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CONTACT: Patrick Revere, Executive Director Saugatuck-Douglas Convention and Visitors Bureau
                    reverewriter@gmail.com or 616.308.7573
                    www.waterfrontfilm.org
                    tel 269.857.8351
                    fax 269.857.1072
                    PO Box 387
                    Saugatuck, Michigan 49453-0387

Waterfront Film Festival Receives Art Grants

Saugatuck, Michigan, May 12, 2010 – The Waterfront Film Festival has received a pair of grants that total $17,500 in funding. The revenue will be used to help organize and present the annual festival, which celebrates its 12th year June 10-13 in downtown Saugatuck.

A $7,500 grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs is provided to “encourage, develop and facilitate an enriched environment of artistic, creative and cultural activity in Michigan.” A $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts seeks to support excellence in the arts, make the arts available to all Americans and bolster leadership within art education.

Independent filmmakers and thousands of people who appreciate fine filmmaking will convene in one of Lake Michigan’s most scenic resort communities to view more than 70 independent films and shorts at four unique venues around town, as well as participate in interactive seminars.

“The Waterfront Film Festival is a prime outlet for artistic expression,” festival co-founder Kori Eldean Rentz said. “Energized, thoughtful audiences and Saugatuck’s lakeside setting help create four days that perfectly frame the important social impact made by well-produced and expertly-presented independent film.

“Without benefactors like the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the NEA, programming of this caliber would be nearly impossible to organize,” Eldean Rentz said.

About Waterfront Film Festival

Now in its twelfth year, the Waterfront Film Festival celebrates independent film and filmmakers in a non-competitive environment. Located in Saugatuck, Mich., WFF is one of the leading destination film festivals in the Midwest, regularly hosting Midwest premieres of Academy Award-winning and -nominated documentaries. It has been recognized as one of the top five film festivals in the world.

WFF is committed to education and also features seminars designed to encourage the next generation of actors, writers and directors. For more information on the 2010 festival, which will be held June 10-13, visit www.waterfrontfilm.org

For additional information visit www.saugatuck.com or by calling the Saugatuck-Douglas Convention and Visitors Bureau (269) 857-1701.

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