Three local films will make their world premieres at the ninth Bermuda International Film Festival, March 17-25.

Feature-length documentary, ?Rare Bird?, by director Lucinda Spurling, short documentary, ?Three Extraordinary Weeks?, by directors Johnathan Rogers and Wendy Davis Johnson and the short film, ?Take a Bath?, by director Vicky Zabriskie, will all screen during the nine-day festival.

?Rare Bird? is the true story of the Cahow, a seabird species native to Bermuda that was believed to be extinct as of 1620 only to be rediscovered 325 years later. The bird?s existence has been threatened by man-made development, invasive species, the pesticide DDT, global warming ? and, in 2003, by the category four Hurricane Fabian. The 81-minute film is also the story of David Wingate, the 15-year-old boy who helped to find the bird. He went on to become Bermuda?s first conservation officer, and dedicated his life to ensuring the continuation of this unique species.

?Rare Bird? will screen in the festival?s competition documentary category, which is reserved for first- and second-time feature directors. As such, it is eligible for the festival?s jury prize for best documentary feature.

The film is Ms Spurling?s third in the festival. She wrote and edited the short film, ?The Light that Followed?, which screened at BIFF 2002. The documentary film ?St. David?s, An Island Near Bermuda?, which was directed by Ms. Spurling, screened at BIFF 2004.

?Three Extraordinary Weeks? is a 40-minute documentary film about a three-week international summer dance institute presented in August 2005 by the National Dance Foundation (NDF) of Bermuda and the world-renowned American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Students from Bermuda, the United States and Canada, chosen by audition, attended the intensive programme, a first for both the NDF and ABT.

?The National Dance Foundation is dedicated to providing world-class training opportunities to Bermuda?s talented dancers, and this first-ever summer intensive was a giant first step towards accomplishing that goal,? says NDF chairman Don Kramer. ?We felt it represented a historic moment in the development of dance in Bermuda and we?re delighted that as an entrant in the Bermuda International Film Festival, we are able to share it with the Bermudian community.?

?Take a Bath?, which will appear in the festival?s Midnight Madness section, is a short, sharp thriller starring Rebecca Hanson and Jym Brier that provides a disturbing, voyeuristic view of one couple?s intimate negotiations. Christian Zabriskie wrote the six-minute film and doubles as its director of photography. Steve Gallant composed the score.