Arts & Culture

Aruba, the island of 90,000 friends you haven’t met yet, is rolling out the red carpet for the first ever Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF), taking place June 4-11, 2010. Marked by the presence of legendary actor Richard Gere, who will be hosting the festival and is receiving a special humanitarian award, the festival promises a week of unprecedented excitement. In celebration of the upcoming festival, Aruba’s hotels and resorts are offering special packages to attract visitors from all corners of the world to participate in the full week of events and themed movie nights, including Bollywood and Latin nights.

“Aruba is pleased to host the first International Film Festival and further contribute to international recognition for the island, while welcoming celebrities and film aficionados from all over the world,” said Geraldine Coutinho, area director North America. “In an effort to make travel to Aruba during the festival as easy and accessible as possible, we encourage travellers to enjoy the packages our hotel and resort partners have put together in honour of this event.”

Information on special travel packages to Aruba that coincide with the first International Aruba Film Festival follows below:

• The A-List Package at Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino.  This package offers the seventh night free, access for two to Red Carpet Movie Night Opening Event featuring Richard Gere (June 4th), two VIP tickets to the official Aruba International Film Festival “Bollywood” Gala Event at the Aruba Marriott (June 10th), exclusive access to the resort’s private lounge and secluded beach area, five complimentary gourmet servings daily, open bar nightly from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. In addition, deluxe amenities such as a pillow menu, free internet and pressing services are offered during this stay. Package rates start from $580 per night and require a minimum seven-night stay in the Tradewinds Club at the resort. The offer is available for booking now through June 3, for travel June 3-14, 2010. For more information, call +1 (800) 223-6388 or visit www.arubamarriott.com, and use promotional code FVJ.

• Hyatt Regency Aruba offers a special Red Carpet Package for all movie aficionados, which will be available throughout the duration of the festival. The package components include one free night with a complimentary upgrade, a celebrity welcome basket upon arrival, the possibility to attend the Aruba International Film Festival Island Chic Red Carpet Event at Hyatt Regency Aruba with tickets for two, as well as the “Richard Gere Dive in Movie” or a dinner Al Fresco at Footprints. The package also includes free daily breakfast for two, massage for two, and a complimentary Palapa (Hut) for the ultimate relaxation. The Red Carpet Package starts at $1,799 for four nights and is available from June 4th to June 11th, 2010.  Rooms are subject to availability and blackout dates may apply. Please visit www.aruba.hyatt.com for more information or call + (011) 297 586 1234.

• Summer Fun and Film at Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa. The AAA Four Diamond property located on 14 acres of Aruba’s famed Palm Beach is encouraging travellers to plan ahead for summer to receive significant savings. The resort’s Super Summer Sale features savings of up to 35 percent throughout the summer season beginning at $179 per room, per night. Additionally, the Super Summer Sale includes a $25 credit to the resort’s oceanfront Larimar Spa, $75 beverage credit on stays of five nights and USD 100 beverage credit on stays of six nights or more. Children five years of age and younger eat breakfast and dinner free. Rates are available throughout the summer, including during the upcoming film festival and must be booked by July 31, 2010. To take advantage of the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa’s Super Summer Sale, please call Radisson Hotels toll-free at +1 (800) 333-3333 or visit www.radisson.com/aruba, and use promotional code SSS1.

• Take advantage of The Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino’s Summer Discount, which offers up to 25 percent off leisure rates during the film festival.  Renaissance provides separate adult exclusive and family-friendly resorts within the same property and boasts Renaissance Island, the only private island in Aruba. For information and reservations, visit www.renaissancearuba.com or call +1(800) 421-8188.

• “Green Vacation Package” at Bucuti Beach Resort.  With this package, travellers can “Experience Aruba” with a low season rate of $1,531 per couple for five-nights (additional nights are $287). Blending in with the green initiatives that the film festival organizers and participants are undertaking, Bucuti’s package adds on to this green experience with a garden view room for five nights, guided hike in Aruba’s Arikok National Park, a tour of the Aruba Aloe Factory, an authentic Aruban dinner for two at the oceanfront Pirates’ Nest Restaurant, full American breakfast buffet daily. All taxes and service charges are included. The package is valid April 6 through December 22, 2010. To reserve, please visit www.bucuti.com, call +1 (888) 4-BUCUTI or email info@bucuti.com.

For additional information on the film festival, please visit the Aruba International Film Festival website at www.arubafilmfest.com.

Hadirurari and the Aruba Marine Mammal Foundation (AMMF) cordially invite all interested fishermen, boat owners, sea and nature lovers, to an informative evening on Saturday, April 24 at 7pm at Hadicurari. The scientific research by George Mason University on dolphins and whales in Aruban waters will be introduced. AMMF will discuss their work over the last 12 years, followed by a showing of “The Cove”, an award-winning documentary dealing with protection of wild dolphins.

