By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

Sun Valley Film Fest Goes Deep On Film Funding And Mentorship

Posted Friday, October 28th, 2016 - Comments Off on Sun Valley Film Fest Goes Deep On Film Funding And Mentorship
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[PR] With a mission to serve as “a filmmakers’ festival,” Sun Valley Film Festival (SVFF) is awarding more than $50,000 in cash and prizes to independent filmmakers and screenwriters across six categories.  Submissions of original screenplays, features and short films are now being accepted for the 6th annual festival, to be held in Sun Valley, Idaho from March 15-19, 2017.

The Festival offers significant funding and mentorship opportunities, with category winners and finalists paired with established talents who have helped many filmmakers gain representation and national distribution. Films competing for $10,000 in finishing funds from The Film Lab, presented by Tito’s Handmade Vodka, will also receive feedback and guidance from Sundance’s Director of Programming, Trevor Groth.  In addition, filmmaker Michael Tully (Ping Pong Summer, Cocaine Angel) will host the inaugural Short Film Lab with Jim Burke of Focus Features judging. Producer Chris Moore (Manchester by the Sea, Project Greenlight) will be next year’s judge of The High Scribe screenplay competition.

SVFF category highlights include:

THE FILM LAB
In an effort to help filmmakers complete their films’ vision, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and SVFF are teaming up to help two work-in-progress films with $10,000 in finishing funds. Trevor Groth (Director of Programming, Sundance Film Festival) returns as host to provide guidance and feedback as filmmakers prepare to lock their projects and send it into the film festival fray.

HIGH SCRIBE
Producer Chris Moore (Manchester by the Sea, Project Greenlight) returns to SVFF as the host of this high-profile event.  The High Scribe screenplay competition helps generate buzz around finalists and has directly led to employment and representation opportunities for each winner since its inception four years ago. Past winners have received invaluable career mentorship from award-winning writers Mark Duplass (Togetherness), Nat Faxon (The Descendants), David Seidler (The King’s Speech), Melissa Wallack and Craig Borten (Dallas Buyer’s Club).

THE SHORT FILM LAB
Filmmaker Michael Tully (Ping Pong Summer, Cocaine Angel) will champion the winner’s short film from screenplay to screen for a world premiere at the 2018 Sun Valley Film Festival. Judging the Short Film Lab competition is Focus Features President of Production, Jim Burke. The winner of this short screenplay competition will also receive $10,000 from Tito’s Handmade Vodka in order to produce their film.

WILD TO INSPIRE
This nationwide short film contest in partnership with Nat Geo WILD provides the ultimate adventure in film: an apprenticeship in Africa with a legendary National Geographic wildlife cinematographer.  Wild to Inspire has meant life-changing opportunities for past finalists, including 2015’s winner, who is currently developing a TV series with National Geographic.

1 POTATO
A $5,000 cash prize will be awarded to the winner of this short screenplay competition, along with mentorship and support from SVFF to produce their film in Idaho.

FUTURE FILMMAKERS FORUM
A celebrity presenter will award over $1,500 in cash prizes for student filmmakers grades 7-12. FFF is an introduction for young filmmakers into the festival world that provides them with a leg up, networking opportunities and industry guidance.

Complete information, deadlines and eligibility requirements for the 2017 festival can be found at www.sunvalleyfilmfestival.org/submissions-main.

About the Sun Valley Film Festival
With a proven knack for drawing industry heavyweights and independent talents, The Sun Valley Film Festival has quickly become a filmmaker’s festival in an intimate locale far from the Hollywood scene. The combination of cutting-edge programming and bona-fide insider access in a richly cinematic atmosphere is putting SVFF on the map as a rising star in the world of destination festivals. For more information, please visit www.sunvalleyfilmfestival.org.

 

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