PARIS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FILM WINS 'BEST OF FESTIVAL'

LOS ANGELES - A film designed to boost the image of the Paris, France, Chamber of Commerce has won "Best of Festival" (Grand Prix) at the 2003 U.S. International Film And Video Festival.

The winning film was produced by RC 1 Regine Cardin Productions in Paris. The award was announced during ceremonies Friday night (June 6) in Manhattan Beach.

The Chambre de Commerce et d'industrie de Paris entry was chosen from among five nominees, all of which were among the 64 Gold Camera winners at the festival. The festival drew more than 1,500 entries from 28 countries.

The nominees included an educational film on tolerance and citizenship from the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala.; two German productions for industries, and a film designed to showcase work done by the staff of the Department for Work and Pensions in London, England.

In the style of a fiction movie, the Paris film features an elected official of the chamber presenting the organization to a TV film crew and introducing members to the company CEOs and shopkeepers who have called on the chamber for services.

The chamber represents 307,000 companies in Paris and its suburbs and the purpose of the film is to show the chamber as a friendly public institution for all types of audiences, said Regine Cardin.

Following is a synopsis of the other nominees:

"Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks," produced by Teaching Tolerance for the Southern Poverty Law Center runs 40 minutes. It revisits the 1955-56 Montgomery Bus Boycott and tells a story of social change.

In a commentary accompanying the entry, the center said the film was intended to present the birth of the Civil Rights Movement in the mid-1950's as a model for active citizenship and democratic participation.

Clariant GMBH of Sulzbach am Taunus won a nomination for its "Innovations" film on the company's Pigments and Additives Division products. The production uses the theme of building a Japanese art kite to highlight the Clariant products through a melding of tradition and future.

Production was by hagenfilm GmbH of Frankfurt. The art kite used in the film was designed by contemporary Swiss artist Gert Rappenecker using the colors and additives of Clariant.

The seven-minute film was created to demonstrate the division's competence and innovation in its business field, according to Clariant. It is aimed at investors, customers and employees and will be shown at trade fair, exhibitions and universities, the company says.

The film premiered in November 2002 at a "Clariant Meets Investors" Day.

BM8 GmbH of Hamburg was nominated for a production it did for DaimlerChrysler AG on the occasion of the release of the new Mercedes E-Class station wagon. The film won Gold awards as a presentation for the public venue and in the Cinematography, Videography, Camera Work category.

BM8 describes the production as presenting the new Mercedes wagon in the style of a large Hollywood movie. Commentary accompanying the entry says the film is "a sophisticated product placement rather than a classical product film."

"Vision & Celebration," which won Gold in the Employee Oriented Corporate Communications category, was created by Jack Morton Worldwide of London for the United Kingdom Department for Work and Pensions.

The film articulates the real-life challenges of the citizens the department works with and how the department's staff has helped the citizens lead a fuller life.

It was presented at workshops on department change and was intended to inspire, according to the production company.

Further information can be obtained from the festival headquarters: 713 S. Pacific Coast Hwy, Suite A, Redondo Beach, Calif. 90277-4233 USA, Phone: (310) 540-0959, Fax: (310) 316-8905, or by e-mail: filmfestinfo@filmfestawards.com.

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