This press release and poster was forwarded to me today from the Department of Tourism. It sounds like fun, but I'd question whether we have a Department of Tourism or the Department of Local Entertainment (as the Music Festival seems to have become increasingly centred around locals.)
For Immediate Release August 7, 2006Posted by Christian S. DunleavyMovies on the Beach Film Line-Up Announced
First-ever event on Warwick Long Bay, August 17-20, features top films on four consecutive nights
The Bermuda International Film Festival is pleased to announce the film line-up for the first-ever Movies on the Beach event at Warwick Long Bay, August 17-20.
The event is presented by the Bermuda Department of Tourism. BIFF is assisting Tourism with the presentation of the event, and has arranged the film line-up.
The films will be projected on a screen measuring 18 feet by 48 feet. Projection will be handled by Starlight Screenings, an American organisation that handles the same duties for screenings by the Disney studio.
“I am delighted with the film line-up, and looking forward with anticipation to a first for Bermuda – watching the stars under the stars,” says the Hon. Dr. Ewart Brown, Minister of Tourism and Transportation. “This is an event that both locals and visitors will enjoy.”
The four nights of films on the beach will kick off on Thursday August 17 with a screening of House of Flying Daggers, the archetypal action film that won 13 awards when it was released in 2004, including the Best Foreign Film award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. It also won three cinematography awards, and was nominated for 33 other awards, including an Academy Award for cinematography.
The film takes place during the reign of the Tang dynasty in China. A secret organisation called "The House of the Flying Daggers" rises and opposes the government. A police officer called Leo sends officer Jin to investigate a young dancer named Mei, claiming that she has ties to the "Flying Daggers". Leo arrests Mei, only to have Jin breaking her free in a plot to gain her trust and lead the police to the new leader of the secret organisation. But things are far more complicated than they seem...
On Friday August 18, we will screen Nanny McPhee, the 2005 family film starring Emma Thompson, Colin Firth and Kelly Macdonald. Ms. Thompson stars as a governess who uses magic to rein in the behaviour of seven ne’er-do-well children in her charge. The film was a hit at the box office in the United States, doing more than $47 million in business.On Saturday, August 19, see the history of the blues in one night in the concert film, Lighning in a Bottle. Beginning with a stirring African folk song (Zélié performed by Angélique Kidjo) the roots are established and rapidly swell into a trunk thickened by the hardships of the Great Depression (Gamblin' Man performed by David `Honeyboy' Edwards) and the oppression of segregation (Jim Crow Blues performed by Odetta). Finally, this Blues family tree shows off vibrant new growth as it reveals the Blues' influence on our modern wealth of talented musicians (Midnight Special performed by John Fogerty and Hound Dog done by Macy Gray). Ruth Brown gives Blll Cosby a full-throttle serenade (and a playful smoldering gaze), along with Mavis Staples and Natalie Cole. Angélique Kidjo persuades Buddy Guy to an unforgettable rendition of `Voodoo Child,' shortly before Bonnie Raitt and Robert Cray accompany B.B. King and Lucille for the final number, `Paying the Cost to be the Boss.'
On Sunday August 20, Movies on the Beach wraps up with a screening of the well-loved romantic comedy, Moonstruck, by acclaimed director Norman Jewison. Nicholas Cage, Cher, Olympia Dukakis and Vincent Gardenia star in a film that won 15 awards, including three Academy Awards. Cher won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance as a widowed Brooklyn book-keeper who is torn between her fiancée (Danny Aiello) and his brother (Mr. Cage). Ms. Dukakis won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film was also nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Mr. Gardenia).
Films start at 8.30 p.m. on all four nights. Admission is free, and food and drink will be available. Film watchers are advised to bring a chair or blanket to sit on.
On Saturday, after the film, unité productions is hosting an after-party from 10.30 p.m. onwards with wine, beer, special cocktails and chill-out music under the stars. The organisation is best-known for its Pink, Red and White parties.
On Sunday, before the film, unité productions is hosting a pre-party from 7 p.m. onwards with wine, beer, and special cocktails on the beach before the sun goes down.