Richard Dreyfuss and Carrie Fisher

Wednesday, March 21-----Acclaimed actors Carrie Fisher and Richard Dreyfuss are serving as the co-chairs of the Jury at the 2007 Bermuda International Film Festival. The Jury is charged with the duty of deciding the winning films in three categories: Mary-Jean Mitchell Green Award for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary, and the M3 Wireless Bermuda Shorts Award.  

  Carrie Fisher is the actress/novelist/television personality daughter of singer/actress Debbie Reynolds and singer/actor Eddie Fisher. She made her feature debut opposite Warren Beatty in SHAMPOO in 1975. She attained international recognition as Princess Leia, a role that made her a cultural icon, in the box office sensation STAR WARS and the smash hit sequels THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI. Her best-selling memoir novel POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE, based on her relationship with her famous mother, was made into an Oscar nominated film by Mike Nichols, starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine. Other acting credits include: THE BLUES BROTHERS, HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY and AUSTIN POWERS. 

  Richard Dreyfuss is an Oscar-winning actor who has appeared in more than 40 feature films. He made a brief appearance in THE GRADUATE, and became internationally recognized for his role in George Lucas' AMERICAN GRAFFITI. He won the Academy Award as Best Actor for his comic role in THE GOODBYE GIRL. Other important films in his career: THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ, JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, WHO'S LIFE IS IT ANYWAY?, DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS, TIN MEN and MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS. His newest film SUBURBAN GIRL will have its premiere at next month's Tribeca Film Festival. 

  Stanley Nelson is executive producer of Firelight Media. His film THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL earned him a Special Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, a coveted award from the International Documentary Association and the highest honour in broadcast journalism, the George Foster Peabody award. His films include A PLACE OF OUR OWN (2004), SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK: RAISE YOUR VOICE (2005) and his most recent production, JONESTOWN: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PEOPLE'S TEMPLE (2006).  

  Tamara Tarasova is the producer and co-owner of the Kinoshock Short Film Festival in Anapa, a spa town on the Black Sea.. In addition to her festival activities, Tamara is also engaged in film distribution with Cascade Film, Russia’s largest film distribution company.

  Ben Newmark starred in the 2007 Academy Award-winning short film, WEST BANK STORY. This pro-peace, musical comedy is about the Israelis and Palestinians. In his latest TV appearance he played Will's son on the series finale of WILL AND GRACE. He has written a pilot with his brother, entitled THE WILTON, which has been recently sold to the CW Network and Warner Brothers Studios.

  Lucinda Spurling is a seasoned producer and editor, specializing in documentary films. Her film RARE BIRD premiered at BIFF 2006, was accepted to international film festivals and will be distributed to international television networks this year. She is currently working on a new project, THE LION AND THE MOUSE, a documentary exploring the political and   personal relationship between the United States and Bermuda from the colonial period through World War II. 

  Vito Rocco’s film, GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD, won the Bermuda Shorts Award at BIFF 2005. His short films, music videos and work for television and the theatre have won numerous awards, including Best Film at the BAFTA Short Film Showcase, Best Live Action Film at the Palm Springs Film Festival, Best Direction and Best Film at the New York No Spot Creativity Film Festival, as well as nominations for Best Short at the Berlin and Tribeca Film Festivals and MTV Best Video at the Ericksson Music Awards. He is currently developing his first feature film, FAINTHEART, a comedy set in the world of battle re-enactments.

Sandy Mandelberger, Bermuda FF Online Dailies Editor