Movies at the beach make for a “Different” film festival

If you’re a cinema aficionado, imagine yourself on a moonlit Caribbean beach surrounded by some of the world’s best films with cast members and industry experts discussing their art. Sound like paradise?

From November 8 to 11, this scene is a reality at the Sun Village Resort & Spa Cofresi, when it kicks off its 3rd Annual Dominican International Film Festival (DIFF). This budding “cinema-palooza” is attracting some of the best talent in the global independent film industry and is quickly becoming the Caribbean’s version of the Cannes Film Festival.

The Dominican International Film Festival began in 2004 as a partnership between Media 8 Entertainment and Sun Village Resorts, which eventually led to the creation of Elliott Motion Pictures. Today, DIFF at Sun Village Resort & Spa Cofresi is becoming a showcase for young talent in the most popular Caribbean destination.

As Elliott Motion Pictures was filming “Love Wrecked,” a motion picture that aired on ABC Family earlier this year, President & CEO Derek Elliott developed the idea of creating a showcase for his films, along with other productions from younger talent.

Elliott’s team began marketing the DIFF aggressively at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. In 2006, actors such as Judge Reinhold and Anthony Anderson joined dozens of Hollywood mainstays in screening dozens of films from five different countries, including “Man About Town,” the second Elliott Motion Pictures production, starring Ben Affleck. Just as Aspen, Colorado became the perfect picturesque backdrop for the Sundance Film Festival, Sun Village Resort & Spa Cofresi became the unique setting for film talk with Caribbean flavor.

“The idea caught on quite quickly and received great reviews in 2006. This year we are looking to make the event an even larger success and attract even more star power,” said Carmen Rosa De Torres, Director of Sales & Marketing at Sun Village Resort & Spa Cofresi.

Currently, the 2007 event is still in its planning stages. Elliott and his team are working on screening films, planning an agenda of workshops and many other specifics that go into producing a film festival. De Torres believes this process will be ongoing until early September, when the official invitations will be sent out.

“But the resort is already being prepared,” said De Torres. “Sun Village Resort & Spa Cofresi is already planning accommodations and taking reservations for the dates of the film festival. We are also planning the media campaign and other things that will make the event special,” she said.

Long regarded as an ideal location for shooting films, the Caribbean has never had an established film festival to showcase independent talent. De Torres believes DIFF will fill that void, even though more unknown festivals are held yearly in Havana, Cuba and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“DIFF will also help showcase the region and specifically, the Dominican Republic, as a great location for motion pictures. We believe DIFF will help send the word out that this location has all the amenities to make a successful film,” De Torres said.