HBO RECOGNIZES THE "BEST OF THE BEST" AT RUN & SHOOT FILMWORKS 5th ANNUAL MARTHA'S VINEYARD AFRICAN-AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

Top independent filmmakers awarded cash
prizes during HBO film competition

New York, NY-Run & Shoot Filmworks, Inc., producer of the 5th Annual Martha's Vineyard African-American Film Festival (MVAAFF), announced the winners of the HBO-sponsored film competition which took place Saturday, August 11, 2007. Over 250 submissions were received from around the world and 54 films were chosen for the festival in the categories of short, feature, documentary and screenplay. Other highlights of the MVAAFF included the screening of Talk To Me (Focus Features) to a sold-out crowd and a Q & A discussion with acclaimed actor Delroy Lindo.

"We are extremely proud of everyone who participated in this magnificent event. All of our sponsors, repeat attendees, guest speakers and filmmakers helped to make this one of the best film festivals of the year," said MVAAFF co-founders Floyd A.B. Rance III and Stephanie Tavares-Rance. "The quality and number of films we receive each year is confirmation that our festival is not only vital, but it also plays a key role in getting mainstream Hollywood to recognize the untapped talent within the African-American film community."

The 2007 winners of the HBO Film Competition are:

Best Short:
Ties That Bind, directed by Angela Gibbs
A successful woman finds out what it takes to break the ties that bind her to a painful past when her mother falls ill and requests to see her

Best Documentary:
Lest We Forget-The Black Holocaust, directed by Adam Starr and J Justin Ragsdale
This documentary provides a captivating look into the African slave trade

Best Feature:
Algeny, directed by Andrew Burroughs
A young man becomes a pawn when a pharmaceutical company discovers that he has a unique immune system and they literally want his blood

The 2007 Bombay Sapphire Audience Favorite winners are:

Best Short:
The Lockdown Club, directed by Layla Mashauu
The Lockdown Club is about six very different high school students being held captive in their English classroom during a school shootout

Best Documentary:
The Souls of Black Girls, directed by Daphne S. Valerius
Provocative documentary that questions whether or not women of color are suffering from a "self- image dis-order" as a result of media images

Best Feature:
I'm Through With White Girls, directed by Jennifer Sharp
This film is about an African American man who likes indie rock and dates white girls, but then decides to go on "Operation Brown Sugar"

Best Screenplay:
Time On My Hands, written by Reginald Johnson

This year's sponsors included HBO, Run & Shoot Filmworks, Bombay Sapphire, Hollywood Reporter, Heritage Link Brands, American Legacy, WBLS (107.5), Edgartown National Bank, Dukes County Bank, ARRI/CSC, and Indietalk.com.

All media-related inquiries should be directed to Glenore Hibbert at 845-893-8057 or Glenore_hibbert@hotmail.com

About HBO
Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., providing two 24-hour premium television services, HBO and Cinemax. Together, both networks reach approximately 40 million subscribers in the United States via cable and satellite delivery. Home Box Office's international joint ventures bring HBO branded services to more than 50 countries around the globe.

About Focus Features
Focus Features is a apart of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading entertainment and media companies in development in production and marketing in entertainment, news and information to a global audience.
Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric and 20% owned by Vivendi.

About Run & Shoot Filmworks, Inc.
Run & Shoot Filmworks, Inc., is a New York-based film production company credited with creating outstanding visual work for several clients including HBO, Martell Cognac, Reebok, NBC Sports and Footlocker. For the past three years, Run & Shoot Filmworks has produced the MVAAFF with the primary goal of providing a positive environment where filmmakers can share their thoughts, ideas and aspirations. The film festival serves as a vehicle through which Run & Shoot Filmworks can support the efforts of emerging and established African-American screenwriters, as well as aid in their artistic development.

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