North American Premiere of Luigi Falorni's Heart of Fire to Open 2008 Jackson Hole...

North American Premiere of Luigi Falorni's Heart of Fire to Open 2008 Jackson Hole Film Festival

Exploring a Childhood Lost to War and Violence, Heart of Fire
Ignites the 5th Anniversary Film Festival
JACKSON, Wyo.--(Business Wire)--
The 5th annual Jackson Hole Film Festival (June 5 - 9, 2008) will
open at the Center for the Arts, with the North American premiere of
Luigi Falorni's Heart of Fire. Luigi Falorni, director, is expected to
attend. The Opening Night film will screen at 5:00 pm with the Jackson
Hole Film Festival's 5th Anniversary Party to follow at 7:00 pm at
Spring Creek Ranch.

Having debuted his first film, the Academy Award-nominated
documentary The Story of the Weeping Camel, to North American
audiences at the Toronto International Film Festival, director Luigi
Falorni chose to introduce North American audiences to Heart of Fire
at the Jackson Hole Film Festival in order to participate in its
groundbreaking Global Insight Summit, an international gathering where
entertainment leaders and U.N. officials come together to explore how
film and television can be leveraged to highlight critical
international concerns. The Global Insight Summit is presented in
conjunction with the Jackson Hole Film Festival and in collaboration
with the United Nations.

"Opening with Heart of Fire and the important story it conveys
highlights our mission to create a platform for experiencing film and
sharing a global perspective in the hope of inspiring audiences and
moviemakers alike," said Eben Dorros, president of Jackson Hole Film
Institute, presenter of the Jackson Hole Film Festival. "We are
honored that Luigi Falorni will premiere Heart of Fire to North
American audiences in Jackson and are pleased to open this milestone
year with a film highlighting the Festival's Global Insight film
program."

In Heart of Fire, director and scriptwriter Luigi Falorni (The
Story of the Weeping Camel), inspired by the bestselling story of
Senait G. Mehari, chronicles the moving and heart-stopping story of a
seemingly hopeless childhood.

"There was one thing I was absolutely certain of: I did not want
to do the 'film tie-in.' I wanted to depict Senait's story as a source
of inspiration and tell a universal story about a girl involved in a
war," says Luigi Falorni. "This is why the main character of the film
is not Senait, but Awet, giving me the freedom to establish the
historical context more forcefully."

Awet's Story: Heart of Fire

Despite the chaos and turbulence of Eritrea's war of independence
against Ethiopia, bright little Awet grows up peacefully in an
orphanage in Asmara, lovingly cared for by Italian nuns. Then, one
day, Awet learns that her father, a freedom fighter, is still alive
and demands her return. Amidst her new family, Awet finds not warmth
and security but poverty and hard work. The father ultimately gives
her and her sister away to one of the rival liberation armies as
"daughters of Eritrea." There, Awet makes friends and sees how one can
be inspired by the ideals of freedom. However, she also experiences
the numbing madness of war as she comes face to face with death and
fanaticism. But her "heart of fire," her courage, and her conscience
finally show her a way out.

Last week, it was announced from the Cannes Film Festival that
Heart Of Fire was picked up for U.S. distribution by Seventh Art
Releasing and for U.K. distribution by Metrodome.

About the 5th Annual Jackson Hole Film Festival

The 5th annual Jackson Hole Film Festival, presented by the
Jackson Hole Film Institute will take place June 5-9, 2008, and will
screen 100 independent films with 83 competing in seven program
categories. Representing more than 30 countries, the Festival is
committed to creating a platform for global inspiration and change.

In conjunction with the 5th annual Festival and together with the
United Nations, the Jackson Hole Film Institute will present the first
Global Insight Summit, an international gathering where entertainment
leaders and U.N. officials come together to explore how film and
television can be leveraged to highlight critical international
concerns.

For more information on the Jackson Hole Film Festival or to
purchase festival passes visit www.jacksonholefilmfestival.org.

Antenna Group
Paula Cavagnaro, 415-977-1915
paula@antennagroup.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008