The 11th Annual MadCat Film Festival seeks provocative and visionary films and videos directed or co-directed by women. Films can be of any length or genre and produced ANY year. MadCat is committed to showcasing work that challenges the use of sound and image and explores notions of visual storytelling. All subjects/topics will be considered. Early deadline is March 23, 2007, and the final deadline is May 21, 2007. For an entry form and more details go to www.madcatfilmfestival.org or call (415) 436-9523.

The 13th annual Rendez-Vous organized by TV France International will be held in Biarritz for the first time this year. The new venue for the Rendez-Vous, Le Bellevue Conference Center, will enable TV France International to double space for the exhibitors. Moreover, by choosing Biarritz, TV France International can continue to provide the same high-standards and friendly and warm atmosphere, in addition to keeping-up with marketplace growth. The number of participants increases continuously; more than 200 buyers and 54 French distributors and producers attended the event in 2006.

As in previous years, the marketplace will have two sections:

1) A digital library equipped with over 120 screening stations (program digitalization has tripled the number of programs screened by buyers -- more than 9,000 in 2006) so that buyers can view the best and latest French productions (more than two-thirds of the programs will be presented on the international market for the first time)

2) An area especially set aside and designed and for private meetings between buyers and French distributors and producers.

For additional information, visit www.tvfrance-intl.com.

The 4th Annual Atlanta Underground Film Festival (AUFF) will showcase every genre of independent film from across the world during this celebration of the independent artist. AUFF is a forum where artists can thrive outside the mainstream arena. Creative artists who continuously break the boundaries of film, video, art and music are promoted through AUFF, so that they too may have a voice in a market that is typically saturated with commercial entertainment designed to satisfy the audience's expectations. Much more than the traditional stuffy film festival, AUFF will showcase short and feature films, art, live music and plenty of late-night parties. Special events during AUFF include the Animation Attack! with two nights of animated shorts, demonstrations & discussions. For more information, visit www.auff.org/.

The IndyFilm Co-Op and CENEMA present the B Movie Celebration. This showcase of low budget genre filmmaking will screen retrospectives from the 1930s and 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Contemporary, Jim Wynorski and Lloyd Kaufman. Films include THE BLOB, FORBIDDEN PLANET, BARBARELLA, KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE, PUPPET MASTER, RE-ANIMATOR, ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES and more. For more information, visit www.bmoviecelebration.com.

MediaBridge Youth Fest is a two-day film festival curated by 14 youth ambassadors from China, Palestine, the U.K., Serbia, Slovenia, India, Mexico and Puerto Rico and 11 Illinois teens. The international short films and feature were selected by MediaBridge participants from a pool of nearly 200 films through a process of dynamic small-group debates.

Four screenings will be held over two days: Saturday, Aug. 11, at Facets Multi-Media (1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago) at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm and Sunday, Aug. 12, at the Harold Washington Cultural Center (4701 S. King Drive, Chicago) at 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. Tickets, $8 per screening for adults, $6 for students. A festival pass can be purchased for $18.

The Illinois Arts Council is the leadership sponsor of the MediaBridge program, which is supported by the NEA, the Crystal Fund, Facets Multi-Media, Inc., and Columbia College. MediaBridge is produced in collaboration with the Harold Washington Cultural Center.

For more information, visit http://www.facets.org/cicff/mediabridge.htm.

The Family Friendly Film Festival is back and bigger than ever! After its phenomenally successful launch last year, the Family Friendly Film Festival will return for ten jam-packed days of screenings, workshops and events to entertain all the family A fantastic selection of short and feature length films from across the globe will be screened at family friendly venues across Greater Manchester, including The Manchester Museum, The Zion Arts Centre, The Imperial War Museum North, The Opera House, The Science and Industry Museum, Stockport Plaza and the Odeon. Interested in making films? The Workers Film Association, FourDocs and the-phonebook-ltd will all be running a range of workshops during the festival for those you who want to try your hand at making your own movies. Learn about animation and film-making at the Imperial War Museum, find out about science fiction and special effects at the Manchester Science and Industry Museum, or discover how to make films using only your mobile phone at the Zion Arts Centre. All of the events and activities will be low cost, or even completely free, so there's no reason not to come to this year?s Family Friendly Film Festival and get involved in the exciting world of film with your whole family!

Comic-Con International is the largest gathering of comic book, science fiction, film and television fans in the nation. Featuring celebrity guests, seminars on breaking into filmmaking and near 24-hour film retrospectives. Comic-Con is the place for fans of all things pop culture. For more information, visit www.comic-con.org.

The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) is launching the LATV Festival to run concurrently with the highly successful NATPE TV Producers' Boot Camp, now in its fifth year. The events will run from July 25 through 27 at various locations in Los Angeles including the House of Blues in West Hollywood and The Highlands Hollywood at the Hollywood and Highland complex. Supporting sponsors include the Producers Guild of America, the House of Blues, TV Guide, NETTV and paidContent.org. The LATV Festival is being crafted as an extension of the annual TV Producers' Boot Camp. The event will result in a citywide, video content festival showcasing the work of Los Angeles' outstanding multi-platform TV producers and production community. The LATV Festival will open on Wednesday, July 25 with the first of three "Deconstructing a Hit" breakfast series featuring the producers of three top series produced in association with the Producers Guild of America. Each evening the festival will offer special evening screenings along with chat sessions featuring cast and crew. Also on Wednesday, LATV Festival Digital Day will showcase the latest portals, channels, platforms and Internet celebrities. NATPE's TV Producers' Boot Camp will be held Thursday and Friday and will offer attendees direct access to a variety of panels, keynote speakers and hands-on clinics providing in-depth information on the development and production process, culminating with The Pitch Pit, an opportunity for face-to-face pitch meetings with development executives from leading broadcast and cable networks, talent agencies, digital and mobile channels, and production and distribution companies. Registration information and additional details are available at www.natpe.org.

The Brainwash Movie Festival is showing short and feature movies for the first time. Brainwash will show a variety of genres. The original Drive-In, Bike-In, Walk-In movie festival, Brainwash will be showing some of the best of more than 500 movies in the Brainwash catalog from shows over the past 12 years. Many of the Brainwash selections chosen for their daring and uncompromising style will never be seen on television or other more restrictive venues. It will take place at the Alliance for West Oakland Development Parking Lot, 1357 5th St. at Mandela Parkway, Oakland, California.

Early entry deadline is April 15, "on time" entry deadline is May 1 and late entry deadline is May 10. For further information, visit BrainwashM.com.

Faced with an unprecedented flood of exhibitor applications for the 160 exhibitor tables filling the three ground floor ballrooms of New York's historic Puck Building (295 Lafayette Street at Houston), MoCCA Art Festival 2007 organizers have decided to add space upstairs for more exhibitors. The MoCCA Art Festival, held each June since 2002, offers a unique venue to see and purchase comics, mini-comics, web comics, graphic novels, animation, posters, prints, original artwork, and much more. Thousands of people who love cartoons and comics -- from hardcore collectors and enthusiasts to the merely curious -- come to the festival each summer to meet, talk to, and purchase works from some of today's best cartoon and comics artists, writers, editors, and publishers. Each year, the festival also invites dozens of well-respected creators, scholars and other experts to participate in a two-day slate of lecture/discussion panels on a wide range of comics and cartoon topics. With additional space now available, those who wish to exhibit at the 2007 MoCCA Art Festival can download Exhibitor Applications & Guidelines from the museum's website (www.moccany.org). The festival will be open to the public from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm both days. Admission starts at $8/day or $10/weekend but is only $5/weekend for MoCCA members.