After sifting through over 850 entries from across the country, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) proudly presents the 2008 ACE Film Festival program. Now in its second year, ACE Fest has grown exponentially, expanding to 4-days and moving to a centralized Midtown location, but stays true to its original mission - to promote and preserve the "American cinematic experience." Festival directors Tom O'Malley and Luke Szczygielski, both only 24, worked together with colleagues, industry associates, and fellow filmmakers to develop the eclectic and engaging program consisting of 40 titles of varying lengths, genres and categories. The event is set to take place September 4-7 in the main theater of New World Stages located at 340 West 50th Street - just steps from Times Square.

The 2008 ACE Film Festival program line-up includes 4 World Premieres, 10 East Coast Premieres and 12 New York City Premieres. The 4-day event kicks off with a can't-miss Opening Night Ceremony featuring guest speakers, industry insiders and more. Overall, the schedule is heavy in documentaries, which speaks loudly about the current trends in American filmmaking. Notable titles range from the crowd-pleasing Crawford, selling out festival venues world-wide to the endearing, often hilarious and emotionally-charged Looking for Ms.Locklear to an exclusive Director's Cut of Baghdad Diary to Second Skin, a fascinating piece about the lives of online gamers. Keeping in line with a trend in politically-charged content, one of the many gem's in this year's program is the World Premiere unveiling of Grass Roots - a highly controversial screening about the efforts for and against "Question 7", the pending legal initiative that will legalize marijuana. For those wishing to take a break from reality, ACE Fest plans to screen several narrative shorts and features including Person, Place or Thing, starring Zoe McLellen ("Dirty Sexy Money", "JAG", Reunion), Wherever You Are, starring the likes of Jane Adams ("Frasier", The Wackness, Little Children), Dreama Walker ("Gossip Girl", Sex and The City: The Movie), Josh Pais (Teeth, "Damages", Phone Booth) and Jacob Kogan (Joshua, "Star Trek"). New York City will also get its first peek at The Rainbow Tribe, starring David James Elliot ("JAG") in the performance of his career, about a cancer patient returning to summer camp to reunite with his childhood best friend. Other highly anticipated exhibitions, to name a few, include Joe Mover, The Big Shot Caller, The Collector and Remarkable Power! starring Kevin Nealon ("Saturday Night Live", "Weeds"), Tom Arnold ("Roseanne", April Showers), Christopher Titus ("Titus", Big Shots, Scar) and the list goes on! ACE Fest is also introducing a Morning Kids Block of animated short films on Saturday, September 6, as well as a New York Filmmakers Showcase, highlighting a few select shorts of NYC's own talent on Sunday, September 7th.

Integrated into the regular programming of the 2008 ACE Film Festival are five selections from the extensive NYFA library. Each film acts as a testament to the endless possibilities of NYFA's Fiscal Sponsorship Program. Been Rich All My Life, Music from the Inside Out, Water Flowing Together, The Children of Chabannes and My Architect have all achieved enormous success in both the festival and theatrical circuit and continue to impress audiences across the globe.

"I can't even begin to express my excitement for the films we're playing this year. Cutting over well 800 entries down to just 40 selections has given us the luxury of choosing only the best of the very best. Even beyond our premieres are dozens of unique gems just begging for a standing ovation."
-Tom O'Malley, Programming Director

This year's film festival is proof that you don't have to break the bank for quality entertainment in New York City. ACE Fest tickets are only $10.00 per screening (plus applicable handling and facility fees, of course). A single ticket will grant you access to either one feature-length film or a block of 3-5 short films. ACE Film Festival tickets are available now online at www.acefest.com">www.acefest.com or via Telecharge at 1-800-432-7250. Alternatively, patrons can save on handling fees by going to the New World Stages Box Office and purchasing tickets in person. 4-Day All Access Passes are also available at just $150.00 - nearly a 70% total discount.