Audio Video News

It's not too late to get tickets for Florida's first high-definition film festival, set for this coming weekend.

Scheduled for August 6th and 7th in Fort Lauderdale, the upcoming South Florida event is part of HDFEST's 2004 World Tour taking place this year in six cities: Sydney, Los Angeles, London, New York, Fort Lauderdale, and Hmeenlinna, Finland. Florida events will be taking place Friday August 6th at the Sunrise Gateway Theatre, and Saturday August 7th at Art Serve in Fort Lauderdale.

HDFEST's "high-definition only" screenings August 6th at the Sunrise Gateway Theatre will allow attendees the full experience of what high-definition and digital cinema currently have to offer audiences and will include a special selection of documentaries, animation, features and shorts.

The South Florida event will include three high-definition panels discussions by industry professionals working with the HD medium. Panels will focus on the use of high-definition technology and the future of digital cinema.

Each HDFEST city this year will present unique panel discussions exploring different subjects related to digital video. In Florida these panels include "Animation and Effects for HD: Implications for Rendering and Perception," presented by The Digital Media Arts College in Boca Raton. This panel will explore "how the HD standard has implications for animation and visual effects as CGI artists expand the outlet for their talents," and will include luminaries working with digital media. HDFEST Fort Lauderdale will also present "The Post Process and High-Definition: Where to Begin..." and "Shooting High-Def: The Advantages over DV and Film." All panel discussions are free to the public and will be held Saturday August 7th at Art Serve in Fort Lauderdale.

HD screenings in Florida will include films which are not only high-definition premieres, but also Florida premieres, including: Making the Modern, a feature length documentary about the visionary new modernist, Tadao Ando, and the challenge of how his Eastern-influenced designs translate to the most Western of towns- Fort Worth, Texas; the short film The Painting, directed by local Miami filmmaker Pablo Alsina, which includes a Tango by legendary dancers Fernanda Ghi and Guillermo Merlo; two short documentaries from the American Museum of Natural History; a comedic stop-motion animation, Oedipus The Movie, in which the story of Oedipus is performed by raw vegetables; the North American Premiere of the Japanese feature film Cynthia: The Service Dog; and the short drama Remember whose director Yvette Freeman, played the popular role of Nurse Haleh Adams on the acclaimed TV series ER Equipment support for the South Florida event will be provided by HDFEST sponsor, Midtown Video.

Last month concluded HDFEST's Los Angeles event held at the Sony Studios and Los Angeles Film School. A record number of industry professionals attended the LA festival. The Los Angeles event also marked a historical milestone as HDFEST held the "First 2K Film Festival" utilizing the new advancement of a 2K projector. HDFEST's Sydney event was held in May 2004 at the Fox Studios Australia and the Chauvel Cinema in Paddington district. HDFEST Sydney was the first high-definition film festival to be held in Australia, a defining moment in digital cinema history.

HDFEST's 2004 World Tour is presented by discreet; additional sponsors include Filmmaker, Midtown Video, Digital Pictures, The Los Angeles Film School, The Hollywood Reporter, Film Threat, Production Update, Production Hub, The Digital Media Arts College, Widescreen Review, Tape Online, and Film and Video Magazine. Visit www.hdfest.com for more information on HDFEST Los Angeles or the HDFEST 2004 World Tour.

Event info: Fort Lauderdale HDFEST Schedule, Friday August 6th at the Sunrise Gateway Theatre, 1820 East Sunrise Blvd, 4pm-7pm. Tickets to the screenings are $10 ($7 student admission) and can be purchased in advance by email.

Panel discussions Saturday August 7th will take place at Art Serve, 1350 E Sunrise Blvd, from 12pm-3pm. Admission to all panel discussions is free of charge with advance registration. For panel registration information, visit HDFEST.