Hollywood, CA -- July 22, 1998 -- The Second Annual Hollywood Film Festival(R.)SM has unveiled the finalists for the 1998 Hollywood Discovery Awards® competition. The announcement was made today by Carlos de Abreu, founder and executive director of the Hollywood Film Festival®. The finalists were selected from over 408 film submissions and include features, documentaries, shorts, and animated works. The screenings will take place at Paramount Studios in Hollywood (5555 Melrose Avenue) from August 7 - 9, 1998. The festival's lineup will open on Friday, August 7, with two world premieres: Telling You, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Peter Facinelli, and Jennie Garth, and Next Time, starring Jonelle Allen and Christian Campbell. "The films that were selected for the festival are truly outstanding and showcase a wide array of talented filmmakers," commented Mr. de Abreu. "This year's line-up will present an excellent cross section of independent cinema," he added.

The five-day festival includes the Hollywood Conference(TM) at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in which over 100 Hollywood professionals will participate, including Mimi Leder (Director, Deep Impact), Patrick Markey (Producer, The Horse Whisperer), Robert Kosberg (Executive Producer, 12 Monkeys), Howard Koch Jr. (Producer, Wayne's World), David Permut (Producer, Face/Off), John Briley (Writer, Gandhi), David Foster (Producer, The Mask of Zorro), Meyer Gottlieb (President, The Samuel Goldwyn Co.), Mark Rydell (Director, On Golden Pond), Lauren Shuler-Donner (Producer, Free Willy), and agents from CAA, ICM and William Morris, among others.

The festival will culminate with the Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Monday evening, August 10, 1998. The evening's highlights will include a "Lifetime Achievement Award" presentation to two-time Academy Award winner Ms. Shelley Winters, the "Outstanding Achievement in Producing Award" to multi-award winning producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown (Driving Miss Daisy, Jaws, Deep Impact), the "Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award" to Academy Award nominated director Norman Jewison (Moonstruck, In the Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof), the "Outstanding Achievement in Music in Film Award" to Oscar-winning composer Dave Grusin (Three Days of the Condor, On Golden Pond, Tootsie) and the "Music in Film Visionary Award" to the former drummer and co-founder of The Police, Stewart Copeland (Wall Street, Fresh, Talk Radio), a five-time Grammy Award winner, as well as the presentation of the festival's Hollywood Discovery Awards®, Hollywood CyberAwards®, and Hollywood Digital Awards(TM) to the winners. The gala event will be "cybercast" live from Hollywood via www.hollywoodlive.com.

• ARCHIBALD THE RAINBOW PAINTER --California Premiere
  Written by Laura Landau, directed by Les Landau.
• BLINDNESS --World Premiere
  Written by Jared Rappaport and Anna Chi, directed by Anna Chi.
• HALFWAY HOME --World Premiere
  Written and directed by Arge O'Neal
• NEXT TIME --World Premiere
  Written and directed by L. Alan Fraser.
• PARADISE FALLS --West Coast Premiere
  Written by Sean Bridgers and Sue Ellen Bridgers, directed by Nick Searcy.
• RHAPSODY IN BLOOM --World Premiere Written by Eric Tuchman, directed by Craig Saavedra.
• STOLEN HEART --U.S. Premiere
  Written and directed by Terry O'Brien.
• A STRANGER IN THE KINGDOM --California Premiere
  Written by Don Bredes and Jay Craven, based on the novel by Howard Frank Mosher, directed by Jay Craven.
• THE SUGAR FACTORY
  Written and directed by Robert Carter, based on the novel by Robert Carter.
• TAXI DANCER --U.S. Premiere
  Written by Gilbert & Jan Dalemans, Caroline Strubbe; directed by Caroline Strubbe & Dalemans Brothers as creative participants.
• TELLING YOU --World Premiere
  Written by Robert DeFranco & Marc Palmieri, directed by Robert DeFranco.

• AFTER --World Premiere
  Written by Niara Modi & Stefan Molyneux, based on the short story After by Stefan Molyneux, directed by Niara Modi.
• THE CENSUS TAKER
  Written and directed by Aaron Cohen.
• FRANKY GOES TO HOLLYWOOD --West Coast Premiere
  Written and directed by Brendan Kelly.
• HOLIDAY ROMANCE --U.S. Premiere
  Written by Clive Hopkins, directed by JJ Keith.
• THE INFINITE FRAME --World Premiere
  Written and directed by Forrest Allison.
• KISMET --World Premiere
  Written by Sheri Sussman, directed by Billy Wirth.
• THE LIGHT OF DARKNESS
  Written and directed by Michael Cargile.
• NATHAN GRIMM --World Premiere
  Written by John Pollono, directed by Steven Ayromlooi.
• ONLY MINUTES --World Premiere
  Written and directed by Goran Kalezic
• TAKE ME WITH YOU --U.S. Premiere
  Written by Kirsty Connell, directed by Jeremy Webb.
• LE TOCARD (THE LONGSHOT) --U.S. Premiere
  Written and directed by Philip Bryden.
• TRICKLE
  Written by Adam Ross, directed by Frank Tota.

• GOREVILLE, U.S.A.
  Written by by Seth Henrikson and David Sarno; directed by Seth Henrikson, David Sarno and Rob Shields
• THE SHOE STORE --World Premiere
  Written and directed by Steven Proto.

• BOING
  Written and directed by Jeff Daly.
• MAX & HIS SPECIAL PROBLEM
  Written by Marc Firek, Chris Miller, Dave Wasson; directed by Dave Wasson.
• RETURN OF THE SUN DEVIL
  Written by Ray Chung, John Pollono and Steven Ayromlooi; directed by Steven Ayromlooi.

Carlos de Abreu, Founder
Hollywood Film Festival
310.288.1882