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Tahiti Romance Film Festival
A jury of eight industry professionals will be judging 12 full-length feature films and 12 short films from around the world, determining the most outstanding achievements in each category. Tahiti Pearl Market, the innovative and pace-setting pearl company based in Papeete has designed spectacular trophies to be awarded during the Tropical Closing Gala Ceremony on December 8, 2006. The Tahiti Film Festival is attracting very high-profile guests, used to vacationing in this stunningly beautiful island. The Tahiti Film Festival is co-sponsored by Air Tahiti Nui, L'Oréal, Jeep-Chrysler, GIE Tahiti Tourism, Transit Sat Nui, Air Tahiti, and Tahiti Pearl Market. The Presidency of French Polynesia, the Tahiti Ministry of Culture, the Bora Bora City Hall and the Bora Bora Tourism Committee are also supporting the event produced by Passions Productions. Passions Productions is accepting submissions for the Tahiti Film Festival until September 8, 2006. For more information, please check: www.tahitifilmfestival.com ELIZABETH HURLEY CHECKS IN AS NEWEST SHAREHOLDER OF ELEVEN CADOGAN GARDENS HOTEL Renowned British actress joins partnership of distinctive central London address
Number Eleven is situated within an easy stroll from city highlights including Buckingham Palace, Harrod's, and the fashionable shops and restaurants of Knightsbridge and Sloane Street. "I've visited Eleven Cadogan Gardens for years; it has always been one of London's best kept secrets. It is the epitome of elegance and discreet style, not to mention it's in the best part of London," said Hurley, whose sense of style is a stunning match for this fashionable property in the heart of Chelsea. Hurley is part of a growing trend of celebrities who have become part of hotel and restaurant ventures. She joins the likes of Ashton Kutcher, Robert De Niro, and the B-52s' Kate Pierson, all of whom have invested their star power and assets in upscale hospitality endeavors. Guest room rates start at £145 (appx. $270). For more information and reservations at Eleven Cadogan Gardens, please call (011) 44-20-7730-7000, or visit www.number-eleven.co.uk. With but a small placard - "N° 11" - to mark it, unknowing travelers might breeze right by Number Eleven Cadogan Gardens. Pity, because this elegant townhouse hotel overlooking a beautiful private park in Chelsea offers sophisticated guests a rich and truly English travel experience. Built by Lord Chelsea as a residence for aristocracy more than a century ago, today the Victorian townhouse mansion holds 59 guest rooms and suites - as well as long-stay serviced apartments - all graced with understated English elegance and comprehensive contemporary amenities, including Wi-Fi, Satellite TV and more. Afternoon tea in the Drawing Room is a highlight at Number Eleven, and the hotel's Dining Room serves a delectable menu including room service 24-hours each day. An in-house fully equipped gym and personal trainers, and an on-site sauna and massage services offer splendid respite. The concierge can arrange chauffeured car service, theatre tickets and more, and nearby sites and scenes like Buckingham Palace, Harrod's, and the fashionable shops and restaurants of Knightsbridge and Sloane Street are just a walk away. SPAIN OFFERS CINEMA LOVERS A BONANZA Now in its 54th year, the San Sebastián International Film Festival (www.sansebastianfestival.com) is one of the world’s most important platforms for film. Over the years, Hollywood stars, European New Wave directors, documentary filmmakers and aspiring starlets – Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock, Jean-Luc Godard, Anthony Quinn, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Orson Welles, Luis Buñuel, Sophia Loren, François Truffaut , Pedro Almodóvar and Antonio Banderas – just about everyone who is anyone in cinema has made the trip to this elegant seaside resort city on Spain’s Atlantic coast. The festival’s theme of emigration – one of the major issues facing the world today – is particularly timely. Today’s migratory movements from Africa to Europe are showcased with outstanding cinematographic energy in European and North African films. Certainly not a phenomenon exclusive to today, emigration has been happening for centuries and the festival will showcase some classics as well as more recent films on the subject. Some of the 30 titles expected to be shown are: Saïd, by Llorenç Soler (Spain, 1999); L´Horizon perdu, by Laïla Marrakchi (Morocco, 2000); Pelle Erobreren (Pelle the Conquerer), by Bille August (Denmark, 1987); Espaldas mojadas, by Alejandro Galindo (Mexico, 1955); Utvandrama (The Emigrants) and Nybyggarna (The New Land), by Jan Troell (Sweden, 1971); America America, by Elia Kazan (U.S., 1963); Bwana, by Imanol Uribe (Spain, 1996); In This World, by Michael Winterbottom (UK, 2002) and Las cartas de Alou, by Montxo Armendáriz (Spain, 1990). Two film greats will be honored with retrospectives: French director, producer and actor Barbet Schroeder, a pioneer in documentary-fiction fusion and an acute observer of different countries and cultures and Ernst Lubitsch who made Greta Garbo laugh in Ninotchka (1939) and dared to ridicule Hitler in To Be or Not to Be (1942). Making his directorial debut with the cult film More (1969) and its Pink Floyd soundtrack, Schroeder received an Oscar nomination as best director for Reversal of Fortune (1991) and competed at Cannes with Barfly (1987). The cinematic genius of Lubitsch can be seen in his comedic masterpieces: The Shop around the Corner (1940) and Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (1938), his stirring anti-war drama Broken Lullaby (1932) and as far back as in his silent films: Lady Windermere’s Fan (1925) and Die Austernprinzessin (1919). The other film festivals in Spain this fall include: CANADIAN FILM NEWS FOR FALL CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL FILM FESTIVAL (CIAFF) CINEFEST: SUDBURY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL COMEDIA (JUST FOR LAUGHS) DIGITAL FILM GROUP'S DV SHORT CONTEST DOXA DOCUMENTARY FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL DREAMSPEAKERS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FANTASY WORLDWIDE FILM FESTIAL
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With a reputation as one of the most romantic places in the world, Bora Bora will be home to the first annual Tahiti Film Festival for romance films. The week long Festival premieres on December 2, 2006 on a deserted island in the Bora Bora lagoon, with outdoor screenings every night, under the stars on a giant inflatable screen set up on the beach. And what better way to watch romantic movies? 
She's been a movie star, a super model, a producer, and the owner of her own beachwear business. Now, as the newest shareholder of Eleven Cadogan Gardens in London, Elizabeth Hurley has added "hotelier" to her ever-expanding curriculum vitae. The stunning British actress - who has been the Face of Estee Lauder for twelve years and made her name in such blockbusters as <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Austin Powers and<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> Bedazzled, has joined the partnership that owns the elegant and quintessentially British town house hotel. Eleven Cadogan Gardens is set on Lord Chelsea's Victorian-era estate, a beautiful garden square in the heart of London's stylish Chelsea district. Also known as "Number Eleven," the hotel sets a sophisticated yet subtle scene for like-minded travelers. With 59 attractive English style suites and guest rooms, Number Eleven offers guests a rich atmosphere including a butler greeting at the doorway, period furnishings and art work, an historic elevator, and a fully equipped gymnasium. Afternoon tea in the Drawing Room is a treat, the Dining Room offers round-the-clock room service, and the hotel can arrange theatre tickets and chauffeured transportation. 
© 2008 Bonnie Carroll, All Rights Reserved
