For Immediate Release Contact
Beth Taylor Hart, bethart@gmail.com
Abbe Harris, 908.233.7990, abbepub@aol.com

Registration Opens October 15th @ www.montclairfilm.org/kidzshortz 

(Montclair, October 2, 2012) – The Montclair Film Festival (MFF), in partnership with The Montclair Art Museum and Barista Kids, today announced the launch of the second annual “Kidz Shortz” filmmaking competition. Registration opens on October 15, and submissions will be accepted through February 15, 2013. Winners will be announced on the MFF website on March 1, with the Kidz Shortz Awards Ceremony held on March 7, 2013.

Last year’s competition was a great success in keeping with MFF’s mission of nurturing and showcasing talented filmmakers from around the world while creating a cultural focal point for the Township of Montclair and its neighboring communities. The 2011 Kidz Shortz received over 50 submissions from 15 different NJ communities.

Kidz Shortz is open to students from any community entering 4th through 12th grade in September 2012. Students may submit a short “G” rated film on the theme “Freedom…The Way I See It.” Films must submitted on DVD and be no longer than 6 minutes in length. A blind jury of filmmaking professionals and educators will determine competition winners based on story, theme, creativity, direction, editing, cinematography and overall filmmaking competence. The awards will be given in the following age groups:
▪     Cinemaniacs: enrolled in grades 4-6
▪     Storytellers: enrolled in grades 7-9
▪     Visionaries: enrolled in grades 10-12

For registration and detailed information on submission requirements go to www.montclairfilm.org and click on KIDZ SHORTZ.

Said Kidz Shortz Chairperson Beth Hart, “This year the Montclair Film Festival is expanding its commitment to educating young folks by offering two free workshops to those who register prior to the workshop dates (see website for workshop information). More information is available on the MFF website. Kidz Shortz has been one of MFF’s biggest surprises…who knew there were so many aspiring filmmakers in our communities?”
Montclair Art Museum’s Director Lora Urbanelli added: “The Montclair Art Museum is excited to once again be part of this arts and educational initiative. We share in MFF’s commitment to bringing more opportunities to the growing population of emerging artists of Northern NJ.”

About The Montclair Film Festival:
The Montclair Film Festival (MFF) is a non-profit, tax-exempt (501(c)(3)) community-based organization that produced its first multi-day, multi-venue Film Festival in May 2012.  MFF exists to nurture and showcase the talented filmmakers from around the world while creating a cultural focal point for the Township of Montclair.

Formed in early 2010, MFF has produced three summers of outdoor films as well as several special sold-out screenings, all followed by a live “Q&A” with filmmakers and talent.  MFF is also committed to providing educational opportunities for young filmmakers such as Kidz Shortz and “Behind the Screens,” a full day seminar for students on careers in filmmaking.
MFF is based in storefront headquarters at 494 Bloomfield Avenue, just two doors up from the Clairidge Theater, in the historic Hinck Building.  For information about MFF, visit www. montclairfilm.org/.

About the Montclair Art Museum:
The Montclair Art Museum, a notable, community-based institution with an international reputation, boasts a renowned collection of American and Native American art that uniquely highlights art making in the United States over the last three hundred years. The collection includes more than 12,000 objects: paintings, prints, original works on paper, photographs, and sculpture by American artists from the 18th century to the present, as well as traditional and contemporary Native American art and artifacts representing the cultural developments of peoples from all of the major American Indian regions. The Museum’s education programs serve a wide public and bring artists, performers, and scholars to the Museum on a regular basis. MAM’s Yard School of Art is the leading regional art school, offering a multitude of comprehensive courses for children, teens, adults, seniors, and professional artists.

The Montclair Art Museum is located at 3 South Mountain Avenue in Montclair, N.J. Information and directions are available on the Museum website, montclairartmuseum.org, or by calling 973-746-5555. MAM is open Wednesdays through Sundays, Noon – 5 p.m., and closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and major holidays. Museum admission is $12 for nonmember adults, $10 for senior citizens and students with I.D., and free for members and children under 12.

About Barista Kids:
Barista Kids is a hyperlocal blog with a mission to make life a little easier and a lot more fun for parents in Baristaville.  For information on advertising, write to ads@baristakids.com.  Send press releases and tips to tips@baristakids.com.

This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/ Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and administered by the Essex County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs, and by a grant from The Montclair Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization supporting non-profits in our community.