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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: April Salter Herrle

June 30, 2008 850.681.3200

KNIGHT FOUNDATION GRANTS

TALLAHASSEE FILM FESTIVAL $60,000

Foundation support helps build creative community

Tallahassee, Fla. – The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has awarded a grant in the amount of $60,000 to the Tallahassee Film Festival (TFF) for start-up funding during the first two years.

In January 2007, Tallahassee was selected as one of three regions in the nation to participate in the Knight Creative Communities Initiative (KCCI). The KCCI Catalyst Team established four key initiatives to help draw and retain young professionals and sustain the area's high quality of life.

The Tallahassee Film Festival, presented by Florida Commerce Credit Union, was a top initiative of KCCI Tallahassee and a project of The International Creativity Center, Inc. The three-day festival from May 15-17, 2008, attracted more than 1,000 attendees, primarily from Tallahassee and the surrounding areas, to enjoy more than 65 film screenings, competitions, lectures and a community Downtown Get Down. Festival goers had the rare opportunity to interact with approximately 15 filmmakers from across the country, including Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco, to learn more about the filmmaking industry. According to a festival survey, attendees rated their overall experience at the Tallahassee Film Festival as either excellent or good.

"Tallahassee is already a great place to live and work," said Mike Pate, the Knight Foundation’s Program Director for Tallahassee. "We hope that this Knight Foundation grant will secure the future of the festival, which is going to help strengthen the arts community in Tallahassee for years to come."

The Tallahassee Film Festival not only gives filmmakers who have something to say an outlet to express ideas, but promotes revitalization of the downtown area and economic development by attracting people to Tallahassee and highlighting its assets.

"Tallahassee is filled with creative and energetic residents ready to offer their ideas and talents to grow this vibrant arts and film community," said Jeanne Curtin, President of the Tallahassee Film Festival. "As we plan for year two, we hope to use the Knight Foundation grant money to bring more filmmakers to Tallahassee and provide an even better festival experience."

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of the communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Tallahassee is one of 26 Knight Communities in the United States.

To learn more about the Tallahassee Film Festival, please visit www.tallahasseefilmfestival.com. The Tallahassee Film Festival is an outgrowth of Tallahassee’s Knight Creative Communities Initiative, and a project of the THE INTERNATIONAL CREATIVITY CENTER, INC., a non-profit tax exempt organization.

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