StudentFilmmakers.com Hosts Second Annual PROJECT: FAIR Anti-Piracy PSA Contest and Online Showcase For VSDA

Call for Entries - StudentFilmmakers.com hosts the second annual PROJECT: FAIR Anti-Piracy PSA contest and online showcase for VSDA at StudentFilmmakers.com, http://www.studentfilmmakers.com/projectfair/ , helping VSDA to spread the Project: FAIR (Filmmakers Against Illegal Replication) mission and anti-piracy message while broadening the film competition’s audience and participants. Deadline for submissions is May 1, 2006. There is no entry fee. The contest is open to all filmmakers and video makers of all ages and levels.

“We were looking for an organization with a deep reach into the student and independent film communities. We were impressed with the information and resources on the StudentFilmmakers.com site and the traffic the site receives. The organization also has experience in hosting contests,” said VSDA Vice President of Marketing and Industry Relations, Carrie Dieterich. “We’re especially excited that the acceptable entries will be on the site for everyone to view. I think it will create a terrific sense of community and competition – in the best sense of the word.”

The short film competition is looking for unique and creative thirty-second short films that will educate the public about illegal copying and speak out against illegal replication affecting the entertainment industry. Judging will be on the basis of technical skill, creativity, and insight into the anti-piracy message. All short film entries will be showcased online.

The first place winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship/stipend and a trip to Las Vegas to attend VSDA’s Annual Convention. The second prize winner will receive a $500 scholarship/stipend. The third prize winner will receive a $250 scholarship/stipend. Additional prizes TBA. For more information and updates, go to http://www.studentfilmmakers.com/projectfair/ .

A panel of celebrity judges will review the entries and select the winner(s) who will be honored at VSDA’s Home Entertainment 2006, to be held in July in Las Vegas. Winning thirty-second shorts will run on monitors in over 4,000 video stores and be distributed to all major and independent studios, entertainment organizations and guilds.

“Piracy is against the law. Not only is it against the law, but I don't think people realize the magnitude of what they're doing, especially when they illegally upload movies to websites for others to download,” said StudentFilmmakers.com Director, Kim E. Welch. “There are so many good ideas out there and ways to express them. I'm really waiting to see and anticipating what our filmmakers will create.”

More information about prizes, contest rules, filmmakers' guidelines, advice to filmmakers, and details about Project: FAIR and VSDA is at http://www.studentfilmmakers.com/projectfair/ . The Project: FAIR Anti-Piracy PSA contest flyer can be downloaded at http://www.studentfilmmakers.com/projectfair/flyer-projectfair06.pdf .

About Studentfilmmakers.com
Studentfilmmakers.com is a resource and creative community for aspiring filmmakers, and its primary goal is to encourage and support new and independent film and video makers of all ages and levels around the world.
http://www.studentfilmmakers.com

About Project: FAIR
Project: FAIR (Filmmakers Against Illegal Replication) invites filmmakers to create public service announcements that speak out against motion picture, music and videogame theft. It's a way for filmmakers to address the issue of illegal piracy in a positive way.

About VSDA
Established in 1981, the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) is the not-for-profit international trade association for the $24 billion home entertainment industry. VSDA represents more than 1,000 companies throughout the United States, Canada, and other nations. Its members operate more than 11,500 retail outlets in the U.S. that sell and/or rent DVDs, VHS cassettes, and console video games. Membership comprises the full spectrum of video retailers (from single-store operators to large chains), video distributors, the home video divisions of major and independent motion picture studios, and other related businesses that constitute and support the home video entertainment industry.
http://www.vsda.org