Courtesy of Rosalie Klein / Morning News
Awards for the Caribbean Spotlight Series hotly contested by six entries in the CSS series and seven in the Aruba Flavor category were handed out on the third night of the Aruba International Film Festival. In a stylish award ceremony, the winners were honored in what was the culmination of an entire weekend of screenings which attracted large audiences for the various entries.
Participating artists and filmmakers from the Caribbean spotlight series, Aruba Flavor, and also inaugural AIFF Art Contest were among the special guests, mixing and mingling with celebrity stars on island for the festival. Ray Liotta, whose classic star vehicle “Goodfellas” shared the Sunday night Red Carpet with the hilarious comedy from Australia “A Few Best Men,” was on hand, as was the handsome young star Xavier Samuel of the film from the land down under, who had traveled all that way from his homeland to attend the AIFF for the premiere. They shared a table with AIFF Creative Director Claudio Masenza and the star of the opening night red carpet offering, Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, appearing the “The Magic of Belle Isle” co-starring Morgan Freeman.
Actor Richard Kind, well known for his role on the long running series “Spin City” and his starring turn in “A Serious Man,” had just arrived. He will be sharing his film expertise with the enthusiastic young film students of the AIFF “96 Hours” program.
This stunning evening of island glitterati mixing with internationally known celebrities and media was a delightful and fitting end to the most successful Caribbean Spotlight Series and Aruba Flavor competitions, with a greater number of entries of superb and provocative films produced on Aruba and in the region, focusing on Caribbean culture and social issues.