Paalzitten – May 13th to 16th
Pole Sitting – A Famous Yearly Event
Renaissance Marketplace
L. G. Smith Blvd. 9, Aruba
Live music every day
Take a picture with a donkey

Coming to the Island of Aruba, July 16th, 2010

Art Rules Aruba is an educational Arts Program for the Youth of Aruba that offers a 2-week intensive “summer” program in 7 disciplines of the Arts presenting, Dance, Theatre, Poetry & Rap, Djing & Music Production, Photography & Design, Fashion and a bonus workshop in film.

Presented by an international team of artists, directors, producers, dj’s dancers and actors, Aruba’s teens will get the opportunity to experience an international exchange of Arts with teachers coming from London, Amsterdam, New York, Washington, Rotterdam, Québec and of course homegrown Aruba!!

An official launch will take place on the 16th of July with classes starting on July 19th 2010, in both San Nicolaas and Oranjestad. Presented to about 250 kids within the age group of 14-21, Art Rules Aruba also offers opportunities for anyone outside this age group to attend master classes in the evening and special events during the week and on the weekends on several location on the Island, for the duration of the program.

At the end of the 2 weeks Art Rules Aruba will present a final theatrical production and closing event, open to the public on August 1st 2010. This will include all students, presenting what they have learned.

For more information on the program, special events or how to apply, visit www.artrulesaruba.com.

For any questions you can also send an email to info@pancakegallery.com and follow the Pancake Gallery and its movements on their blog www.thepancakegallery.blogspot.com or on facebook.

In November, local artist Grace Rahusen held an exhibition of her work at the Frame Shop, on Italianstraat. The gallery displayed her colorful work for a full month, and many of the canvases went to local and international collectors of contemporary art. At the opening party, the artist generously promised to donate a percentage of sales to Stichting Kinderhuis Imeldahof, Aruba, a foster home organization for children of troubled families. Recently, Dynia Abath-Muller, the director of the home accepted a check from the artist.

“I will definitely give a donation like this again,” says Grace,” when I have my next exhibition here, the recipient of the funds will perhaps be another children’s charity.” And Grace reveals that one of her collectors, even added another 10% to the price of the painting, earmarking even more money to charity. The exhibition title Treasure – A Fusion of Art, both Historical and Contemporary, was Grace’s 4th solo show. The collection was surprisingly different from her previous work, and showed an evolutionary process of colourful and vibrant abstract pieces, building on her past achievements such as in Seascapes and Horizons & Landscapes.

The artist incorporated some ancient Indians symbols in her work carefully layering them with contemporary designs and beautiful colour combinations, drawing attention to the human ability to create art despite the ongoing digital migration. Grace’s spontaneity as expressed in colour is fuelled by her own heart. The richness of vibrant colours and her feeling for harmonious shapes can be observed in each of her paintings, which allows them to achieve great artistic appeal.

By Rona Coster

The Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF) announced today that legendary, Academy Award® winning filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci (The Last Emperor, Last Tango in Paris, The Conformist, The Dreamers) will be bestowed with The Golden Aruba Award for outstanding achievement in film at the inaugural Film Festival, taking place June 4-11, 2010. The announcement was made by AIFF Artistic Director Claudio Masenza.

Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci is a global cinema icon. He first took up filmmaking at the age of fifteen when he made two short films, while at the same time gaining respect throughout Italy as a writer. His first book of poems, In Search of Mystery (In Cerca del Mistero), won the Premio Viareggio, one of the top literary awards in Italy. At the University of Rome, Bertolucci began his film career as an assistant director to Pier Paolo Pasolini. Following his work on Pasolini’s Accattone, Bertolucci left the University of Rome and embarked on an independent study of film.

Bertolucci’s first feature film, The Grim Reaper (La Commare Secca), was filmed on location in Rome in 1962. He was only 21 years old. Before the Revolution (Prima della Rivoluzione), his second feature film, won him broad recognition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1964. His next film, The Spider’s Strategem (La Strategia del Ragno), revealed his amazing abilities, however it was not until the release of The Conformist (Il Conformista) in 1970 that Bertolucci’s directorial brilliance became widespread globally and his screenplay received an Academy Award® nomination. The film deals with Fascist Italy under Mussolini and is both artistic and intellectual with a twisty, non-linear narrative that concludes on the evening of Mussolini’s ousting from office. Two years later Bertolucci directed Last Tango in Paris (Ultimo Tango a Parigi), (cut erotic) starring Marlon Brando. Critics found it riveting and honest in its depiction of contemporary relationships. It became one of the most talked-about films of the year and earned Bertolucci an Academy Award® nomination for Best Director. The film made him an international and commercial sensation and cemented his reputation as an international master.

