<p>The Ivy Film Festival — the largest student-run film festival in North America — will be held at Brown University from Tuesday, April 21, through Sunday, April 26, 2009, showcasing 32 student films and featuring advance screenings of four feature films. The keynote event will be a panel discussion with actor Jack Nicholson, producer Robert Evans, and Brad Grey, chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures. All events are open to the public.</p>

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — The Ivy Film Festival, the largest student-run film festival in North America, will be held at Brown University from Tuesday, April 21, through Sunday, April 26, 2009. In addition to featuring the best original work of student filmmakers and screenwriters from around the world, the festival includes advance screenings of four feature films and panel discussions and workshops with a range of film industry insiders. All events are open to the public, but tickets are required for some screenings and panel discussions.

The keynote event on Saturday, April 25, is a panel discussion with award-winning actor Jack Nicholson, producer Robert Evans, and Brad Grey, chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, the presenting sponsor of the festival. The panel will be moderated by Peter Bart, former editor-in-chief of Variety. The event begins at 3 p.m. in the Salomon Center for Teaching, De Ciccio Family Auditorium, with a simulcast downstairs in Room 001. See below for ticketing information.

Ivy Film Festival (2003): The Ivy Film Festival has hosted Hollywood stars including Tim Robbins (above), Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Wes Craven, and Adrien Brody.
Ivy Film Festival (2003) The Ivy Film Festival has hosted Hollywood stars including Tim Robbins (above), Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Wes Craven, and Adrien Brody.
Two workshops are scheduled on Saturday, April 25, prior to the keynote event with Nicholson, Evans, and Grey. Screenwriters Simon Kinberg and Scott Neustadter will lead “Getting it Written: The Craft of Hollywood Screenwriting” at 11 a.m. in the Salomon Center for Teaching, Room 001, followed by “Getting the Green Light: A Film’s Journey From Script to Big Screen” at 12:30 p.m. with development executives from Miramax and Kurtzman/Orci.

Now in its eighth year, the Ivy Film Festival will showcase 32 student films, ranging in length from two to 46 minutes, and 12 original screenplays. The works were selected from more than 350 submissions by students at 125 schools around the world. Screenings will be held in the evening on Friday, April 24, and during the day on Saturday, April 25. Winners, awarded in 12 categories by a jury of film industry professionals, will be announced during a ceremony on Saturday, April 25, at 8:30 p.m. in Sayles Hall, preceded by a reception at 7:30 p.m.

Advance screenings of four feature films will be held during the first three days of the festival: Adam, Big Fan, (500) Days of Summer, and a surprise upcoming summer release. Both Big Fan and (500) Days of Summer will be followed by a question and answer session with the screenwriters and/or directors. See festival Web site for screening times, locations, and participants.

The Ivy Film Festival

Founded in 2001 by Brown University students, the Ivy Film Festival encourages the creative efforts of undergraduate and graduate student filmmakers by acting as a quality venue for their work and by creating opportunities to learn from one another and from talented professionals. The festival strives to garner recognition for student filmmakers by means of a panel of celebrity judges including directors, producers, writers, and agents who will view the top films from the festival.

Tickets

  • Tickets to the Ivy Film Festival Keynote Event will be distributed at the Box Office in the basement of Faunce House, beginning at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22. Tickets are free. Only one ticket will be distributed per person. Brown ID is NOT required. In addition, 10 tickets will be distributed via raffle at both the “Getting it Written” and “Getting the Green Light” panels. At the event, tickets will be honored until 2:50 p.m., at which point doors will be opened to the general public. Admittance to the simulcast in Salomon 001 will be granted on a first come, first served basis.
  • The 2009 Ivy Film Festival’s student exhibitions on Friday and Saturday are free and open to the public.
  • Tickets to all feature screenings will be distributed at an Ivy Film Festival table on the College Green of Brown University, from Monday, April 20, to Thursday, April 23. Tickets are free for students, and $5 for all others. In case of rain, tickets will be distributed in J. Walter Wilson. For feature screenings, tickets will be honored until 10 minutes before the scheduled screening time, at which point doors will be opened to the general public.

For a full schedule of events, venue, and ticket information, visit http://ivyfilmfestival.com

Press

Press credentials are available by e-mailing Dan Wolfberg at [email protected].