Top brass at national artsand entertainment body Gen Art are ringing the changes with new programming, anew festival committee and an inaugural award at the upcoming eleventh AnnualGen Art Film Festival (GAFF).

For the first timeorganisers at the festival, which is scheduled to run from Apr 5-11 2006, willpresent the juried Stargazer Award for excellence in acting.

The new programme called GenArt's Cinema Circle will provide Gen Art's elite members access to filmmakersand kicks off in December with a screening of The Matador followed by a Q&A with writer-director RichardShepard.

Shepard's Oxygen starring Adrien Brody made its New York premiere atGAFF in 1999.

'We are thrilled toexpand the access we provide to audiences, industry and filmmakers alike withour Cinema Circle, and couldn't think of a more perfect way to kick off the newprogramme than with a film from a GAFF alum," Gen Art vice president of filmand film festival director Jeffrey Abramson said.

Abramson heads up theprogramming committee for the eleventh annual GAFF, which includes InDigEntproducer Jake Abraham, Safe House Pictures partner Will Battersby, Sony BMGsenior vice president of feature films Sofia Sondervan, GAFF freelancer LindaMaglionico, director Susan Buice, Previd Consulting founder Nevette Previd, andSeverance Pictures partner Jack Turner.

For more information visitthe official website at www.genart.org.