Project Twenty1 is now accepting team signups for its 2008 Filmmaking Competition. Filmmakers eager to take on the challenge are invited to participate and bring a brand-new film from concept to screen in 21 Days this summer. The competition's launch event, where all filmmaking teams will learn the secret "Element" that their film must include, will take place Saturday, July 19 and their films will be due at the drop event on August 9, 21 days later.
For those who prefer to submit a short film or feature already completed, Project Twenty1 is accepting entries to the 2008 Philadelphia Film-A-Thon as well, which works "more like a standard film festival," according to founder Matt Conant. The 2008 Project Twenty1 Film Festival will take place at International House, 3701 Chestnut St. in Philadelphia, on the weekend of Oct. 4 and 5, 2008, and will consist of the best entries to the Film-A-Thon as well as the competition films.
Project Twenty1 is the brainchild of animator Stephanie Yuhas, composer Quang Ly, and filmmaker Conant. According to Conant, "This is our third year, but it's the first time we've done both the competition and the Film-A-Thon as part of the same festival. We've also added a workshop with casting director Beverly McDermott, who has worked with directors like Ron Howard and Jerry Lewis." Yuhas added, "We started Project Twenty1 when we saw all our friends graduate from college, and stop making films. Life, and the need to earn a living, often gets in the way of doing what you love. We give filmmakers that extra little kick in the pants by providing them with an audience, and by partnering with other festivals. Most filmmakers can't afford 20 different submission fees, so we send the films around the country for them."
The "Best Film" in the last Project Twenty1 was from Team 509 out of Turnersville, New Jersey. Their film, IN ZAKK'S CASE, tells the story of a man who has 21 chances to survive a day that is trying to kill him, and went on to screen at the Bucks County Film Festival, as well as on Comcast OnDemand. Others screened at the Big Bang Film Festival in 2007. This year the top films will also receive a commercial DVD release.
Early team registration ends April 30, and the late deadline will be June 30. All films that are completed within the guidelines of the competition and submitted by the drop event will be screened at International House, 3701 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the Project Twenty1 Film Festival on October 4 and 5, 2008. These films will compete for the title of "Best Film" -- along with nearly a dozen other categories - as well as a trophy and more than $1,000 in prizes. The deadlines are the same for the Film-A-Thon.
E-mail info@projecttwenty1.com, call 215-253-7640, or visit www.ProjectTwenty1.com for details on how to sign up as a competition team, submit a film to the Film-A-Thon, or become a festival sponsor. Project Twenty1's fiscal sponsor is International House Philadelphia, a 501(c)3 organization.
