Summertime is usually a season of celebration for students everywhere but this year is going to be different. Activities and gatherings will be restricted, forcing many to stick close to home. For those looking for a challenge, here is an idea: try your hand at filmmaking! Take a concept and make it come alive. Be the voice of a new generation of auteurs. Use film as a tool to describe the way you are feeling during this unprecedented time or create a visual account that takes the viewers to a land of beauty, irony, or humor. Gather your thoughts in a storyboard, write a script, grab your iPhone or digital camera and get to work! Once your film is complete, you are ready for the next step: getting your film in front of an audience.
And that’s where the After Hours Film Society (AHFS) can help. Organizers of the nonprofit group are looking for students to compete for cash prizes in the “Anim8” Student Film Festival. Now in its 18th year, AHFS’s international festival is accepting submissions of animated or experimental films* with a running time of 8 minutes or less until June 15 for consideration. A late deadline of July 6 has been added due to this year’s special circumstances.
Students of all levels (elementary, high school, undergraduate, graduate, and part-time) are eligible and may submit their entries electronically by visiting www.filmfreeway.com/Anim8.
A team of judges will evaluate entries based on originality, technical ability, creativity, and age level. Those receiving the highest ratings will be screened at a special program at the Tivoli Theatre, 5021 Highland, Downers Grove, tentatively scheduled for October 19. Should public gatherings remain restricted, plans are in place for a virtual film festival; thus, giving winning entrants the opportunity to show their film to audiences around the world.
As a note of encouragement, think about this: last year, one of the top award recipients was a student from Naperville North High School. This year, it could be you! Why not pick up your camera and give it a shot?
For more info on the student film fest or the After Hours Film Society, please check out www.afterhoursfilmsociety.com or call (630) 534-4528.
*An experimental film is defined as a film that experiments with some aspect of the filmmaking process (e.g. editing of visuals and/or sound) or uses filming techniques such as stop motion or kinestasis.
