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Founded in 2002 by an intimate group of passionate filmmakers and artists, the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival has successfully created an outlet for emerging voices from around the globe. Focusing on independent film and work driven by new processes, its mission is to create a fresh arena for discussion between filmmakers, artists, industry professionals and audiences in an explorative and inspirational environment.

The 4th Annual Brooklyn Underground Film Festival kicks off April 19 with a lineup of radical and relevant works by rising filmmakers. The five-day festival will be held at the historic Brooklyn Lyceum in Park Slope and will include an innovative, on-site visual art exhibition, as well as a musical showcase April 22 at Northsix in Williamsburg.

Scheduled for Opening Night, April 19, is the New York premiere of Adán Aliaga's feature documentary, "My Grandmother's House." Filmed in a small town in Spain, Aliaga's quietly omniscient camera reveals two distinct perspectives on the world embodied in an endearing and unforgettable grandmother-granddaughter duo. Capping off the festival, April 23, will be the New York premiere of Philippe Diaz's urgent examination of the civil war-stricken African republic of Sierra Leone, "The Empire in Africa" (Grand Jury Prize, Slamdance Film Festival 2006).

Additional features not to be missed include the East Coast premiere of Jeremy Mack's "High Score," a zany tour of classic arcade games of yesteryear and in particular one die-hard Missile Command fanatic (Audience Award, South by Southwest Film Festival 2006); Bill Brown's poetic take on U.S. - Mexico border relations, "The Other Side"; Irene Lusztig's personal essay on the Cold War and the media, "The Samantha Smith Project"; Tzipi Trope's acclaimed Israeli documentary, "Looking for the Lost Voice"; the East Coast premiere of "Lifelike," director Tally Abecassis'' adventure into the intriguing world of taxidermy; the World premiere of "Super Happy Fun Monkey Bash," a wild medley of Japanese TV; the East Coast premiere of Heather Courtney's ode to Mexican immigrants, "Letters From the Other Side"; and the U.S. premiere of Bettina Perut and Ivan Osnovikoff's innovative tapestry of Chilean history as improvised by youngsters, "Clever Monkey Pinochet Versus La Moneda Pigs." Programs will be accompanied by dynamic Q&A sessions with the many filmmakers in attendance. Comprised of short film and featurette programs including the annually sold-out comedy shorts, this season's festival will showcase 100 films from around the world.

For more information, visit www.brooklynunderground.org .

Tickets are $8 per screening and can be purchased through the Brooklyn Underground's website beginning April 3 and at the Brooklyn Lyceum during the festival. The Brooklyn Lyceum is located at 227 Fourth Avenue at Union Street in Park Slope.

The Brooklyn Underground Film Festival is sponsored by The Brooklyn Brewery, Crumpler, The Brooklyn Rail, indieWIRE, Liman Video Rental, New York Press, Trackstar and Yellow Tail Wine.