In front of an overflowing crowd and online audience from all over the country, Executive Director Gregory Kallenberg and Festival Director Chris Lyon announced the 20 finalists for the second annual Louisiana Film Prize. The films will be shown at the The Louisiana Film Prize Festival Weekend (www.LAFilmPrize.com) October 4-6, 2013 in Shreveport, LA. The winner will take home a $50,000 cash grand prize, one of the world’s largest cash prizes for a short film.
New this year, the top five films will receive distribution through Shorts International on iTunes and will also screen at Dallas VideoFest (Dallas), Sync Up Fest (New Orleans), Hollywood Shorts Fest (Los Angeles), and OnLocation Memphis (Memphis). They will also receive $15,000 in filmmaking grants. The Louisiana Film Prize invites filmmakers from all over the world to create and present a short film under one condition – it must be shot in the Shreveport-Bossier area.
The grand prize winner will be chosen based on the votes of a panel of expert judges from all over the country and the festival audience. In true Louisiana style, finalists are encouraged to heavily promote their film and enlist support from friends, family, and the public to heighten their chances of winning. The complete list of filmmakers and their films is below.
“This was an amazing year for us,” said Gregory Kallenberg, founder of the Louisiana Film Prize. “Filmmakers from all over the country came to northwest Louisiana and created incredible pieces of work. These men and women really took the Louisiana Film Prize to another level. I’m thrilled to say that we are quickly becoming the preeminent film competition in the country and a place people think about when they think about independent film.”
The Louisiana Film Prize had close to 80 registrations from all over the nation, with 70% of entries from outside of Louisiana. The participating films utilized over 700 people in cast and crew. Also, the participating films injected over $2.5 million into the area (the payment of cast, crew, food, lodging and equipment).
The film community in Louisiana has rapidly expanded, with more than 100 films and television shows shooting on location in the past 5 years. Recent shoots have included Olympus Has Fallen, The Iceman, The East, and Dark Places, to name a few. Shreveport-Bossier provides great locations at low cost, as well as four sound stages, full grip/electric rental facilities, local camera rentals, experienced crew, and a wide base of talent. Shreveport is also home to Moonbot Studios, who recently won their first Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film with The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.
Visit www.lafilmprize.com to learn more information about the Louisiana Film Prize contest and festival.