capri

Hayden Panettiere, star of the television phenomenon Heroes and Freddie Highmore, the brilliant 15 year old lead in such critically acclaimed films as August Rush and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will join legendary actors Christopher Lee and John Malkovitch at the 12th Annual Capri, Hollywood 2007–The Film Festival.

The star-studded addition to an already remarkable line-up of directors, producers and financiers is certain to make this year’s international gathering an important celebration of worldwide cinema.  The festival will take place at various locations throughout Capri, Italy, from December 27th   through January 2, 2008.                    

In a short time, Panettiere has developed an impressive list of film credits that include Ice Princess, Joe Somebody, Remember the Titans, The Architect, Mr. Gibb, Raising Helen, Message in a Bottle, Object of My Affection and The Affair of the Necklace. In addition to her on camera work, she has voiced numerous animated characters including Princess Dot in A Bug’s Life, Suri in Dinosaurs and a jockey in Racing Stripes. A civic activist, she is proud to serve as an ambassador for the World Conservation Union’s Wildlife Foundation, an organization that helps raise funds to support and save endangered species.  She is also a vocal advocate of the whale preservation society, Whaleman Foundation.           

Though only 15, Highmore has already distinguished himself as one of the brightest young actors working today and regularly earns the respect of his fellow, more seasoned actors. After appearing in the 2005 best picture nominee,  Finding Neverland with Johnny Depp, it’s reported that Depp suggested Highmore for the title role of Charlie Bucket in Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It has also been widely reported that Kate Winslet considers him “the best child actor I have ever seen.”  Currently, Highmore can be seen as an orphaned musical prodigy in August Rush. For the film, Highmore learned, in a matter of months, to play the guitar, the organ and conduct an orchestra with amazing proficiency. “I thought it was better to actually know the songs and play them for real than to pretend to be playing and mime along,” said Highmore.  He also lends his voice to the character Pantalaimon in the film, The Golden Compass.  In 2008, Highmore will be seen as the lead in The Spiderwick Chronicles and Eddie Dickens and the Awful End.  Veteran actor Christopher Lee is one of the most versatile actors to make his mark in film. Devotees of the Star Wars series know him as Count Dooku in Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones and in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.  
His adroitness at portraying heroic fantasy characters is exemplified by his performance as Saruman the White in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers and Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King.  Lee is also familiar as Johnny Depp’s father in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Early in his career, Lee became known for portraying monsters in such films as  Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and The Hound of the Baskervilles, all co-starring actor Peter Cushing. He also made numerous appearances as Fu Manchu in the series, The Face of Fu Manchu. Some of Lee’s earlier more mainstream roles include The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, The Three Musketeers, The Four Musketeers and the James Bond thriller,  The Man with the Golden Gun. John Malkovich is the proverbial artistic hyphenate – brilliant stage and film actor, director, producer and writer who is widely considered one of the most riveting and electrifying performers to appear before an audience.
The two-time Academy Award nominee (Places in the Heart and In The Line of Fire) and Emmy winner (Death of a Salesman), began his career as part of the prestigious Chicago theater group, Steppenwolf.  After seven years, he transitioned to New York and took critics by storm in the Sam Shephard play, True West. Broadway eventually gave way to Hollywood and Malkovich continued to amaze audiences in such films as The Killing Fields, The Glass Menagerie, Dangerous Liaisons, a television adaptation of the classic Heart of Darkness, The Accidental Tourist, The Man in the Iron Mask, Being John Malkovich, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Eragon and Beowulf. He is also producer of this year’s critically acclaimed independent film, Juno. 
Said Producer Mark Canton (300, The Spiderwick Chronicles), Chairman of The 12th Annual Capri, Hollywood-The International Film Festival, “This remarkable assemblage of talent represents the very best of the global entertainment community.  From the established names to the next generation, we couldn’t be happier to have these great, great stars with us in Italy.” “The slogan of this year’s festival will be The European Cinema Lives, a testament to the fact that all great cinema does not just originate in Hollywood”, said Marco Di Lello, Minister of the Tourism and Cultural Departments of the Campania Region of Italy.  

The 12th Annual Capri, Hollywood-The International Film Festival is jointly produced by Pascal Vicedomini and the Capri World Institute, with support from the Film Department of the Italian Ministry of Culture, The Campania Region of Italy, The Naples Chamber of Commerce, Kimbo Coffee and Fiuggi Mineral Water. For further information, please contact Andrew Freedman Public Relations (andrew@aefpr.com), visit www.caprihollywood.com or write info@caprihollywood.com.