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CORVALLIS, ORE., April 23, 2008 — Neither snow, nor rain, nor hail, nor gloom of unseasonably chilly nights could spoil the spring debut of the da Vinci Film Festival.

Previously held in conjunction with da Vinci Days in July, the 9th annual film fest drew more than 400 cold and soggy filmgoers to LaSells Stewart Center on the Oregon State University campus and to the Darkside Cinema in downtown Corvallis.

"While there were fewer attendees than we planned for, those who braved the harsh spring weather had a great time," said da Vinci Days Executive Director Brenda VanDevelder. "From a financial perspective, this was a good first year as an independent event, and it laid the foundation for next year's festival."

The hardy crowd was rewarded with a diverse lineup of short and feature-length films in a variety of genres. Lizz-Ayn Shaarawi, da Vinci Film Festival's programming director, said several documentary films received particular praise from attendees, including Gary Mortensen's "This is War: Memories from Iraq," Khashyar Darvich's "Dalai Lama Renaissance," and Jeremy Monroe's "RiverWebs." Other highlights included "Certain Green," a drama based on an essay by OSU professor Marjorie Sandor, and the animation films "A Jazz Sketchbook" and "The Popcorn of Doom."

"Attendees commented that the films were entertaining, well-executed, and amazingly diverse," Shaarawi said.

British filmmaker Alex Cox opened the festival Friday evening with a keynote speech that provided an insider's view of independent film. Cox spoke about the filmmaking industry and the rapid changes that have resulted from technological advances and the new ways that audiences are connecting to film.

This year's festival also featured filmmaker workshops, a "Meet the Filmmaker" panel presentation, and the Fast Film Project that challenges teams or individuals to write, shoot, and edit a short film in 48 hours. This year's only Fast Film Project entry was "Invisible Citizens," a documentary about Corvallis' homeless community from the perspective of a 10-year-old.

The festival attracted several filmmakers from outside the region, including young Drew Morton Goldsmith. Drew, who is autistic, flew from Wisconsin to attend his first film festival and to participate in the panel presentation. His film "Treasure Diversity" made an appeal for tolerance and understanding of autism.

After hearing lots of good reviews from this year's attendees, VanDevelder is already looking forward to next year's event, which will take place in April 2009.

"The commitment of our volunteers is beyond belief, and we have tremendous momentum heading into next year's film festival," VanDevelder said. "We heard from many attendees that the move from the summer da Vinci Days was a welcome change, and we're confident that the event will continue to evolve into something really special for Corvallis. My hope is that everyone interested in supporting the concept of a growing film festival event for Corvallis will get in on the planning now and share their talents and resources to make this another signature Corvallis event."

Those who would like to know more about volunteer opportunities can contact da Vinci Days at 757-6363.

About da Vinci Days
da Vinci Days is the country's longest-running festival of its kind. Operating as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization and with help from more than 150 community partners and 1,000 volunteers, da Vinci Days showcases innovative artists, engineers, teachers, community organizations, and individuals. The 20th annual summer festival takes place July 18-20, 2008.

On the Web: www.davinci-days.org