(West Long Branch, NJ) -- The announcement Tuesday morning by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that BABEL has received 7 Oscar nominations, including BEST PICTURE, underscores the Two River Film Festival's reputation for hosting outstanding film premieres. During the 2006 Fall season, the Two River Film Festival partnered with Monmouth University to host the New Jersey premiere of BABEL and present the film's producer, Jon Kilik, with the 2006 TRFF Masters Award. Following the screening, the sold out audience, filling 700+ theatre seats, were treated to a Q & A session with BABEL's brilliant producer.

"We in the Department of Communication are very excited about the recognition for BABEL," states Monmouth University Communication Department Chairman, Dr. Don Swanson. "When BABEL was screened here, producer Jon Kilik was generous with his time with premiere attendees and enormously helpful to our students in classes, and in interviews with WMCX, HAWK TV and the OUTLOOK. This is an outstanding example of the synergy between an academic program that studies film and a quality film festival."

BABEL received Oscar nominations for BEST PICTURE, BEST DIRECTOR, 2 nominations for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY, BEST FILM EDITING, and BEST ORIGINAL SCORE. Earlier this month Jon Kilik was on stage to accept the 2006 Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture Drama.

Another programming coup was this year's TRFF signature 'Get Out the Vote' film, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, nominated for 2 academy awards including BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE. "The Two River Film Festival is not just a great film festival but also a charity for children, arts, and education," emphasizes Festival founder and President, Rosellen Otrakji. "TRFF brings the world of film as art and education to the community each year. Our team works hard to deliver programming. Thanks to our loyal sponsors and generous university and community support this year's films were free and open to the public." The date for the 2007 Two River Film Festival is already set for November 2-4, 2007.

Kilik has become one of New York's most notable film producers, collaborating with a wide range of auteur directors to create a body of work with an emphasis on human values and social issues. Kilik was born in Newark, New Jersey and grew up in Millburn. He graduated from the University of Vermont and moved to New York in 1979 to pursue a career in filmmaking. In 1988, Kilik began his partnership with Spike Lee and has gone on to produce twelve of Lee's films. They include INSIDE MAN, CLOCKERS, MALCOLM X, and the groundbreaking DO THE RIGHT THING, which was recently selected by The Smithsonian Institute for The National Film Archives. BABEL premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival where it won the prize for Best Director. Kilik returned to New York in 2005 to produce the very personal BROKEN FLOWERS, winner of the Cannes Film Festival Grand Jury Prize in 2005.