Balinale Celebrated Gala Opening Nigth At The W

Denpasar (Antara Bali) - Balinale 2011 celebrated its Gala Opening Night at the W Bali with many Film Industry Professionals, Artists, Festival Friends and Supporters in attendance.

Guests were treated to a sumptuous three course dinner accompanied by a special screening of The Magical World Of Silent Colour (UK) and followed by a glitzy Woo Bar after party.

Amongst the myriad of guests were HE New Zealand Ambassador David Taylor, Magda Hutagalung (owner of PT Dua Cahaya Anugrah), US Embassy Cultural Attaché Frank J Whitaker, Indonesian screen legend Rima Melati, celebrity chef Farah Quinn, noted fashion designer Samuel Wattimena and actresses Jajang C Noer, Poppy Sovia and Happy Salma, just to name a few.

Synonymous with celebrity, W Bali hosted the festival’s visiting filmmakers and guests including Donna Smith, respected film producer and former Universal Pictures Senior Vice President responsible for numerous Academy Award-winning films including; Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Traffic, The Matrix and The English Patient.

Christine Hakim, Indonesia’s internationally recognized award winning film actress and producer, Cannes Jury Member and International Federation of Film Producers Associations recipient for Outstanding Achievement in Film, and Drew Fellman, producer and writer of Warner Bros IMAX film Born To Be Wild, which was partially shot in Kalimantan (Indonesia) and premiered during the festival.

To date, Balinale  has enjoyed the participation of Oscar, Emmy, BAFTA and Cannes award winning filmmakers.

In the next couple of months, Balinale will announce a series of unique events that joins W Bali’s passion for film and the festival’s goal of bringing together films and their makers to Bali as a gathering place of global creativity.

The festival also provides an opportunity to invite foreign filmmakers to screen for Immediate Release 1 December 2011 their films while experiencing Indonesia's accommodating culture and diverse locations for possible film locations or story ideas. An example if this was with Sony Pictures’ Eat Pray Love starring Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem, when in 2008 Balinale organizers invited the film’s Executive Producer Stan Wlodkowski to attend the festival, participate in a film forum and scout locations featured in the book.

Within a year the film was shooting on Bali and wrapped during the festival’s closing. Balinale 2011 program included open discussions with filmmakers and industry professionals, Audience Choice Awards with a Free Children’s Film Program as a featured part of the festival and its ongoing commitment to the community.(**/T007)