The Basque Film & Media Arts Festival (www.basquefilmfestival.com) today announced the opening of the festival at the Tribeca Cinemas in New York City. Brought to the United States by the organizers of the world renowned San Sebastian International Film Festival to celebrate Basque filmmaking and foster collaboration with the New York filmmaking community, the three day festival, will be held on March 28th to 30th, 2007, at the Tribeca Cinemas (www.tribecacinemas.com). A press conference and Q&A panel on the festival's mission, program and Basque filmmaking will be held on Wednesday, March 28th at 6:00 p.m. at the Tribeca Cinemas Gallery.

The Basque Film & Media Arts Festival will feature three days of short and feature length live action, documentary and animated films written, produced and/or directed by native Basques. The Basque country has produced scores of award-winning films and offers unique, highly sophisticated and inexpensive resources to filmmakers from around the world. Members of the film industry and the general public are invited to experience Basque film, which will introduce them to the cultural and cinematic backdrop of the Basque country and its main city of Bilbao, a European artistic Mecca.

"By bringing the Basque Film & Media Arts Festival to the U.S., we are breaking new ground in our mission to introduce both the film community and the general public to the unparalleled cinematic resources offered by the Basque county," said Iñaki Gomez of the Basque Film & Media Arts Festival. "After experiencing our rich program of live action, animated and documentary films, we are confident that American filmmakers will want to partner with their Basque counterparts, and produce their own films in the Basque country."

Full time students can request free admission to all festival screenings and events by emailing email protected from spam bots.

The schedule and film program includes:

Wednesday, March 28
6:00 p.m. - Press Conference and Q&A panel, Tribeca Cinemas Gallery
7:30 p.m. - Screening of short film by Tinieblas Gonzalez, "Por Un Infante Difunto"
7:40 p.m. - Screening of short film by Nacho Vigalondo, "7:35"
7:50 p.m. - Screening of feature by Koldo Serra, "The Backwoods"
9:30 p.m. - Opening night party featuring food and wine of the Basque country, Tribeca Cinemas Gallery (media, industry and invited guests only)

Thursday, March 29
Industry screenings:
Screening room 1: 10:00 a.m. - Screenings of "Tras un largo silencio," "Muertos Comunes" and "Reconstrucción"
Screening room 2: 10:00 a.m. - Screenings of "El coro de la cárcel," "The movil break," "Balenciaga June 2006," "Balenciaga Paris 2006," "Encadenados," "Skizo" and "I want to have a baby"

Public screenings:
4:00 p.m. - Screenings of "El Sindrome Svenson," "Crimen Ferpecto," "La Pelota Vasca" and "Again"
7:30 p.m. - Screenings of "Eutsi," Nomadak TX," "La Zona" and "Obaba"
7:00 pm - Round table at the New York Film Academy with screenings of "7:35," "El tren de la bruja," "Eramos pocos" and "Mirindas Asesinas"
Location: 100 E. 17th Street- Main Screening Room

Friday, March 30
Industry screenings:
Screening room 1: 10:00 a.m. - "Mussels un Brussels," "Invierno en Bagdad," "El coro de la carcel, capitulo3" and "Black to the moon"
Screening room 2: 10:00 a.m. - Screenings of "Cristóbal Molon," "Supertramps" and
"El Rey de la granja"

Public screenings:
4:00 p.m. - Screenings of "Best of Basque Short Films" and "La Distancia"
6:00 p.m. - Screening of "Aupa Etxebeste"
7:50 p.m. - Screening of "La Sombra de Nadie"
9:30 p.m. - Closing night party featuring food and wine of the Basque country, Tribeca Cinemas Gallery (media, industry and invited guests only)

All films will include English subtitles. For film synopses, please visit www.basquefilmfestival.com. Tickets are available on a first come, first serve basis during the days of the festival at the Tribeca Cinemas box office (email email protected from spam bots for ticketing questions).