Editor

The New York International Film Festival (NYIFF) today announced that it will honor the Austrian Sci-Fi film "Space Tours - Mission E.V.A" at a special reception during the Cannes Film Festival. NYIFF founder/executive producer Stuart Alson will host an invitation-only party on Sunday May 15th at the Penthouse Terrace on the Croisette overlooking the Mediterranean. Writer/Director Andreas Auinger and cast member Rainer Kantz, who also served as associate producer, will be presented with three NYIFF awards for "Best International Feature Film", "Best Comedy Feature" and the Special Jury Award "Feature Filmmakers to Watch."

SPACE TOURS - MISSION E.V.A, is a no budget Science-Fiction Comedy. Auinger oversaw most elements of the film including the set, lighting, camera and sound, as well as of the production, editing and visual effects with a budget of exactly zero euro. Viewers are introduced to travel group TUILET TOURISM who are planning a world cruise of absolute superlatives. So it sends the space ship YUZNA into space with a four-man crew and super computer E.V.A. on board to explore vacation destinations no tourist has ever seen before. As you can imagine, this venture is a thorn on SPECTACLE TRAVELS' side, their competition.

On its way to the ultimate vacation paradise, the crew of the YUZNA encounters jealous police officers, bloodthirsty tour operators, fed-up tourists, giant monkeys, an indestructible tour-guide-cyborg and aliens who think tourism is the same as terrorism. SPACE TOURS - MISSION E.V.A. is an action-packed trip through the last 100 years of the history of film and television - made up of thousands of parodies, pastiches and quotes.

In a recent interview with Independent Film Quarterly Auinger commented,

"I set out to make the worst movie of all time to become number 1! When it comes to best film or best director, there is absolutely no consensus. On the other end of the spectrum, no argument: "Plan 9 from Outer Space" and Ed Wood since 1959. So a few years ago, I had an idea to make a film that would outclass this B-movie cult film. It should be of particularly bad quality and consist exclusively of film parodies, tributes and quotes from the last hundred years of film and television history. And I wanted to shoot it without any money!"

"Sci-fi is not typically a genre that we exhibit much so we snapped it up immediately," said NYIFF's Stuart Alson. "Major kudos to Auinger and Kantz for taking on a project with no budget! I loved the concept, cheap special effects, trashiness, creativity and determination to make the worst film of all time," said Alson.

To keep up with all activities at the NYIFF, please visit www.nyfilmvideo.com. For more information about Space Tours, please contact www.spacetours-movie.com.

NYIFF PRESS CONTACT:

Briege McGarrity Senior VP of Communications, (718) 474-1212.

BMcGarrityPR@aol.com.