Inaugural Palo Alto International Film Festival Set for September 2011

Palo Alto, CA – The Palo Alto Institute announced it will launch the first annual Palo Alto International Film Festival on Thursday, September 29. Taking place in the heart of Silicon Valley, at various locations throughout the city of Palo Alto, the festival will explore the interplay between art and technology by focusing on the role of new technologies in film entertainment.

Over four days, PAIFF will feature 45 films that explore the convergence of art and technology, as well as 30 discussions, panels and workshops led by innovators and industry leaders who will discuss the power of new technologies and the future of filmmaking, gaming, online and media. Devyani Kamdar has been tapped as Executive Director of PAIFF working with a team that includes Alex Ippolite, Managing Director; Alf Seccombe, Programming Director; Anita Mohan, Publications Director; and Kaitlin Sullivan, Art Director.

“Palo Alto, the birthplace of motion pictures, site of Eadweard Muybridge’s 1877 photo series Sallie Gardner at a Gallop, is a natural venue for a film festival,” explains Ippolite. “PAIFF was envisioned as a way to bring film home – film started here. It’s about connecting the storyteller to the audience. It’s about connecting imaginations.”

Since film is the ultimate convergence of art and technology, PAIFF hopes to connect the imaginations of artists, technology professionals, community members and the film industry to expand areas of innovation in Silicon Valley and beyond. “We believe that our community will benefit from an art scene that is as robust as its tech scene,” says Mohan.

“As movies migrate to digital, the future of cinema will depend on the cutting edge tools that continue to be conceived and developed in the Bay Area. These tools expand the range of narratives that can be told and empower artists of all kinds to reveal narratives that might otherwise remain unseen,” says Kamdar. “PAIFF strives to be a conduit for increased innovation in art, technology and film.“

For those who are unable to attend the Festival, PAIFF will offer the unique opportunity to view streaming movies, filmmaker Q&A’s, panels, talks, music and the Sallie Gardner Awards Party online.

Tickets for the 2011 Palo Alto International Film Festival are now available at www.paiff.com.

FOLLOW PAIFF: www.paiff.com, facebook.com/PaloAltoInternationalFilmFestival and on Twitter @PaloAltoIFF