Bertolucci followed the success of Last Tango in Paris with 1900 – a sweeping epic that spanned over 40 years of Italian history and starred Robert De Niro and Gerard Depardieu. Bertolucci scored a major hit by returning to the grand scale with The Last Emperor, the epic story of Pu Yi, the last emperor of China. The film was shot on location in the People’s Republic of China and immediately skyrocketed Bertolucci’s international reputation. The Last Emperor won the Academy Award® for Best Picture, as well as eight others, with Bertolucci taking home the Oscar® for Best Director.

Bertolucci went on to direct several more acclaimed films such as The Sheltering Sky, based on the novel by Paul Bowles, about the collision between western and non-western cultures. His 1994 feature Little Buddha starred Keanu Reeves as an ancient prince on a quest for meaning. Stealing Beauty (1996) was am intimate film about a 19-year-old American, played by Liv Tyler, who undergoes her rite of passage into adulthood at the Tuscany, Italy home of her dead mother’s friends. Bertolucci most recent film is The Dreamers with Eva Green, Michael Pitt and Louis Garrel, a sensual story set on the background of 1968 Paris.

About the Aruba International Film Festival

Taking place June 4-11, 2010, the breathtaking Caribbean island of Aruba provides the backdrop for the film industry’s newest “must-attend” event, with an inviting atmosphere, suited like none other, to attract actors, directors, filmmakers, and film lovers for a one-of-a-kind festival experience.
Additional details involving the official AIFF line-up and celebrity attendance at the Festival will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information please visit the Aruba International Film Festival website at www.aiff.aw.

Block Party Supporting Autism Awareness Month
Saturday, April 24th, 7 pm – 12 am
Bus Station Parking Lot O’Stad

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‘Think Green’ Initiatives Stay Top of Mind for Organizers

The first Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF), taking place on island June 4-11, is dedicated not only to promoting the understanding and appreciation for the art of cinema and filmmaking, but also to honouring the island’s natural beauties through pro-environmental practices to take place before and during the week-long events.

The festival’s organizers are aware that the film industry, historically, has been at the forefront in raising critical issues for society, including the current concerns about environmental threats from climate change and over-exploitation of resources. To this extent, the Aruba International Film Festival is launching two initiatives in an effort to keep Aruba “green” before, during and after the events.

“The Aruba International Film Festival will be a momentous event, and the island of Aruba is excited to welcome such an eclectic group of people to share the talent of international and local filmmakers,” said Otmar E. Oduber, Aruba’s Minister of Tourism, Labor and Transportation. I am pleased to see that AIFF embraces Aruba’s efforts to go green: we currently have seven hotels that received Green Globe Certification and a number of our beaches working towards receiving Blue Flag Certifications. We applaud the film festival’s excellent example.”

Founders and producers Giuseppe Cioccarelli and Jonathan Vieira have joined with the Arikok National Park Foundation to contribute to maintaining a “Green” Aruba, helping with several projects in the Park:

• AIFF will allocate space for Arikok to set up a booth at the festival where they can inform the public about the initiatives the Park is taking in reforesting and sustaining the plants in the Park, and providing a habitat for Aruba’s natural wildlife. Park Rangers will also be able to enlist volunteers and to organize hiking tours from their booth at AIFF.
• AIFF will sponsor a special Earth Day activity at the Park on April 22nd in which local schoolchildren will be invited to learn about ways to reduce their carbon footprint through conservation and the use of eco-friendly technology. The lesson will culminate in the reforestation of the Hofi Shon Shoco (Mr. Owl’s Garden) area of the park, near the Visitor’s Center. These trees, in turn, will revive the habitat for birds such as the Aruban Parakeet.
• AIFF will pursue the idea of reforesting the Plantation Prins area of the Park with coconut seedlings collected during the cleanup of Daimari Plantation offered by TIARA Air. Additional benefits include the cleaning of the coconut plantation at the Plantation Prins location and instruction on planting a sustainable garden in the Aruba climate.
• AIFF will offer support for the Park Foundation efforts to construct a greenhouse in which to grow trees for Park reforestation. They will do this by encouraging corporate responsibility among the corporate sponsors and vendors at the Festival.

As the host of the Aruba International Film Festival, the organizing team is taking on an extra responsibility by ensuring that its impact on the environment stays minimal. AIFF met with the merchants at Paseo Herencia Mall and established a series of initiatives that will keep Aruba green throughout the festival:

• Recycling bins will be placed around the compound, collected daily and contents recycled.
• Guests will be given tips for Going Green at the Festival.
• Maps for walking to the Festival will be provided.
• Reusable water bottles will be available, to be filled with pure Aruba drinking water.
• Restaurants at Paseo Herencia will be provided with AIFF-branded cups, napkins and other paper products made entirely of recycled and recyclable paper.

For additional information please visit the Aruba International Film Festival website at www.arubafilmfest.com.
For more information about vacations in Aruba, please visit online at www.ARUBA.com or call 1-800-TO-ARUBA.