SANTA MONICA — The ninth annual Santa Monica Teen Film Festival will be accepting submissions until March 7, 2014. The festival will be held on June 7 and 8 at the Miles Memorial Playhouse. Filmmakers have to be between 12 to 18 years old from all parts of the world, and the films have to be between 30 seconds to 30 minutes long in any genre.
Winners of the festival will be informed by April 14 and can receive one of six awards: Best Live Action, Best Animation, Best Music Video, the Audience Choice Award, the Green Choice Award or Eco Film Award (which goes to the film that most effectively communicates the message of environmentalism), and the Budding Filmmaker Award (which goes to a local teen who shows promising talent as a future filmmaker). Prizes include a public screening, gift certificates, trophies, meetings with filmmaking experts and one full scholarship and thee half-scholarships for a three-week summer intensive program at the Relativity School of Film, Media and Performing Arts, which will take place on July 14. Relativity has produced notable films such as “Immortals,” “Mirror Mirror,” and “Safe Haven.”
The purpose of the event is to provide an opportunity for teens to showcase their filmmaking talents for creativity and social commentary, and to exercise their abilities as independent artists. “Adults can advise the teens and act in the film, but we want the kids to be filmmakers,” said Cultural Affairs Supervisor Justin Yoffe to Canyon News. For this reason, submitters are asked to send the names and ages of the principals involved in the making of the film.
To promote sustainability, films are encouraged to be submitted by creating a free account and uploading the film at Without a Box (www.withoutabox.com/login/6028). Another way is to visit the Festival’s website at www.santamonicateenfestival.com, download an entry form, read the guidelines and submit the film either by mail or in person. Multiple submissions are allowed.
The Festival is sponsored by Miles Memorial Playhouse, which is owned and operated by the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division. It was built in 1929 after City Councilman J. Euclid Miles and his wife Katherine Miles donated $25,000 for its construction at the Christine Emerson Reed Park. The purpose of the Playhouse is to provide a recreation space for the city’s youth and a venue for quality performing arts events and community gatherings.
The Santa Monica Film Festival is an event created by the Santa Cultural Affairs Division, the Santa Monica Public Library, the Virginia Avenue Park Teen Center, the Office of Sustainability & Environment and City TV. For more information, contact Cultural Affairs Supervisor Justin Yoffe at 310-458-8634 orjustin.yoffe@smgov.net.
