Aruba got talent

Golden Globe Award-winning actress Kim Cattrall (“Sex and the City” franchise, “Big Trouble in Little China” , “Meet Monica Velour”) , Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of the Lambs,” “The Manchurian Candidate”), BAFTA Film Award-winning Hollywood costume designer Michael Kaplan (”Blade Runner,” “Burlesque,” “Fight Club”) and Academy Award®-nominated director Milcho Manchevski (“Before the Rain,” “Mothers”) will be attending the 2nd Annual Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF). In addition, the special guests will participate in the Festival’s “In Conversation With” series engaging the Festival audience.

Cattrall kicked-off the Festival’s opening night Red Carpet on Friday, June 10, 2011 at Paseo Herencia, and the “In Conversation With” series on Saturday, June 11, 2011. Demme beganhis series on June 12, 2011.

Cattrall's impressive cross-platform acting career has included film, stage and television, and she is a New York Times best-selling author. The most substantial work Catrall has contributed to entertainment and pop culture has been her role of Samantha Jones on HBO's “Sex and the City” franchise. Catrall has been celebrated and recognized for her work in the series with a Golden Globe, two SAG Awards, and five Emmy Award nominations.

Demme, winner of an Oscar for best director for “The Silence of the Lambs,” is a critically acclaimed helmer of character-driven films that includes “Philadelphia,” “The Manchurian Candidate” and “Rachel Getting Married,” just to name a few. “The Silence of the Lambs” became one of only three films to win Academy Awards in all five major Oscar categories and cemented his reputation as being one of the most versatile and accomplished filmmakers of his day. The New York native is currently in production for his animation drama “Zeitoun.”

Kaplan most recently worked on the Golden Globe Award-winning musical “Burlesque,” starring Christina Aguilera and Cher. His contribution to this film landed him a 2nd Costume Designers Guild Award nomination for "Excellence In Contemporary Film.”

Yugoslavian director Manchevski wrote and helmed the feature films “Before the Rain” (1994), “Dust” (2001), “Shadows” (2007) and “Mothers” (2010), which collectively earned him an Academy-Award nomination, over thirty awards, and screenings at more than a hundred festivals, and have been distributed in close to 50 countries (theatrically, TV, cable and video).

Rapper, actor and multi-tiered business mogul Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson will also be attending AIFF for the red carpet Caribbean premiere of his latest feature film “Things Fall Apart