$1,000 People's Choice Prize Goes to 'Oceanfront Property' at Fort Myers Beach Film Festival

$1,000 People's Choice Prize Goes to 'Oceanfront Property' at Fort Myers Beach Film Festival

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla., May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- A film title befitting the destination won top prize at the Fifth Annual Fort Myers Beach Film Festival this weekend. Theater audiences chose "Oceanfront Property" as the award- winning film to receive a $1,000 check from festival sponsor SunTrust Bank.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050505/FLTH031 )

Ballots were collected and counted at the end of each film screened at The Beach Theater since Thursday to decide Best Documentary and Best Short Film, as well as the SunTrust People's Choice award. Additionally, the festival staff chose their favorite film for the Director's Choice Award.

Best Documentary went to "Missing, Presumed Dead," a world premiere at the Fort Myers Beach Film Festival, submitted by filmmaker Bill Dumas. The heart- wrenching documentary about POWs from the Korean War will screen again at 9 p.m. today at The Beach Theater, 6425 Estero Blvd. on Fort Myers Beach. Best Short starred 8-year-old local actress Erin Smith in "The Circus is in Town: Stories From Nana K." Ms. Smith was also recognized as the festival's "Rising Star."

The Director's Choice Award went to "Geraldine's Fortune," a comedy about a television game show contestant played by Jane Curtin.

Festival dates for next year are April 27-30, 2006. The four-day festival provides film buffs the opportunity to see quality independent films and to participate in events designed to cultivate the spirit of creativity and promote the talents of upcoming filmmakers. The schedule includes free film screenings on the beach, filmmaker panel discussions, student filmmaking workshops, parties, and an awards ceremony, in addition to continuous independent film screenings at The Beach Theater on Fort Myers Beach.

For more information, contact the Fort Myers Beach Film Festival, Town of Fort Myers Beach, 2523 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931. Call (239) 765-0919, ext. 131, or visit the website at http://www.fmbfilmfest.org/ .

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050505/FLTH031 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: Fort Myers Beach Film Festival

CONTACT: Cynthia M. Dobyns, AboveWater Public Relations and Marketing, LLC, +1-239-596-9149, for Fort Myers Beach Film Festival

Web site: http://www.fmbfilmfest.org/

EDITORS' ADVISORY: Additional photography from the festival is available for download.

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