FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30th, 2006
contact: Caroline Cumming, Executive Director
206.682.6552, ext. 11
caroline@911media.org

SEATTLE, WA: After spending three years in Iraq and shooting over 300 hours of footage James Longley has spent the past nine months working diligently on his documentary at 911 Media Arts Center. His work has paid off – Saturday night in Park City “Iraq in Fragments” picked up three awards. The documentary which explores the lives of ordinary Iraqis in a country pulled in different directions by religion and ethnicity won for Best Directing, Best Cinematographer and Best Editing at The Sundance Film Festival.

“We are truly honored by the reception the film has received at Sundance and hope that this film will inspire young Seattle filmmakers to take the plunge and make relevant documentaries" said John Sinno. The film, co-produced by Longley and Sinno was edited at 911 Media Arts Center by Longley, Billy McMillan and Fiona Otway.

Longley’s win at Sundance follows on the success of 911 Media Arts Center member Ward Serrill. Serrill’s documentary “The Heart of the Game” about a Seattle high school girls' basketball team, was picked up by Miramax at the Toronto International Film Festival this past September. “The Heart of The Game” is expected to be released in theaters in early summer.

“There definitely has been a huge increase in interest in documentary film” adds Caroline Cumming, Executive Director at 911 Media Arts Center. The Center has been offering classes in new media for the past twenty years including “New Voices”, a documentary master class organized jointly by 911 Media Arts Center and KCTS / Channel 9.

“Our workshops and seminars on documentary filmmaking are full and this energy at the Center has been the impetus for the formation of the Northwest Documentary Association”. The NDA is a new group formed to inspire and connect regional documentary filmmakers and all others who love the documentary format which meets regularly at 911. “We expect to see many more award winning documentaries being produced in Seattle in the near future” she adds.

For more information on “Iraq in Fragments” contact John Sinno john@typecastfilms.com. Attend the premiere of James Longley’s film “Iraq in Fragments” www.iraqinfragments.com at the opening night of the Seattle Arab and Iranian Film Festival March 31st-April 6th, 2006.

911 Media Arts Center is Washington State’s largest non-profit organization supporting emerging and established artists using digital media as an art form. 911 offers: affordable access to equipment, workshops in all aspects of media production, screenings of independent films and videos, youth programs in media literacy and production, and artistic programs in the exhibition of new media.

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Caroline Cumming
Executive Director
911 Media Arts Center
402 Ninth Ave N.
Seattle, WA 98109
T: 206 682 6552 x 11
E: caroline@911media.org

Visit the Iraq in Fragments website.