West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival

The West Virginia University School of Art and Design is accepting entries to the 5th annual West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival. We seek independent, unique and compelling work in film, experimental video and animation. All interested artists, filmmakers, multimedia enthusiasts are encouraged to submit work for consideration. Student submissions are also encouraged.
Send us your work! http://www.mountaineerfilmfest.org/

Deadline for entries: February 25, 2014 (received)

Categories
Works will be considered for five competitive categories:

• Documentary Short
• Narrative Short
• Animation/ Experimental
• Student (College)
• Young Filmmakers (Under 18)
• “Escape”  Theme

The “Escape” Theme
This year, we have established a thematic category for works that explore issues relating to the theme of escape. Whether it’s daydreaming, getting away from stress or pain, or finding a productive response to boredom, human beings seem hardwired to seek various forms of escape. Advances in science and technology have amplified this pursuit, allowing us to travel to the farthest corners of the globe in the course of a day or be fully immersed in our virtual existences at the click of a button.

However, it becomes clear that the positive or negative connotations of escape are truly in the eye of the beholder, as one person’s playful loosening of responsibilities or breaking of boundaries becomes another person’s self-absorbed fantasy. What is propelling us towards these modes of escape? How do ideas of escape manifest themselves historically in art, music, and cinema, and how has the notion of escape changed in our contemporary era? We invite works that reflect on these and similar questions

REQUIREMENTS

• Maximum running time of 20 minutes
• Works must have been completed after 1/1/2011
• Please include English subtitles with all non-English narrative entries.
• All submissions must include a completed entry form (filled out online or downloaded from the festival website).
• Maximum of 3 entries per person. A separate entry form is required for each entry.
  
  There are no rules governing content or artistic approach. We only seek well crafted, compelling or conceptually challenging works in video, film and animation.

ENTRY FEE (paid just once for up to three entries)

• General: $10
• College Student: $5
• Young filmmakers (Under 18): Free

AWARDS
Modest awards have been established by the festival organizers to recognize work of exceptional accomplishment. They include a $300.00 Best of Festival award, and five $100 awards in each of the festival categories: Best Documentary Short, Best Narrative Short, Best Animation/Experimental, Best Student, Best Young Filmmaker, and Best Escape Theme.

LOCATION/DATES
The 2014 West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival will be held Thursday, March 20 to Sunday March 23 in West Virginia University’s Creative Arts Center and neighboring Morgantown venues.

Jury
Each festival submission will be carefully reviewed by a screening committee of practicing, professional artists and filmmakers.

SUBMITTING YOUR WORK
The deadline for submission is February 25, 2014. All entries must be accompanied by the entry fee and a completed entry form, which can be filled-out online or downloaded from the festival website: http://www.mountaineerfilmfest.org.

Films/Videos may be submitted in one of the following ways:

• ONLINE VIA VIMEO: Upload your full resolution video file to Vimeo.com and make the original source video available for download in privacy settings. Clearly indicate the the URL to your video on your online or downloaded entry form. (Downloaded entry forms should be mail to wvmsff@gmail.com).
   
• ONLINE VIA DROPBOX: Upload your full resolution video file (.mov) using: dropbox.com. Follow uploading and sharing instructions. Clearly indicate the the URL to your video on your online or downloaded entry form. (Downloaded entry forms should be mail to wvmsff@gmail.com).
   
• MAIL
  • Standard definition DVD (NTSC, region 0 or 1)
    No menus please!!! DVD's should be set to auto play your entry. Please do not use paper labels and do not set disc to loop. Discs will not be returned.
     
  • Data DVD (file format: .mov)
    All DVD's should be clearly labeled with title, running time and contact information. Please do not use paper labels. Discs will not be returned.
     
  • Flash drive (file format: .mov)
    Flash dives will not be returned

Works mailed-in should be sent to:
West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival
School of Art and Design
College of Creative Arts
West Virginia University
PO Box 6111
Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-6111

Festival website: www.mountaineerfilmfest.org

For additional information please contact us at wvmsff@gmail.com. The WVMSFF is a creation of Gerald Habarth and the Electronic Media program of the WVU School of Art and Design and is hosted by the West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival Student Organization