Schaumburg's Screen Test Student Fest accepting short films through Feb. 13
Area student filmmakers seeking accolades and awards for their latest masterpiece need look no further than Schaumburg, where the village's Screen Test Student Fest is accepting entries for its 11th annual competitive short film festival. Deadline to enter is Monday, February 13 (with a late deadline on February 24).
Since its first event in 2007, Screen Test has exhibited over 150 short films to live audiences at the Prairie Center for the Arts. Up until two years ago, all of the films shown were made by Chicago area students. That all changed with advances in technology that have allowed filmmakers from all over the world to submit their films online through a festival submission site.
"At the last two festivals, we enjoyed showing short films by students from Brazil, Australia, Norway, India and other countries," notes the Prairie Center's Rob Pileckis, who coordinates the festival through Schaumburg's Department of Cultural Services.
Yet despite its global reach, Screen Test hasn't lost touch with its original intention of highlighting works by local students. "Even though we love showing international films, we want to maintain a focus on the talent that's in our back yard," says Pileckis. "We're fortunate to have the support of schools in the community who not only teach kids how to create movies, but also provide guidance with entering their projects into the fest." To encourage local output, Screen Test offers the Local Hero Award, a $250 cash prize to the best film made by a student within 30 miles of Schaumburg.
Students in grades 5-8 can submit films for consideration into Screen Test Jr. the festival's morning event (11 am) on Saturday, April 22 ($5 entry fee per film). High school student-made films are eligible for Screen Test's Festival and Competition at 7:30 pm on Saturday, April 22 ($10 entry fee per film). Films with a running time of 10 minutes or less will be accepted. A maximum of 3 submissions total are allowed per student (regardless of event or category).
Cash prizes to be awarded at the festival total $1,500 with a top prize of $500 awarded to the Best in Show entry for the high school festival and competition.
Complete details regarding Screen Test film submissions can be found at screenteststudentfest.org. Inquiries can be directed at Rob Pileckis at rpileckis@villageofschaumburg.com or by calling (847) 895-3600.
Title Sponsor for Screen Test Student Fest is 3 Monkeys & Aardvark Studios. Tribeca Flashpoint College is Director Sponsor.
Screen Test Student Fest is a program of the Village of Schaumburg.