ONFILM FESTIVAL TO KICK OFF SUNDAY AT NAUTICUS

The inaugural ONFilm Festival, hosted by Old Dominion University and the city of Norfolk, will open in grand style at Nauticus at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 18. The event will feature a performance by the ODU Symphony Orchestra and a screening of the film "Eagle's Wing," including an appearance by the movie's Academy Award-winning screenwriter, John Briley.

Tickets are $8 per person and may be purchased at the door.

The festival marks a collaboration between Old Dominion and the city to expand and enhance the university's nearly decade-old film festival into an international event.

Under the theme "Colonial Encounters," the festival will explore colonialism and cultural interaction in the Americas and across the globe through a multitude of film screenings, discussion forums and seminars.

Featured guests for the weeklong festival include Irvin Kershner, acclaimed director of "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back," director Susan Seidelman of "Desperately Seeking Susan" and acclaimed actress Ellen Burstyn, who will receive the ONfilm Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement.

For a complete list of events and details visit http://www.odu.edu/ONfilmfest.