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The 15th Edition of the Belize International Film Festival starts on Friday. It will be the first time it will be streamed completely online. The programme will be eclectic and filled with great films produced between 2019 and 2021. Most of the features will be available only in Belize but a number of the others will be available outside Belize.

For more information see the Festival's Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/BelizeIFF or their website at:
https://belizefilmfestival.com

Details of the 15th Edition of the Virtual Belize International Film Festival
Tyler Robinson, Wil Maheia, Vanessa Bergonzoli

Belize IFF 2021 Opening Ceremony

OPENING CEREMONY of the 15th Edition Belize International Film Festival - November 5th, 2021.

Hosted by: Belizean writer and actress, Maryam Abdul Qawiyy
Welcome: Film Commissioner of Belize, Nigel P. Miguel,
Presenting Partner Address: CaribbeanTales-TV.com, Courtney Panchan
Keynote Address: Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, Hon. Anthony Mahler,
Festival Overview & Thanks: BelizeIFF Founder and Director, Suzette Zayden.

Included in the ceremony are video greetings from many filmmakers around the globe whose films make up the Official Selection for the 2021 BelizeIFF.

Belize International Film Festival Webinars:


Webinar #1 Find Your Story: Challenges of Indie Filmmaking


Webinar #2. New online and face-to-face training opportunities for Belizeans


Webinar #3. Using Innovative Technology in Film Productions


Webinar #4, Careers in animation: building a Belizean network

15th Belize International Film Festival Presents Award Winners

The Belize International Film Festival has wrapped up its fifteenth edition, this year completely virtually. On Sunday night, the jurors presented the BIFF awards. Among these were the Best Narrative Feature "Hero" based on a decorated West Indian soldier from the Second World War.� Best Short Documentary went to "Hairouna, Land of the Blessed" which is about a man from Saint Vincent's journey into his ancestral memory. There were also awards for best music video, animated narratives, feature documentary and many other categories. And this year's Emerging Talent Award went to Indira Andrewin, for her lead role in a Mexican Film, Selva Trajica. BIFF Founder and Director, Suzette Zayden presented the award and Andrewin zoomed in to accept the honor.

Suzette Zayden, Founder & Director, BIFF

"Tonight, the Belize International Film Festival chooses honor Belizean actor, Indira Andrewin, with our new Emerging Talent Award. This award is meant to recognize and provide exposure to up and coming film makers from any side of the camera. Indira, in the lead of her very first film, Tragic Jungle, has made it abundantly clear that she is a force to be reckoned with. Her remarkable acting skills in the slow moving but genuinely unnerving fantasy thriller by Mexican director Yulene Olaizola has given root to a meteoric rise to stardom for Indira which is almost unheard of in Belize. Not only did she take our entire country with her last year to Venice for the premier of Tragic Jungle, at the world's oldest and most prestigious film festivals where she and her team won best foreign language film, but she also brought home an award for best new actress earlier this year. As some of you may know, these are the Mexican equivalent of the Oscars. Well done, Indira, we congratulate you on all your accomplishments so far and look forward to your continued success in the future."

Indira Andrewin

"Thank you so much for this Emerging Talent Award and for recognition of my work. I am truly grateful and honoured to be able to receive this award. I would like to thank Yulene Olaizola the director of the film Tragic Jungle, without her this would not be possible. She has believed in me ever since the first audition and has guided me throughout this entire process. I would also like to thank my mom, Nicole Andrewin, for being such a big support system. I love sharing Belize with the world. It brings me great joy. I just want people to see that no matter where you come from, your dreams are valid. And the only one who needs to believe is you."

Channel 5