The Dominican Festival of Global Cinema Salutes this year’s Oscar nominees

Five of the Nominated Films by the Academy of Arts and Science that bestows the Oscar Awards were part of the first installment of the Festival of the Dominican Republic 

Miami, FL, January 26, 2007 - The highest awards in the film industry, bestowed by the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Hollywood, have already unveiled its list of nominees, and among them, there are films that were part of the Dominican Festival of Global Cinema in November of 2006.

“We are exceedingly proud to have shown, in our Festival, these tiles which went on to earn the recognition of audiences and critics alike, many of them laden with a social content which contributed to our vision, and which grew from an idea of our president of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez,” said Natasha Despotovic, Director of the Dominican Festival of Global Cinema.

Among the films that were part of the Festival and are now Oscar nominees are: “Babel,” with two nominations for “Best Supporting Actress.” They are Mexican actress Adriana Barraza, and Rindo Kikuchi.

Nominated in the category of “Best Documentary Film” is “An Inconvenient Truth”, directed by Davis Guggenheim, who, guided by the vision of former Al Gore, calls for a raising of our collective consciousness about the consequences of global warming.

Another film that captured the attention of Festival critics and also the Hollywood Academy is “The last King of Scotland”. In this case, the nomination went to Forest Whitaker, the lead actor in the film, and in the category of “Best Actor.” Whitaker has already won the Golden Globe for that film in that category. Then, and also in the same category for “Best Actress” there is Spanish actress Penélope Cruz for her leading role in “Volver”, another very successful film in the Festival last November.

There is also the Canadian film, “Water”, with a haunting tale that takes place in India in 1938 and was one of the features that received excellent notices at the Festival, now nominated for “Best Foreign Film” at Oscars 2007.

Sponsored by FUNGLODE, (Global Foundation for Democracy and Development) the first installment of the Dominican Festival of Global Cinema, which took place November 8-12 of last year, had as its mission and statement of purpose not only to entertain, but to raise social consciousness with films which addressed social problems, thus stimulating audiences to promote constructive democratic changes, aside from changing points of view about the way we perceive those world problems.

Those films that were chosen by the Festival organizers have now attained the highest honor of the industry: to become Academy Award nominees.

And it is such that FUNGLODE established its transcendence from its first installment, displaying very sound judgement in the selection of those productions which now enjoy popular aceptance at the international level.

The Dominican Festival of Global Cinema salutes the talents of those who have left a mark in the film industry and who, come February 25, in the city of Los Angeles, will enjoy the accolades of that great evening.

www.drglobalfilmfestival.org

Blanca Tellería

Blanca Tellería Public Relations, Inc.

E-mail: telleriablanca@aol.com

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