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FILM FEST 919 TO UNVEIL IN 2018 AT THE HELM OF RANDI EMERMAN, CAROL MARSHALL  AND CLAUDIA PUIG
 

The 1^st Annual Film Fest 919 will premiere in Chapel Hill, North Carolina next year, October 2018, it was announced today by Founders Randi Emerman and Carol Marshall.  Programmed by Claudia Puig, former USA Today movie critic, current NPR film critic and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the festival will showcase award-winning feature films discovered from the festival circuit worldwide, as well as notable filmmakers. These gems will be programmed and combined with renowned culinary artists specific to the region of the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle.
 
Film Fest 919 will kick off with a launch party and a special screening of A24’s Cannes and Toronto Film Festival favorite THE FLORIDA PROJECT. The film’s writer/producer Chris Bergoch will be in attendance and will participate in a Q&A with Claudia Puig on October 25, 2017 at Silverspot Cinema at University Place in Chapel Hill. The event will also feature selections from one of the many culinary artists of the region. Set over one summer, THE FLORIDA PROJECT, directed by Sean Baker and starring Willem Dafoe, follows precocious 6-year-old Moonee (Brooklyn Prince, in a stunning breakout turn) as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious yet caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Disney World.
 
Emerman and Marshall join forces with an abundance of festival experience, having worked together for 15+ years at the Palm Beach International Film Festival. In addition, Marshall proved an integral factor in the growth of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for 25 years.  “We created Film Fest 919 to further satiate the rabid appetite (pun intended) this community has for fresh voices and global perspectives,” remarked Emerman. “We’re thrilled to have the support of Silverspot Cinema and University Place. We also look to complement the Full Frame Documentary and River Run Film Festivals, two renowned local events which take place in the Spring.”
 
“The Triangle provides a wonderful cultural environment in which to showcase films,” adds Marshall. “We are excited to bring our 30+ years of film festival experience to this community.”
 
Puig further comments, “I’m very excited about Film Fest 919.  I’m thrilled to be programming and showcasing a carefully curated, compelling and diverse breadth of narrative features for such an engaged and film-loving audience.  And how fun it will be to pair the vitality of films with wonderful cuisine from the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle.”
 
Tickets for the Launch Event will range from $35 - $100.  For more information, log onto www.FilmFest919.com. 
 
Contact:               Film Fest 919
                            info@FilmFest919.com
                            919-441-1