wine and Bubbly, New Times, WLRN, WPBT, Miami Science Museum, The Opium Group, ICY Public Relations, Greater Miami Host Committee Inc., Mega TV, GoLiveMiami.com and Opera Suites and Marina.
About The Festival
The Women’s International Film & Arts Festival (WIFF) is a unique, cultural event featuring films, visual and performance arts and other artistic expressions by women. Founded by a truly International individual, Yvonne McCormack-Lyons has spent the past 20 years in the fields of communications and women based arts and culture programs. Mrs. McCormack-Lyons is a Canadian citizen, a second generation Jamaican, who was born in England, raised in Canada and now resides in Miami Florida. A graduate of Howard University Washington D.C., and York University Toronto, Canada, Mrs. McCormack-Lyons has been spearheading the award winning Women’s International Film & Arts Festival for the past four years.
It is one of only two film festivals in the Southeastern United States specifically dedicated to women, recognizing their brilliance and accomplishments. The opening night of the festival will be held at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium, 2901 W Flagler St, Miami, FL 33135 on Friday, March 26, 2010.
For a preliminary listing of the 2010 Festival films, log on to www.wiffonline.org/program.php . A complete schedule of films will be available on Friday, February 26th. To learn more about the Women’s International Film and Arts Festival, visit www.womensfilmfest.com
Hello Icy Readers. To the left is the new branding image for WIFF.
“I am honored to participate in the 5th annual Women’s International Film Festival. This festival not only showcases the talent of women across the world, it brings them together to share in a dialogue about issues concerning women through arts,” said Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL FILM AND ARTS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ITS 2010 DATES IN CELEBRATION OF ITS 5TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY
MIAMI, FL — The Women’s International Film and Arts Festival will be celebrating its 5th anniversary from March 26th – April 2nd 2010 in Miami, Florida. The Women’s International Film & Arts Festival (WIFF) is a unique, cultural event featuring films, visual and performance arts and other artistic expressions by women. It is one of only two film festivals in the Southeastern United States specifically dedicated to women, recognizing their brilliance and accomplishments. Film entries for this festival have been extended to December 7th 2009. The Host hotel for the festival is the Opera Suites and Marina hotel on 1750 North Bayshore Drive, Miami, FL 33132. The festival will be held at various locations throughout South Florida.
Founded by Yvonne McCormack- Lyons in 2004, the Women’s International Film and Arts Festival is held annually during Women’s History month. The event is designed to celebrate women and to help them realize their dreams, visions and voices. Throughout the past four years, WIFF has received more than 2,000 films from more than 60 countries such as Brazil, Chile, France, Taiwan, Germany, Mexico, Ghana, Egypt, Australia, Peru, New Zealand, Poland, Japan, Dubai, and of course films from the U.S., including our very own South Florida. Some films have received Emmy & Oscar nominations & Awards.
“We’re really looking forward to our 5th anniversary event as we celebrate this special milestone year and continue to provide opportunities for women’s issues and visions to be heard on an international level,” said McCormack-Lyons.
The Festival has garnered unwavering support of many of the most prominent women in the industry and South Florida Notable mentions include Founding Honorary Chair Ms. Ruby Dee, Emmy, Grammy & Golden Globe Award Winning Actress and 2010 Honorary Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, US Congresswoman.
Some of the festival attendees have included 2007 Oscar nominee (“Babel”) Adriana Barraza, 2008 Golden Globe Winner (“American Gangster”) Ruby Dee, “The Breakfast Club’s” Alley Sheedy, international performing artist Lucrecia, Nighttime TV host Chelsea Handler and many more. Films submitted include all genres and lengths (documentaries, short films, biographies, animated films, narrative features, etc.) are primarily directed, produced or edited by women. Some submissions are also made by men, but address a women’s issue, perspective or document a woman in history.
ABOUT THE WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The overarching mission of WIFF is to provide year-round programming which bring women artists from all over the world to South Florida to explore and engage in dialogue about issues concerning women. With women representing only 7% of film directors, every effort should be made to enhance the opportunity for women’s voices to be heard, and to present a
wider range of roles and identity choices for women. Through panel discussions, workshops, and symposia, WIFF’s goals include empowering women of all ages to see themselves in a broader context. To invest in the future, WIFF has created the WIFF “Reel Girls, Real Women” program. This program empowers girls-at-risk and with low self-esteem by
teaching them media literacy. The girls gain confidence as they produce short documentary films of their own.
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
Yvonne McCormack-Lyons has spent the past 20 years in the fields of communications and women based arts and culture programs. She is truly international. Mrs. McCormack-Lyons is a Canadian citizen, a second generation Jamaican, who was born in England and raised in Canada. A graduate of York University Mrs. McCormack-Lyons has been spearheading the award winning Women’s International Film & Arts Festival for the past four years. She oversees the annual selection of more than 500 films, develops arts and film programs empowering women, the media literacy/film education program for adolescent girls and oversees the international festival which occurs annually in March.
With a degree in broadcast journalism and production, she spent a number of years reporting and anchoring a weekly television program in Washington, D.C., which highlighted events around the public school system. She was recruited to relocate to Miami to produce and anchor and weekly television program which served both the local audience in Miami as well as in the Caribbean through the West Indian International Network in Miami and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union in Guyana, WI.
She went on to serve as Public Information and Marketing Directors for the State of Florida and Miami-Dade County, where she lead teams of communication specialists and marketers to promote arts programs such as music and dance concerts, international sporting facilities and events such as the Junior Olympics and the Nasdaq 100 tennis tournament, as well as local community events such as art & music festivals. Her work included: advertising, film production, television production, corporate sponsorships, collateral production and much more.
She currently sits on the Miami-Dade County Film & Entertainment Advisory Committee, The Broward County Cultural Executives Committee and has received a number of national awards for her work in communications and arts. She has been invited internationally to speak on areas concerning women in the arts, women and the media and films about women, advertising, film production, events planning, digital designs and broadcast communication.
The Women’s International Film and Arts Festival was honored with the “Best Miami Film Festival” in 2007 by the Miami New Times. With women representing only 7% of film directors, the Women’s International Film and Arts Festival is making every effort to increase this number and help enhance the opportunity for women’s voices to be heard, and to present a
wider range of roles and identity choices for women in this billion dollar industry.
To learn more about the Women’s International Film and Arts Festival, please log on to www.womensfilmfest.com
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