Jacksonville, Fla.-(October 20, 2008)- The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville is announcing their partnership with the Jacksonville Film Festival to give Northeast Florida residents the opportunity to see award-winning independent and foreign films from national film festivals. The film series will begin on October 23, 2008 and will run every Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. through December 4th at the Museum of Contemporary Art located at 333 N Laura Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202.

Without the Jacksonville Film Festival’s partnering with MOCA, these films would not otherwise be viewed by Jacksonville residents. The films are selected on the basis of outstanding artistic merit and multi-cultural perspective. Click here for the MOCA Film Series Schedule

The Jacksonville Film Festival is extremely excited about this partnership with MOCA. “It gives both of our organizations the opportunity to offer new and innovative films beyond the festival, and an alternative to what is being offered at the Cineplex’s. We are looking forward to continued opportunities to collaborate to have a more regular presence in the community for this kind of vibrant programming,” said Jesse Rodriguez, Executive Director/Program Director of the Jacksonville Film Festival.

This fall’s film series will also include special guest visits from Directors Andrew Silver and John Putch. Silver will appear at the October 30th viewing of Radio Cape Cod and Putch will appear at the November 6th viewing of Mojave Phone Booth.

Silver directed Radio Cape Cod, completed in 2008, and is a producer and director with extensive experience in nurturing performance and creativity. His education includes Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from MIT and a Doctorate from Harvard Business School. Radio Cape Cod is an energized, award-winning love story set on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Putch, Director of Mojave Phone Booth, is an accomplished actor and director. Putch began his professional career as an actor at the age of five in a summer theatre run by his father. He has had a respectable television and film career since then and now directs. He has most recently been directing for the hit ABC television show UGLY BETTY. Mojave Phone Booth is a film about an abandoned phone booth that sits in the middle of the Mojave Desert. It is riddled with bullet holes, graffiti and its windows are broken but otherwise works. Its identity was born on the Internet, and for years travelers would make the trek down a lonely dirt road and camp next to the booth, in the hopes it might suddenly ring, and they could connect with a stranger on the other end of the line.

Film, much like photography, has grown into a vital contemporary art form in its own right, reflecting the art of our times, and provoking thoughtful discussion on many issues and subjects in our society. “By merging the expertise of the Jacksonville Film Festival and MOCA in identifying artful films, we are able to bring to Jacksonville the best films not playing in your local theater,” said MOCA Director Debbie Broder.

Check out the full schedule of films taking place every Thursday through December 4th, beginning this Thursday October 23rd at www.mocaJacksonville.org .

The Opening Night Film, THE END, was The Jacksonville Film Festival’s Urban Flat’s Documentary Audience Choice winner. It is a MUST SEE!

Directed by Nicola Collins, it has been winning awards all over the world and has just recently been released theatrically in England. The End is a never-before-told story of a group of men with a common bond. All born into poverty in the east end of London, striving for a better life and all that is found is a life in crime. Unashamed and unapologetic these men live their lives defined by a code of honor. The End, filmed in a cutting-edge style, reveals a bloody history and the confessions of the cockney gangster.

Other films playing during this series include: North Starr directed by Matthew Stanton, Remarkable Power directed by Brandon Beckner, Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy directed by Chip Richie and Cracker: The Last Cowboys of Florida directed by Victor Milt.

Café Nola will be open and accepting dinner reservations before each movie, while the MOCA Galleries will remain open until 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $6 for members and $8 for non-members. For more information on Films at MOCA, contact J. Marshall Adams at jmadams@mocajacksonville.org or (904) 366-6911 x204.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville is one of the Southeast?s largest contemporary art institutions, dedicated to presenting innovative exhibitions by the finest international, national and regional artists. For more information about MOCA including programs and hours, please visit on-line at http://www.mocajacksonville.org .