Fifty Canadian, 20 international and five student film projects will screen at the first annual ReelWorld Film Festival, a celebration of racially and culturally diverse film and video makers to be held in Toronto April 5-9, 2001.

Founded by Toronto-born actor Tanya Lee Williams (The Young and the Restless), with the support of such acclaimed talent as Yaphet Kotto, Graham Greene, Sandra Oh and Rae Dawn Chong, the festival is a direct response to the absence of a forum of such multicultural flavor.

In addition to screenings, which will include features, documentaries, animation, shorts and music videos, the festival will host a trade forum, wherein selected filmmakers will have the opportunity to present their scripts and ideas to producers and investors.

Four seminars and training workshops will be held April 6-8.

Rudi Quammie Williams and Horace Wright are executive directors of the festival. *