The First International Emerging Talent Film Festival kicked off in Monaco on Sunday, 13 May 2007, and ran through 15 May. Held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte-Carlo, the Festival presented 22 films from emerging filmmakers from 20 countries in its Official Competition. All features are by first time directors and none have distribution. Amongst the eleven features, there were three world premieres, three European premieres and two French premieres. Highlights of the Festival included its Global Film Program, Official Competition and the Global Film Expression Program.

In collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Festival was a "Green” event. Through the use of the Festival’s forums and programs, filmmakers, studio executives, distributors, government leaders, and audiences will be educated on ecologically sound life practices and on environmentally responsible film production techniques. Allen Hershkowitz, Senior Scientist for the NRDC was on hand to lead a conversation on “Safeguarding the Earth: What We Can Do.”

The Festival began on Sunday with films all day culminating with the Opening Night presentation of the European Premiere of Thom Fitzgerald’s three paneled look at the world’s AIDS crises, 3 NEEDLES, with Director Fitzgerald in town. Earlier in the day the IETFF presented the World Premiere of Douglas Horn’s comedy ENTRY LEVEL with stars Missi Pyle and Taylor Negron attending. There was a terrific panel, “Everything You Wanted To Know About Films But Were Afraid To Ask,” with panelists such as Debbie Zimmerman (Women Make Films), Effie Brown (Producer), Bird Runningwater (Sundance Programmer), Tracey Bing (Film Executive), Sydney Levine (Film Finders/Without A Box), Tricia Van Klaveren (Producer), and Kathleen McInnis (Educator and Palm Springs Festival programmer). The day capped off with a rollicking party overlooking the Harbor at the Fashion TV Bar.

An amazing and heart-wrenching experience opened the second day of the event. Invisible Children is a 55-minute film shot by three USC grads on a visit to Uganda. It has sparked a worldwide movement. The mission of Invisible Children is to improve the quality of life for war-affected children in Uganda. One of the trio of young filmmakers, Bobby Bailey, flew in from San Diego and spent an unbelievable time talking with hundreds of children & teachers from the International School of Monaco, as well as the many tear-streaked audience members, about the children of war-torn Uganda, their survival, the future, and how the children of the world can help each other. The rest of Monday found the Festival continuing smoothly with films, panels including all the IETFF Filmmakers in a roundtable discussion on “How I Made A Movie And Found Myself In Monte Carlo.” Later the entire group of Filmmakers were feted to a five-course meal on the beach, followed by a casual bash at the Black Diamond nightclub.

The Festival’s Closing Day dawned with a breakfast for the Dignitaries and Diplomats in town for the Global Film Expression program. Beginning the first year in Ethiopia, the Global Film Expression will provide both opportunity and education to those who lack the resources for cinematic expression. Focusing on impoverished and oppressed regions of the world, the IETFF (in collaboration with other partners and NGO’s) will dispatch filmmakers and educators to conduct hands-on outreach. At each annual IETFF in May, films produced as a result of the Global Film Expression will be screened and then made available to audiences worldwide. Among the attendees were the Ambassador of Ethiopia, Tadelech Haile-Mikael; Metaferia Befekadu, Ethiopian economic counselor; Afolabi Adesanya, Director of the Nigerian Film Commission; Slobodan Despotovski, Vice-Minister of Culture of Macedonia; Boris Josifoski, Secretary General of Macedonia and Dejan Iliev, Director of Macedonian Film Association.

Films were running all day long, with panels on “Financing Films in the Global Marketplace” and, in addition to the advance screening of SAND AND SORROW, a panel on “Crisis in Darfur Cinema Responds”. Panelists included director Paul Freedman, best-selling author John Prendergast (who co-penned “Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond” with actor Don Cheadle), and Ragnhild Ek of the UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR).

Following the presentation of the WING AWARDS, a unique international campaign was launched to raise funds for Darfur. The 'Blood on Our Hands' art campaign will work with ten of the world's leading artists over the coming months, to collect handprints – imprinted on the artists’ paintings from those who are now taking action to end this terrible tragedy: artists, politicians, actors, royals, human rights activists. The 'Blood on Our Hands' art pieces will show in an exhibition later in 2007 and then be auctioned. The aim is to raise over $1.5 million through the campaign. Hidetoshi Nakata, Emeka Okafor, Paul Freedman, and John Prendergast all came onstage to place their red-paint hand prints onto a painting that is being created by leading British contemporary artist Sacha Jafri of a haunting image of an empty expanse of nothing but the burned out huts of the hundreds of thousands of villagers who have either been ousted from their homes or murdered. The campaign now moves to Cannes where it continues with the celebrities and dignitaries attending that other Cote D’Azur festival.

Following the Awards and the “Blood on Our Hands” event, the Closing Night audience was treated to, and incredibly moved by, the special screening of SAND AND SORROW. Then everyone filed up to the rooftop garden restaurant, Karément, at the Grimaldi Forum for a festive and fun Closing Night Gala.