2006 Vail Film Festival screenings start March 30

VAIL - The Vail Film Festival, taking place March 30-April 2 in Vail, will screen 75 films from around the world, including 20 feature films, 16 world premieres, as well as 55 documentaries, short films, animated films, action sports, student films and television pilots.

The Vail Film Festival opens Thursday with a screening of Ambush Entertainment's "The Oh in Ohio," starring an ensemble cast that includes Parker Posey, Paul Rudd, Mischa Barton, Miranda Bailey, Liza Minnelli and Danny DeVito. This film follows the wild journey of Priscilla Chase, after her husband unexpectedly leaves her, ultimately leading her to satisfaction and love in the most unlikely of places.

"American Dreamz" was selected as the closing film for Saturday, April 1. Starring Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Marcia Gay Harden, Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein and Judy Greer, the film is a satire of American identity, based around the wildly popular television singing contest with the same name.

Other feature film highlights at this year's festival include: "The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang" from the makers of Napoleon Dynamite, starring Justin Long, Jeremy Sumpter, Carl Weathers, Rob Pinkston and Joey Kern; "The King," starring William Hurt, Gael Garcia Bernal, Pell James, Paul Dano and Laura Harring; and "Americano," starring Dennis Hopper, Joshua Jackson, Leonor Varela, Timm Sharp and Ruthanna Hopper.



Goal is to support filmmaking

Filmmakers Scott and Sean Cross founded the festival to foster new filmmakers and encourage innovative filmmaking.

"We are excited to debut an amazing lineup of work by some of the world's best independent filmmakers," said Scott Cross. "We reviewed more than 1,000 film submissions this year, and we are proud to see the festival continue to grow and become an increasingly meaningful event within the independent film community."

The year's festival will mark the world premiere of 16 films, including "The Naked Ape," "10 mph," "Keep Your Distance," "Outside Sales," "Stalking Santa," "Jam," "Snowblind," "Bon Apetit," "Fast Talkers," "By the Wayside," "Zombie Prom," "One Per cent," "Altered By Elvis," "The Death of Salvador Dali," "No Menus Please" and "Laundry Night."



Other festival highlights

Additional festival highlights include an opening night gala at the Donovan Pavilion on Gore Creek, a filmmakers' reception at Larkspur at the base of Golden Peak, the festival awards ceremony and party on-mountain at Vail's Eagle's Nest Marketplace and the festival closing brunch at Larkspur.



If you go

Festival passes incorporate a combination of movies, filmmaker panels, galas and music, with deep discounts on skiing for festival passholders. For tickets and additional information, visit www.vailfilmfestival.org or call (866) 476-1092. Film details and the entire lineup of 2006 film selections in all categories are now available at www.vailfilmfestival.org.