*****FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*****
December 14, 2020
CONTACT:
Heather Barta, CuPrum Creative
503.314.7225, hbarta@cuprumcreative.com
Ashland Independent Film Festival Offers Winter Break Activity for Kids Stuck at Home and Inaugurates Prize for Films about the Wildfires
Ashland, Oregon – The Ashland Independent Film Festival is encouraging parents to encourage their kids to enter the annual LAUNCH student film competition. Making a film is the perfect activity to keep kids busy during these long days at home. LAUNCH is accepting submissions from students of all ages through January 15, and winners will receive cash prizes and exhibition in the virtual 20th annual festival, scheduled for April 15-29, 2021
It costs students nothing to enter LAUNCH, and submissions are accepted from grades kindergarten through college. Films need to be 5 minutes or under. AIFF LAUNCH submissions can be on any subject or in any film genre – from a stop-motion trip to the moon to a documentary about the life of a flea; from a live-action sibling-comedy to an experimental glimpse into the color of bubbles; from suspenseful to silly to shocking – anything goes, provided it remains within the 5-minute limit. If you want to view a decade’s worth of Launch winners, you can check out the archived films here.
Making a short film can help build confidence and open a whole new world of expression. There is a $200 prize for each age-category winner, as well as a $400 prize for the new "Rising from the Ashes" category meant to highlight films pertaining to the fires that have devastated our communities this year, and the courage being displayed all around us. Filmmakers don’t need to have been directly involved in the recent fires to submit a film on the subject. Perhaps they know a friend or family member who has been affected or someone working on the rescue efforts for lost pets. The film could be about exploring the botany of a plant taking root in the ashes, or from the perspective of a firefighter in the aftermath, or an animated look at a squirrel seeking shelter amid the terror of an approaching firestorm. Wherever their creativity takes them, that may be just what the community needs as part of the healing process. Students entering a film in the "Rising from the Ashes" category will also be considered in their age-category.
Young people who live in Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine or Klamath counties in Oregon;
Del Norte or Siskiyou counties in California are eligible to submit their short films.
The LAUNCH entry form is online and very easy to fill out. Please refer to the LAUNCH flyer for contest rules. This is the best opportunity for first-time filmmakers to try their hand at telling a visual story.
The deadline to submit is January 15, 2021 so now is the perfect time for kids to get started.
About Ashland Independent Film Festival
Cited by MovieMaker Magazine several times as one of the “Top 25 Coolest Festivals in the World” and one of the “Top 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee,” the Ashland Independent Film Festival is usually held annually in April in Southern Oregon. AIFF screens 100-plus independent documentary, narrative, animation, and short films in its festival and other year-round programs in Ashland, which is nestled in the beautiful Rogue River Valley. In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, AIFF moved online for its 19th annual festival, extended its five-day event to 24 days, and was recognized by Smithsonian Magazine and MovieMaker Magazine as having one of the best virtual film festivals.
