NEW HAVEN TO BE REPRESENTED AT PRESTIGIOUS CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

(5/14/2008) Mayor to honor film maker Thursday & screen film at Betsy Ross Arts

NEW HAVEN- Stephen Dest, a drama teacher at Betsy Ross Arts Magnet and a film maker who produced a short film entitled "Blind," will have his work shown at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival later this month.

Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. will honor Dest and host a screening of the short (15 minute) film this Thursday, May 15, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. in the black box theatre at Betsy Ross, located at 150 Kimberly Ave. Earlier, at 2 p.m., Dest will give a talk to the 8th grade theatre students at the school about his journey as a film maker.

The Cannes Film Festival runs from May 14th - May 25th. Dest flies to Cannes after he finishes “Seussical the Musical,” the spring production at Betsy Ross.

BLIND will be screened as part of the Shorts Corner series. While in Cannes, Dest and a co-producer will be looking for worldwide distribution as well as buyers and producers for a feature length version of the film.

Written and directed by Dest, “Blind” is a coming of age story set in Westville, CT in 1979. A teenage boy’s days (and nights) of personal discovery are blind-sided by the unexpected death of his father on Easter Sunday. The film follows a narrative form with a 'home movie' style to capture a typical father and son relationship. The camera follows the son through his daily routine of self-discovery and personal view of the world, both before and after the sudden death of his father. The film sustains an extremely realistic view. (15 min running time\ shot on Super 8mm with digital sound).

[END]

Contact Name: Jessica Mayorga

Contact Email: jmayorga@newhavenct.net

Contact Phone: 203-946-7660