LASplash.com: Film The Milan International Film Festival Presents Its New Format at AFM 2008 By Susan di Rende The main business of the Americian Film Market (read full article) is movie sales.  But AFM is also a place where the players and press who cover them converge.  Consequently, those who want to get their message out to the larger film world also come to the AFM.  The Milan International Film Festival (MIFF) is one such organization looking to present its innovative new format to the industry press during a private luncheon at Santa Monica's Il Fornaio restaurant. MIFF founder and festival director, Andrea Galante explained how the MIFF is changing its format to bridge the worlds of film festivals and film awards ceremonies.  Awards typically are public events chosing among nominated films to honor the best ones already released.  Festivals are predominantly screening opportunities for unreleased films followed by a more insular awards ceremony for attendees.   Awards at festivals, with one or two notable exceptions, are primarily of interest to film business insiders. MIFF plans to begin its film selection process with nominations. ( The criteria for these nominations was not specifically spelled out and perhaps is still in the works.)  Out of the nominations, awards will be announced before the festival.  Only winning films will be exhibited, giving general audiences more incentive to take a risk on a festival film and giving filmmakers who win greater exposure and the possibility of building a public for their product.  This process also has a great advantage for films that do not win because not winning would mean the premier status of the film would be retained by the filmmaker, thus safeguarding the film's chances of getting into another major festival where premier status is extremely important.     Milan International Film Festival website Published Nov 27, 2008 © Copyright 2003-2004 by LA Splash.com