Vail Film Festival presents 67 films through Sunday, April 3, at Sebastian at Vail, Solaris at Vail

The 2011 Vail Film Festival get under way today and runs through Sunday, April 3, showcasing 67 films from around the world, including 11 feature films and 56 documentaries, shorts, adventure, student, and animated films. All the films will be screened at the new Sebastian Hotel in Vail Village, and Cinebistro in the Solaris complex.

The 2011 Festival will donate 5 percent of the overall ticket sales to the American Red Cross for earthquake and tsunami recovery efforts in Japan, and an additional 5 percent to Angelight Films, a non-profit production company that gives chronically ill children the opportunity to express themselves in their own short film.

The Vail Film Festival announced that Kate Bosworth, star of “Blue Crush,” “Superman Returns” and “Beyond the Sea” will attend the festival and receive the Excellence in Acting Award, and Emmy Award-winning actor/filmmaker Michael Imperioli will attend the festival to receive this year's Renegade Award for Risk Taking in Film, an honor bestowed to Zach Braff, Jeremy Davies, and filmmaker Kevin Smith in recent years.

The 2011 Festival will officially open on March 31 at the Vail Mountain School with a screening of “Falling Overnight.” Also on Thursday, the Festival is proud to screen the Colorado premiere of “Super,” an action-packed comedy starring Rainn Wilson, Kevin Bacon, Liv Tyler and Ellen Page.

Throughout the festival weekend, pass holders will enjoy film screenings, red carpet ceremonies and parties, panel discussions, live music featuring Grammy-winning musicians from LA's famed Hotel Cafe, the festival's hospitality lounge at The Sebastian Hotel, and the annual awards ceremony recognizing the outstanding work of leaders in the film industry on April 2.

New to this year's program, the Vail Film Festival is excited to announce the launch of the “Cadillac Short Series,” the only festival “venue” in which the public will be invited to view festival programming from the comfort of a 2011 Cadillac Escalade, a 2011 CTS Wagon, and a 2011 SRX, in the middle of Solaris Plaza. The Cadillac Short Series will feature short films screened on the vehicles' interior entertainment systems throughout the weekend.

In partnership with Olympus Imaging America Inc., the festival also welcomes back the 48-Hour film contest to the festival's program. The Olympus PEN Your Short 48 Hour Film Contest will kick off on March 31 at 11 a.m., followed by a period of 48 hours where registered filmmakers will be asked to create a short film using the new Olympus PEN camera.

All short films must be submitted by Saturday, April 2 at 10:59 a.m. Films submitted by this deadline will be screened on Saturday afternoon in the Cadillac Screening Room at Cinebistro. The contest winner will be announced during the Saturday evening Awards Ceremony. The winning team will receive $5,000, Olympus PEN Equipment, VIP Passes to the 2012 Festival, and a private meeting with a Hollywood film producer.

The Vail Film Festival has also launched a new feature on its website this year, allowing pass holders to create their own custom festival schedule, as well as rate and comment in real time on films they have seen. Pass holders who visit http://vailff.slated.com/2011/films during their visit to the hospitality lounge at the Sebastian hotel will be entered to win a 2011 Vail Film Festival VIP Gift Bag.

“The Vail Film Festival is honored to screen the work of established artists and emerging talent that will shape the film making landscape of tomorrow,” said the Vail Film Festival's Scott Cross. “True to the festival mission to nurture new filmmakers, many of the films have been directed or produced by first time filmmakers. After record submissions and an abundance of high quality work, we are very proud of the caliber of films at this year's festival. The mix of documentaries, dramas, comedies, shorts, and student films promises to be the best film program we've had yet.”

For a complete listing of 2011 Vail Film Festival program and screening schedule, go to www.vailfilmfest.com.

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