Lander University will begin its two-week short film competition as part of its tenth annual film festival on Monday, March 11, with a special kick-off session at 5:00 p.m. in room 200 of the Carnell Learning Center. Participants will have the chance to hear from former winners and receive their director's packets.
"Based on pre-registration numbers, I believe this will be our biggest year," said Paul Crutcher, lecturer of media at Lander and director of the Lander University Film Festival. Founded in 2010, the festival includes filmmakers from all ages and backgrounds who can compete in one of three divisions: Open, College, or Young Filmmakers (high school or younger). Each participant will receive a unique line of dialogue, written by Hollywood writers and directors, and then have two weeks to write, cast, shoot and edit a short film that creatively integrates the given line in some way. "We are the only student film festival in the country that provides required lines of dialogue from major Hollywood writers," Crutcher said.
The Lander Film Festival is just the beginning for some. Last year's winner, Chaz Giles, went on to win first place for his short film "Amore Mio Per La Cena" in the first annual College Broadcasters, Inc., Visual Media Festival in Seattle, Washington.
Attendance to the kick-off session on March 11 is not required, but those interested in participating in this year's competition can visit www.landerfilmfestival.com to pre-register. Once lines are assigned, directors will have until March 25 to submit their film. The film festival will showcase these submissions on Saturday, April 6, at 6:30 p.m. in the Lander University Cultural Center Auditorium.