Harper film contest based on ‘The Help’

Northwest suburban residents are encouraged to put on their director’s hat for a communitywide Harper College film competition, inspired by The New York Times best-seller and 2011 hit movie “The Help.”

The contest, urging budding producers to develop 15-minute films based on scenes and themes from the film, is part of this year’s “One Book, One Harper” initiative.

Submissions will be accepted through Feb. 1. Winners, determined by a panel slated to include Harper faculty, will be announced at a March reception. Prizes include a Kindle Fire, Redbox gift cards and tickets to future One Book, One Harper events.

“Because this year’s selected book was also the basis for a hit film, it seemed natural to give readers a shot at giving us their own take on both,” Harper instructor Amy Kammerman says. “Our goal was to expose the entire campus and the public to this literature, and promote ways to further explore it.”

There is no cost to enter the film contest. The One Book, One Harper initiative encourages a collective reading of Kathryn Stockett’s novel about race relations in 1960s Mississippi, and boasts a series of campus activities throughout the academic year that draw on key elements in the book to inspire conversation.

For information on One Book, One Harper, visit www.harpercollege.edu/library.