Student filmmakers in grades 7-12 (including graduates of
the Class of 2016) are invited to submit work to Indie Memphis for the
organization's first "Youth Film Fest," a daylong event of
screenings, workshops and more that is scheduled to be held Saturday, Sept. 24,
at the Halloran Centre at the Orpheum, 203 S. Main.
"This is your chance to see your film on the big
screen, work with top professionals, and even find a mentor," a project
brochure released this week promises young filmmakers.
Film and video submissions of all types -- including fiction,
documentary, animation, music videos and experimental work -- are welcome, and
may be shot with any type of camera or device, including phones and iPads.
Films can be of any length, but films under 10 minutes in length are preferred.
Selected films with compete for awards, $1000 in cash and
the opportunity to be screened during the 19th annual Indie Memphis Film
Festival, set for Nov. 1-7.
Indie Memphis executive director Ryan Watt said he wants
this to be a "big" event that will attract large numbers of budding
filmmakers from Memphis and the Mid-South.
"We always have parents asking for something like this,
asking about programming or camps for kids," Watt said. "We've always
been interested, but we knew it would take some resources."
To that end, the Youth Film Fest is being made possible by a
$10,000 grant from The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis and its Give365
initiative.
Watt said filmmakers whose work is accepted will participate
in seminars and workshops with such local artists as director Craig Brewer
(co-scripter of the current "The Legend of Tarzan"). "This is a
great way for our alumni filmmakers to educate and mentor future Memphis
storytellers," Watt said.
Also participating will be Chris Strompolos and Eric
Zala, who as kids between the ages of 12 and 17 in 1980s Mississippi
created a shot-for-shot no-budget remake of "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
that became a word-of-mouth underground cult classic. (The remake is the focus
of "Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made," a feature
documentary that screened at last year's Indie Memphis festival and
currently is in national theatrical distribution.)
The submission deadline is midnight, Aug. 21. (A full
schedule of "Youth Film Fest" events will be released about that
time.)
For more information, visit indiememphis.com/youthfilmfest.
About John Beifuss
John Beifuss is the movie reviewer and an arts, entertainment and popular culture reporter at The Commercial Appeal.
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