(openPR) - SAN ANTONIO - Film Classics Productions is proud to announce that its award-winning short film, "Four Minutes Till The End", has been selected to screen at the Cannes Film Festival.

The science-fiction thriller was written and directed by Bryan Ortiz and produced by Michael Druck for the 48 Hour Film Project, where it won five awards, including “Best Director” and “Best Film” in August 2008; the film also won the Jury Prize from the 2008 San Antonio Local (SAL) Film Festival and the Robert A. Burns Award for Best Horror from the 2008 Seguin Film & Arts Festival. In 2009, "Four Minutes Till The End" was an official selection of Cinefestival en San Antonio, and screened at Filmapalooza, the annual festival for the 48 Hour Film Project, held at the Miami International Film Festival.

“When we were shooting 'Four Minutes', we were just trying to make the best film we could make in the time we had," says Ortiz. "None of us ever imagined that we’d have a chance to screen it at one of the biggest film festivals in the world, so this is a huge honor for us.”

"Four Minutes Till The End" is one of 14 films selected by the 48 HOUR FILM PROJECT to screen in Cannes as part of the Short Film Corner program (www.shortfilmcorner.com).

Druck says, “We’re honored that Bryan will be in Cannes to represent our film and the 48 Hour Film Project. We hope that this opportunity will open doors for other filmmakers in our community, and that San Antonio will continue to flourish in the Cannes Film Festival.”

On Tuesday, May 19 (the day "Four Minutes Till The End" will screen at Cannes), Film Classics invites local fans and film supporters to cheer Ortiz on at "Cannes Antonio Night". The event (featuring a local screening of the film) will be held at 7PM at the Radius Center (106 Auditorium Circle, San Antonio, TX 78205).

Fans and film supporters have many other opportunities to support Film Classics Productions, through tax-deductible donations to the San Antonio Film Institute on behalf of Film Classics:

• Checks can be written to the SAN ANTONIO FILM INSTITUTE and mailed to:

111 Caleta Beach
San Antonio, TX 78232

• Donors can also visit Film Classics’ website, www.filmclassicsproductions.com, for information on upcoming fundraising events and sponsorship opportunities.

All donors will receive a DVD of "Four Minutes Till The End" and other Film Classics merchandise.

For more information about "Four Minutes Till The End", please call 210.957.2874 or e-mail druck.filmclassics@gmail.com.

FACTS:

• Film Classics Productions was formed in 2006 by writer/director Bryan Ortiz, then a student at the University of the Incarnate Word, and producer Michael Druck, then a talent agent.

• In just three years, the company has produced a series of award-winning short films; in addition to "Four Minutes Till The End", other fan favorites include "Compose", "Spiral" (winner of the Independent Spirit Award at the 2008 Seguin Film & Arts Festival), "Goodbye Digital or The 5 Stages of Grief in Digital Dating" (winner of the NALIP-SA Spring 2007 Film Slam, the Student Film Competition at the 2007 Seguin Film & Arts Festival, and the Latifilm.com Valentines Film Contest), and "Last Chance" (winner of two awards in the San Antonio 48 Hour Film Project in 2007).

• Individually, Ortiz has been spotlighted on KABB’s "Fox News at Nine", in Conexion magazine, and in the San Antonio Current, and Druck has appeared in the San Antonio College campus newspaper, The Ranger. Together as the Film Classics team, they were recently featured on the cover of 210SA magazine.

• Film Classics Productions is now listed on the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com).

• San Antonio Film Institute (”SAFI“) is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to serving San Antonio filmmakers and their audiences. Since 2007, SAFI has produced the San Antonio Local (SAL) Film Festival a yearly showcase supporting local filmmakers through cash awards, educational opportunities, and public screenings of their films. For more information, please visit www.salfilmfest.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Nikki Young or Lee Hurtado
PrimaDonna Productions, Inc.
8603 Crownhill Blvd., Suite 30
San Antonio, TX 78209
210.822.3552
press@primadonnaproductions.com