Nassau, Bahamas
- The 2009
Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) is pleased to announce that the esteemed Director of Photographer
Gavin Mckinney will be honored with the first Bahamian Tribute Award at this year’s Festival, taking place
December 10 -17 in Nassau. The announcement was made by BIFF Founder and Executive Director Leslie Vanderpool.
Mr. McKinney will be on hand for the Tribute and presentation on
Tuesday, December 15th
at 7pm.
Commented Vanderpool, ‘ We are so honored to recognize one of our very
own Bahamian industry professionals who is making a name for himself
all around the Globe within the film world.’
Gavin
McKinney has been involved in underwater film making since 1973 when he
worked as a diver on the feature film DAY OF THE DOLPHIN and has spent
over 20,000 hours underwater making films.
He
has worked on over fifty feature films and television shows, including
5 James Bond films. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, FOR YOUR EYES ONLY,
MOONRAKER, NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN, and THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, and in
addition to working behind the scenes with logistics and planning he
was the Bond underwater double in FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, and THE WORLD IS
NOT ENOUGH.
Gavin,
thinks he is the only person in the history of the film industry to
have been run over by a car underwater in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. He
spent four months working on THE ABYSS in 1988. Since 2001 he has also
co-produced and filmed three highly successful three dimensional
underwater films for the Imax theatres. OCEAN WONDERLAND 3D, SHARKS 3D
and DOLPHINS AND WHALES 3D. These films have been seen by over eleven
million people worldwide to date.
He
offers over thirty five years experience filming underwater and has
provided full production services for underwater shoots, including
personnel, logistics, locations and marine services, though now his
energies are directed towards conservation and education about the
oceans of the world.
Gavin’s
current project is OCEAN WORLD 3D. A Full length 3D documentary due for
release summer 09, which premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival in
May, is a fictitious story of a turtle’s voyage around the world.
Entering its sixth year, the Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) has established
itself
as a marquee international Festival in the Caribbean region,
discovering and promoting independent voices and talent from around the
world and showcasing a diverse array of international films.
About the Bahamas International Film Festival:
The
Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) is a nonprofit organization
committed to providing the local community and International festival
goers with a diverse presentation of films from The Bahamas and around
the world. In addition to showcasing films that might not otherwise be
released theatrically, BIFF provides unique cultural experiences,
educational programs, and forums for exploring the past, present &
future of cinema. BIFF aims to raise the level of filmmaking,
participation and education throughout The Bahamas and the world.
For more information visit
http://www.bintlfilmfest.com/.
