HOLLYWOOD star Jeff Bridges has sent a message to the organisers of the second Sunderland Film Festival.
The actor's latest movie, The Door In The Floor, is the closing film of the festival.
He sent a greeting saying "Congrats on the Sunderland Film Festival" in time for the festival launch, at the CineWorld multiplex in the city centre.
Twenty feature films are being screened between Friday and January 28.
The first, smaller festival showed films on DVD and video at the Customs House, South Shields, because Sunderland had no cinema.
But the new complex in Lambton Street has given the festival a higher profile.
Programmer Neil Young said: "It's something new for Sunderland to have a cinema for the first time in five years and a film festival is new too. We wanted to show as wide a range of films as possible."
Premieres include Shall We Dance, starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez, and children's film Spongebob Square Pants.
As well as the main festival, a showcase of digital film-making is taking place.
For festival tickets and further information, visit CineWorld or call 0871 220 8000.
Published: 20/01/2005
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