NDFTT Announces The Inaugural Force For Good Film Festival

The University of Notre Dame's Department of Film, Television, and Theatre (FTT), in partnership with Notre Dame's Office of Pre-College Programs, announces the inaugural Force For Good Film Festival - a film festival for high school students and their phones.

Created to encourage high school students to use personal cell phones as creative tools by making short films with positive messages, the Force For Good Film Festival is inspired by the words of Notre Dame founder Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., who predicted that the University would become "a powerful force for good."

Current high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors are eligible to participate by using their phone to make a five-minute film that touches on the concept of being a "force for good." Films must be uploaded to the Force For Good Film Festival site on Withoutabox.com by April 1.

Winners will be announced online on April 30. The winning films will be screened at the ANDkids World Film Festival in August 2018 in the Browning Cinema at Notre Dame's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.

The Gold Medal "Best of Fest" winner will be eligible to receive a full scholarship to the two-week University of Notre Dame Summer Scholars Program (film production track) for either 2018 or 2019. The Summer Scholars Program is designed to offer high school students a preview of college academics during two rigorous weeks of study and collaboration in small classes with a high degree of faculty interaction. Students earn one college credit upon the completion of a program track.

Silver Medal winners in each of the two categories (fiction and non-fiction) are eligible to receive a $500 partial scholarship toward attending the Notre Dame Summer Scholars film production track. Honorable mention films will receive recognition and a screening along with the winning films at the ANDkids World Film Festival.

"We're on a mission from God," says festival director Ted Mandell, associate professional specialist in FTT. "Creativity is a gift we are all given. But unlike a brand-new cell phone for Christmas, creativity is a gift that's not always unwrapped in high school. The Force For Good Film Fest wants students to be creative, to see their phones as film cameras and to use them for more than selfies and Snapchat."

FORCE FOR GOOD FILM FESTIVAL

Submission deadline: April 1, 2018
Eligibility: Current freshmen, sophomores and juniors in high school.
Requirements: Films must be inspired by the concept of being a "force for good." Films must be five minutes or less and must be created using a phone.

Prizes: Winning films will be screened at the ANDkids World Film Festival in August 2018 in the Browning Cinema at Notre Dame's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.

Gold Medal "Best of Fest" winner - full scholarship to the two-week University of Notre Dame Summer Scholars Program (film production track)*

Silver Medal winners (fiction and non-fiction) - $500 partial scholarship to the two-week University of Notre Dame Summer Scholars Program (film production track)*

Honorable Mention films - recognition and screening at the ANDkids World Film Festival in August 2018

*Scholarships are available only to current high school sophomores or juniors and are contingent upon acceptance into the Summer Scholars program. Winning students must provide copies of their high school transcripts, a teacher recommendation letter and a counselor report. Winning students have no obligation to attend the Summer Scholars program. Full and partial scholarships are only applicable to the Summer Scholars program, are non-transferable, and cannot be redeemed for cash.

More information and submission instructions: http://ftt.nd.edu/events/forceforgood/

Notre Dame's Department of Film, Television, and Theatre seeks to inspire intellectual inquiry and nurture creativity. We offer both a scholarly and a creative context for the general liberal arts student at Notre Dame as well as those students seeking intensive preparation for advanced study in these fields. The hands-on nature of our curriculum, coupled with a very high degree of student-faculty interaction, provides students with a singular educational opportunity at a university known for its teaching excellence.

Follow FTT on Twitter @NDFTT. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NDFTT.

 

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