The 2005 Bermuda International Film Festival competition line-up was announced yesterday ? and once again it is living up to world beating standards.

Nine internationally award-winning films ? and a documentary about a little-known Bermudian singer ? are among the 14 films from ten countries selected for the eighth annual competition, scheduled from March 18-24.

BIFF director Aideen Ratteray-Pryse, speaking at Hamilton Rotary yesterday, gave a brief rundown of the films.

Highlights of the entire festival include ?Bride of Silence?, considered the first-ever Vietnamese feminist film and winner of a Tiger Award at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam earlier this month; and ?4?, a Russian feature film described as ?a terrible nightmare stuck between truth and lies? based on a script by Vladimir Sorokin, the well-known Russian radical whose books have been openly burned by his enemies.

?4? has been subject to censorship in Russia.

The Canadian documentary ?Everything?s Coming My Way? will feature Bermuda-born Gordon Thomas, the 88-year old New York singer who has been recording and independently releasing albums for the last 40 years ? and is still hoping for his big break.

Moving to New York at the age of three, Mr. Thomas grew up amid the rise, fall and rebirth of Harlem. The film is described as ?one man?s journey through six decades of music, guided by faith, charm, and quixotic optimism ? the tale of a creative spirit persisting against all the odds?.

?We are very pleased with the great variety,? Mrs. Pryse said yesterday.

BIFF programming director David O?Beirne added in a statement: ?The competition film line-up is strong right across the board. We have award-winners from top festivals, and the 14 films are from 10 countries, so there is a great variety in the styles of film-making.?

Mrs. Ratteray-Pryse also expressed pride in the Bermuda Film Academy, a screening of a student film created by Bermudian film students from high schools and the Bermuda College.

The screening features documentaries and supports growth development for student films, as well as promoting critical thinking among students. This year?s film is a documentary about an annual summer camp where children of conflicting nations are brought together.

?I believe that the Bermuda Film Academy can fill an educational void on our cultural scene,? Mrs. Ratteray-Pryse said. ?Get your kids to ask their teachers about the Bermuda Film Academy screening on March 22 at Liberty Theatre.?

Tickets for the festival itself will go on sale online on March 2 at www.biff.bm, while the physical box office at #1 Passenger Terminal, Front Street, Hamilton will open on March 5.