Star Wars Cast and Crew to appear at 2016 Cayfilm to Honor Producer Robert Watts
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands – The CayFilm Cayman International Film Festival may be new to Cayman – 2016 will be only its second staging – but the force is definitely with this event as organisers have announced a Star Wars cast and crew reunion at the Festival, scheduled for the July holiday weekend (1st to 4th).
CayFilm will be honouring film producer Robert Watts – one of the producers of the original three films of Star Wars – with a Lifetime Achievement award for his work in the film industry. Watts’ relationship with Star Wars creator George Lucas started with Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope where he worked as a production supervisor. He also worked with Lucas on the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and later with Steven Spielberg on such films as Indiana Jones and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
“We’re keeping the names of the individuals coming under wraps for now but we will say that some of the names will be totally unbelievable!” said Festival Director Tony Mark. “We will be making many announcements in the next few months but for now we want to tell everyone to mark their calendars and save the dates for the July 4th weekend as Grand Cayman will be THE place to be.”
The Star Wars franchise, popularised by LucasFilm, has grossed over $6 billion worldwide since its inception in 1977. The newest film Star Wars: The Force Awakens has already garnered almost a billion dollars in the US, giving the franchise a new hope.
Festival attendees will be able to sit in on panels led by some of the film industry’s top professionals, including those from the billion-dollar Sci-Fi franchise, and Tony says that this is one of the best parts of attending CayFilm.
“The setting here is more intimate than what you would find at big film conventions or premieres. We are a small island and that makes for a much more up close and personal experience with individuals who have worked on seven of the most successful films of all time, either in front of or behind the camera.”
For filmmakers looking to get some publicity for their work, Tony says that international film buyers will also be attending the Festival.
“The exposure at CayFilm is invaluable for young talent. It truly is a great opportunity to get your film seen by a potential buyer. For young local filmmakers especially, who are going through the process of submitting for festivals, it’s good practice for the road ahead.”
Tony said another day has been added to the Festival weekend to accommodate all the elements of the event which includes daily film screenings, question and answer sessions with filmmakers, panel discussions, workshops, an exclusive premiere screening and two celebrity gala events. Opening night will take place on Friday, 1 July and the closing gala will happen on Monday, 4 July.
CayFilm is now accepting film submissions for the Festival and Tony says the response has been impressive with over 100 international films being submitted online on the first day the process opened and a total of 250 submissions in one week.
Submissions for the 2016 CayFilm Cayman International Film Festival can be made on Film Freeway at www.filmfreeway.com/festival/CayFilm.
For more information about the CayFilm Cayman International Film Festival log on to www.cayfilm.com or email tony@cayfilm.com.