Craven and ‘Disappearances’
Selected for New AFI Exchange

The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Kingdom County Productions Artistic Director Jay Craven and his new film, "Disappearances" have been selected to participate in the first-ever AFI: Project 20/20—as part of a "Global Cultural Initiative" program.

The program is jointly sponsored by the American Film Institute, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, The President’s Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the U.S. State Department, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The AFI said it "created this program to foster cross-cultural understanding and respect, while nurturing filmmaking excellence. The films and filmmakers will participate in workshops, seminars, and screenings of their films in San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, New York and other U.S. cities. They will also travel during the next year to venues in Southern Asia, Eastern Europe, The Middle East, and Latin America.

The American films selected for the exchange include five narrative films (including "Disappearances") and three documentaries. The international filmmakers selected include artists from South Africa, Venezuela, India, Egypt, China, Israel, Pakistan, Rwanda, Iran, Japan, and the UK.

"Given the tense state of international relations, I applaud the American Film Institute’s new cultural exchange initiative and I’m pleased to participate," said "Disappearances" director Craven. "This will provide an exciting opportunity to exchange ideas with other filmmakers and share my new film with audiences I’d never normally get to meet."

"Disappearances," starring Kris Kristoferson, Charlie McDermott, and Genevieve Bujold, is scheduled to screen at the AFI Fest, November 6 and 7 at the Arclight Theater in Los Angeles.

"Disappearances" will continue screenings as part of its Vermont 100 Town Tour through the fall and winter. The film will also play fall dates at the Savannah International Film Festival, the Ashville (N.C.) Film Festival, and Santa Fe Film Festival. Kingdom County Productions (KCP) has also announced plans for the U.S. distribution of "Disappearances."

For more information about "Disappearances" or other KCP projects, call 802-592-3190 or kcp@pshift.com or go online to www.DisappearancesMovie.com..

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