High school filmmakers have five days left to submit their entries for the 2012 Westport Youth Film Festival (WYFF), to be held on Saturday, June 2 at The Bijou Theatre in Bridgeport. The final deadline is Saturday, March 10, at a fee of $25 per entry.
The Festival seeks films that fall into any one of the following categories: Comedy, Drama, Documentary, Experimental, Music Video, and Animation. In addition, all films produced in Conn. will be automatically entered into a special "Connecticut” category. The films’ directors must be high school-aged or younger at the completion of filming (ages13 to 19). Local, national, and international directors are encouraged to apply.
The WYFF Youth Board will be screening all submissions. Those selected to appear at the Festival will be judged in their category by an industry professional. The winners in each category will receive an award as well as a $250 cash prize (courtesy of the Broadcast Film Critics Association). All entries will be considered for a "Social Action" award, for which the winner will receive an award and a $500 cash prize.
“Students who have had their films showcased at WYFF have gone on to some of the country’s most prestigious film schools and have pursued successful careers in the film industry,” said Evan Neidich, program director of the Festival.
WYFF, a program of the Westport Arts Center, is the only film festival in the world produced by teens showing films made by teens. Every year, WYFF showcases high school student films in a professional setting, and provides filmmakers through panel discussions, professional development opportunities, and filmmaker round tables. Since its inception in 2003, WYFF has showcased over 600 high school student films at the Festival, and has received over 200 submissions from around the world, including China, Indonesia, India, Switzerland, and Israel.
For more information, please visit www.wyff.net, or contact the WYFF program Director, Evan Neidich, by phone at 203-222-7070 or by email at evan@westportartscenter.org">evan@westportartscenter.org