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TELLURIDE, Colo., September 1, 2005 - The Telluride Film Festival and Cisco Systems have teamed up to create the Telluride SHOWroom; an enhanced video experience on the Festival website (www.telluridefilmfestival.org) that will provide access to critically acclaimed Telluride programs.
The 32nd Telluride Film Festival, a celebration of the art of film, set among the majesty of the Rockies, opens Friday, September 2 and runs through Monday, September 5. The Festival program, which is kept secret until Opening Day, includes movie premieres, new features, remarkable rediscoveries, tributes, and documentaries.
"SHOWroom represents a new opportunity for the Festival to utilize the internet and Cisco's video software to reach film lovers around the world, and offer online programs throughout the year," commented Festival Co-Director Bill Pence. "With Cisco's generous help, we can now include video content on our website, and begin to develop other ways to use the internet. Now, not only can we feature highlights from this year's program during the Festival for the very first time, we are also extremely excited at the limitless possibilities SHOWroom offers us in the future."
SHOWroom will debut with a sample of popular programs from past Festivals including a discussion with George Lucas about the genesis of his early film THX 1138 and a conversation between director/screenwriters Gus Van Sant and Paul Schrader.
After opening day of the Festival, SHOWroom will feature highlights from this year's programs and events including intimate conversations with filmmakers and tributes to cinema luminaries.
Festival Co-Founders and Co-Directors Pence and Tom Luddy are committed to providing an inviting array of new Festival content throughout the year. They will draw from the extensive Festival archives to provide a valuable cache of interviews, panels, discussions and out-takes from past programs that will now be accessible to everyone.
"Our goal is for SHOWroom to provide a taste of the Festival experience, become a virtual "gathering place" for all film lovers," said Luddy. "We are hoping that cinephiles will visit our website year round to access a selection of discussions and films that we will choose as carefully for SHOWroom as we do for the Festival."
"Innovation and creativity are the cornerstones of filmmaking," said Cisco Senior Vice President, Dan Scheinman. "We are pleased that Telluride, one of the most esteemed film festivals in the world, is helping embrace the innovation that the internet empowers, and that we can help the Festival become a leader in the future of cinema on the internet."
The Telluride Film Festival has implemented Cisco's Video Management System to bring a video-on-demand experience to its audience. SHOWroom visitors will use Cisco's Video Portal to browse, search, and view content interactively. The Festival is also using Cisco's Video Portal Manager to effectively manage and publish content to the SHOWroom video portal.
About The Telluride Film Festival
The Telluride Film Festival is an international educational event celebrating the art of film. It exists to provide the opportunity, open to everyone, for the lovers and creators of cinema come together to see and discuss the most interesting work of the past and the present.
