BET INTERNATIONAL TO SPONSOR BIFF SHORT FILM AWARDS

This year’s bfm (black filmmaker) International Film Festival - ‘Shorts Film Awards’, will move to Odeon West End, Leicester Square on 11th September 2007, as a glittering, gala event. Now in its 9th year, the festival’s presence has been important in introducing audiences to black cinema around the world. This year’s event will be sponsored by BET International (part of the Viacom group).

The change of venue and new International sponsors marks a fresh approach for bfm, Priscilla Igwe, bfm Director explains, “Thanks to BET coming on board, we are able to give our Short Film Awards a much needed facelift to make the event a lot more accessible to the general public and film lovers alike. It will have new categories, feature music videos, have the best of the industry there but its remit of ‘bringing the unseen to light’ has not changed and we are looking forward to showcasing emerging talent”

BET International, has recently secured a license to broadcast in the UK and this partnership with bfm illustrates their early efforts to support and showcase UK talent from the grass roots up. Michael Armstrong, SVP and GM of BET International said, “Our support of the shorts awards represents the start of a sustained commitment by BET to engage local creative talent and provide a home for some of the best British film makers.” The winner of the best Short category will be broadcast as part of BET International’s UK launch later this year.

The rest of the festival is not to be missed as there will be international premieres including Daddy’s Little Girls starring our homegrown Hollywood heavyweight, Idris Elba (Reaping, 28 Days Later, American Gangster) and the major new documentary Wu: The Story of the Wu Tang Clan, seminars and masterclasses on how to break into the film industry and the whole new ‘Are you the next Hype Williams?’ competition.

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA)(NYSE: and)(NYSE: VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 84 million households according to Nielsen Media Research, and can be seen in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of businesses extensions: BET.com, a leading internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news.; BET Digital Networks - BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, a service venture into the lucrative world of ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET network programming for global distribution.