HDFEST will be presenting the first High-Definition film festival to
take place in Florida August 6th and 7th in Fort Lauderdale. The
upcoming South Florida event is part of HDFEST's 2004 World Tour that is
taking place this year in six cities: Sydney, Los Angeles, London, New
York, Fort Lauderdale and Hämeenlinna, Finland. 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.

At HDFEST's Fort Lauderdale event, three high-definition panels
discussions will be held which will include discussions with industry
professionals currently working with the medium. Panels will focus on
using high-definition technology, and the future of digital cinema. Each
HDFEST city this year will present a unique selection of panel
discussions exploring different subject matter 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." 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.

Screenings in Florida will include films which are not only
High-Definition Premieres, but also Florida Premieres. Presentations
include: "Making the Modern" a feature length documentary about the
visionary new modernist, Tadao Ando, and the challenge of whether his
Eastern-influenced designs translate to this 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; comedic stop-motion animation,
"Oedipus The Movie," in which the story of Oedipus is performed by raw
vegetables; 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 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 L.A. 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. This marked yet another HDFEST milestone as
HDFEST Sydney was the first high-definition film festival to be held in
Australia marking a defining moment in digital cinema history.
HDFEST's 2004 World Tour is presented by discreet; additional sponsors
include Filmmaker Magazine, 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.

The Fort Lauderdale HDFEST Schedule can be found at
http://www.hdfest.com/florida.htm, the festival will take place 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 emailing tickets@hdfest.com. 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's website www.hdfest.com.