NH High School Short Film Festival Now Accepting Entries

The N.H. Film and Television Office is now accepting submissions for the 2015 New Hampshire High School Short Film Festival.

Now in its eighth year, the Festival has become one of the marquee film festivals in the state, shining a spotlight on local filmmaking and rewarding future members of the industry for their craft.

All films and supporting materials must be submitted electronically or arrive at the N.H. Film and Television Office at 19 Pillsbury St. in Concord by 4 p.m. on March 31, 2015. Mailed submissions must be postmarked by March 31. There is no entry fee.

Students currently enrolled in grades 9-12 at any of the state’s public or private high schools, as well as New Hampshire homeschooled students ages 14–18, may participate. Submissions do not have to have been created as part of a school project but cannot be longer than seven minutes, including titles and credits. They must have been produced after May 24, 2014, the date of last year’s Festival.

Each year, the Festival receives dozens of entries from student filmmakers across the state. A panel of judges made up of New Hampshire film industry professionals reviews all submissions and selects those that will be screened. Originality, cinematic storytelling and technical execution are key scoring categories. Top films will be shown at the Festival, which takes place at Red River Theatres in Concord on May 23, 2015, beginning atnoon.

Festival awards include Jury Award Winner for Best Film, Jury Award Runner-up, Jury Award Finalists and Public Service Announcement Award. Award-winning films will be screened at the New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth and the SNOB (Somewhat North of Boston) Film Festival in Concord.

In addition to providing students with a public venue for showing their work, the Festival is also a great way for students to build their resumes and make their college applications stand out.

Rules and guidelines, film submission forms and other information about the New Hampshire High School Short Film Festival can be found online at nhstudentfilm.com.

The New Hampshire Film and Television Office, as part of the New Hampshire Department of Cultural Resources, works to expand business activity and employment throughout the state by acting as a liaison between the film industry and an established network of government agencies, the state’s film industry workforce, and local property owners. The office is responsible for location assistance, public relations and general production support in an effort to broaden the cultural and economic impact of film and television production in the state.

For more information about film and television production in New Hampshire, call603-271-2220 or visit nh.gov/film.

Submitted text and photo.