NEWTOWN FILM FEST AND ARTS FESTIVAL PARTNER TO CREATE A WEEKEND OF ENTERTAINMENT

(Newtown, CT) July 16, 2015- Newtown Film Festival is thrilled to announce a very special partnership with the Newtown Arts Festival. The Newtown Arts Festival features collaborative productions with various arts groups the entire  month of September with the signature, outdoor event taking place on September 19 and 20 on the Fairfield Hills campus, in conjunction with the film fest dates of September 18, 19, and 20.

The Newtown Film Fest is excited to join forces with an established Newtown institution to bring the town the very best in independent art and film to locals and travelers alike.

"We are excited to work with the Newtown Art's Festival to bring a full spectrum of artistic and creative forms to Newtown,” said film festival founder and executive director Cristin Carlin.

The annual Newtown Arts Festival is presented by the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission:

“The Newtown Cultural Arts Commission established the Newtown Arts Festival to promote and support local arts and the community through arts-inspired entertainment, education, exhibits, and sales. The festival showcases all forms of creative expression, such as visual arts, dance, music, written word, and theatre in the setting of a town-wide celebration.  Proceeds will support grants and scholarships for local artists and arts organizations, future festivals, and other work of the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission.”

"September is fast becoming 'arts month' in Newtown," said Terry Sagedy, Newtown Arts Festival chairman. "We're thrilled to have an expanded film offering this year with the partnership of the highly-anticipated Newtown Film Festival."

For more information about the Newtown Arts Festival and Newtown Cultural Arts Commission, please visit http://www.newtownartsfestival.com

Follow us on Twitter.com/NewtownFilmFest and Facebook.com/NewtownFilmFest 

AWARD-WINNING SHORT FILM TO KICK-OFF INAUGURAL NEWTOWN FILM FEST

(Newtown, CT) July 14, 2015— Newtown Film Festival is excited to announce the Connecticut Premiere of Don Hertzfeldt’s award-winning short, WORLD OF TOMORROW. The animated short will open the 3 day festival at Edmond Town Hall on September, 18, 2015.

Hertzfeldt’s moving piece about a little girl taken on a mind-bending tour of her distant future is sure to appeal to all audiences at Newtown Film Fest.

"I completely fell in love with this film; it absolutely blew me away,” said NFF Executive Director and Founder Cristin Carlin. “The film is poignant and endearing, and has a great heart.  I am so thrilled to be able to share it with Newtown in September." 

Seven of his films have screened in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, where he is the only filmmaker to have won the overall Grand Jury Prize for Short Film twice. Don Hertzfeldt is an Oscar-nominated American independent filmmaker whose animated films include It's Such a Beautiful Day,  The Meaning of Life, Billy's Balloon, and Rejected. His work has played around the world, receiving over 200 awards, and recently appeared in a special guest appearance on The Simpsons.  

Time Out New York said of WORLD OF TOMORROW, "At the risk of perilously underselling it, World of Tomorrow might be one of the most satisfying short films since Chris Marker’s 1962 landmark, La Jetée... and is almost certain to be the highlight of this year’s Sundance, full stop... Wise, hilarious, and formally daring…"   

After creating animated films for nearly twenty years using traditional tools (pencil, paper,  and 35mm cameras),  WORLD OF TOMORROW represents Hertzfeldt's first 100% digital production.

The voice cast stars English illustrator Julia Pott alongside Hertzfeldt's four-year-old niece, Winona. Winona's voice was quietly recorded while she and Hertzfeldt drew pictures together and talked about the world.   From these raw sessions,  Hertzfeldt took her candid reactions and partially rewrote the story (and Julia's lines) to create their characters' seamless conversations.