The Wild Cinema Film Festival (WCFF) Trust is excited to announce the launch of the first ever “Wild Cinema Viewers Choice Award” at this year’s Windhoek International Film Festival. The award for the best Namibian production to the tune of N$5 000 is sponsored by Radio Energy, the promotional partner of the Wild Cinema Film Festival. This first ever award of local filmmaking aims to support and develop Namibia’s local film industry. Viewers will be able to send their personal best choice movie title via SMS to One Africa TV, Wild Cinema’s other media partner, who will count the votes of best Namibian Production and air the results at a special screening on a date still to be announced. The Mayor of the City of Windhoek, Councillor Matheus Shikongo, has agreed to act as patron of the festival, and will be in attendance during the festival. He will deliver the opening speech at the official launch of this year’s festival on May 12 in the Zoo Park. Wild Cinema is happy to announce that the Director of Where Others Wavered, Charles Burnett, will also be attending the Windhoek International Film Festival as an independent filmmaker with a few of his other productions. Burnett has agreed to hold public discussions and workshops with local filmmakers and students at several venues throughout Windhoek. The workshops will focus on the topics of independent filmmaking, production and financing. Burnett’s visit to Namibia is at the invitation of the American Cultural Centre, the main sponsor of this year’s festival. The 2006 festival is also sponsored by the FNCC; Goethe Zentrum/NaDS; MTC; Sternenzeit e.V.; Spanish Embassy/Spanish Cooperation; European Commission; Swedish Embassy; the embassies of Brazil, Indonesia, China, Netherlands and Finland, as well as the Warehouse Theatre and Club Thriller.