Writer/director to speak at Judson's Imago Film Festival
(Elgin, IL – January 30, 2012) Judson University is pleased to announce Steve Taylor as the creative keynote speaker for the 2012 Imago Film Festival. The annual week-long film festival will be held March 26-30 in the Marjorie Hall Thulin Performance Hall on the Judson University campus, 1151 N. State St. (Route 31) in Elgin.
The creative keynote address will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 30 during a full awards ceremony for finalists of the festival.
The Imago Film Festival showcases faith-based indie films that emphasize image and story. A panel of local university film professors and other professionals in the field will judge original films shown at the festival.
The prizes for the winning films are as follows: Best of Show - $1000, First Prize (1-15 minutes) - $250, First Prize (15-30 minutes) - $250, and Audience Choice Award - $100. The deadline for late submissions is Feb. 20 at a fee of $40.
In addition to Taylor's creative keynote speech and the awards presentation for the festival's finalists, the March 30 event also will feature a pre-release screening of Steve Taylor's latest film, “Blue Like Jazz,” along with food and live music.
Steve Taylor is writer, director and producer for the upcoming “Blue Like Jazz,” a film adaptation of Donald Miller's national bestselling memoir by the same title.
Taylor studied music, filmmaking and acting at Colorado University in Boulder, Colo. and began a career as a recording artist that spanned 12 years and garnered two Grammy nominations for "Meltdown" (1984) and "Squint" (1993).
Among his many credits as a music video director, Taylor is best known for the Francois Truffaut homage he shot in Paris for Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me" in 1998. In preparation for his first movie, Taylor spent two years studying the Meisner technique under acting teacher Bill Feheely. The film that followed, "The Second Chance," marked Taylor's debut as director/co-screenwriter. Sony Pictures subsequently picked up the movie for a 2006 theatrical release.
Tickets for the Imago Film Festival are $5 for Monday through Thursday and $8 for Friday's award ceremony; a full-event pass is $12.
For Judson students and faculty, tickets are $2 for Monday through Thursday and $4 for Friday's award ceremony; a full-event pass is $6. Events begin at 7 p.m. each night, excepting Friday's awards ceremony at 6 p.m.
For detailed information about scheduled events, visit www.imagofilmfestival.com. For specific questions, contact Festival Director Terrence Wandtke at twandtke@judsonu.edu.