The Movie Institute Announces Student Digital Film Competition 2011

Online, April 1, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The First Annual Movie Institute Student Film Competition encourages students entering grades 6-12 to demonstrate their filmmaking skills and compete for free registration to attend Kamp Hollywood July 25 - 31 in Dallas.

"The competition is a way to generate awareness of the phenomenal talent these kids have and their desire to communicate through film and the moving image. In a time when kids are thought to have short attention spans and generally lack the discipline and focus of previous generations, these kids are channeling all of their passion and creativity into the production of excellent films," Keith Duncan, Executive Director of the Movie Institute, said.

The competition includes categories for Kamp Hollywood alums and aspiring filmmakers entering grades six through eight and grades nine through 12 for the 2011-12 school year. Films must be three to 10 minutes long and reflect one of the key life skills learned through the Kamp Hollywood experience, such as teamwork.

"What these kids have shown us over the past decade is that they have the desire to express themselves through film, and through the Kamp Hollywood experience they are developing key life skills that they'll use after they leave camp. We are thrilled to offer the Kamp Hollywood program to support the development of a new generation of filmmakers, and we are excited to see what students will create for the competition," said Don Stokes, president of the Movie Institute Board of Directors and president of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance.

A Grand Prize Winner from each category receives complimentary registration to Kamp Hollywood, a $600 value. Winning films will premiere at the Kamp Hollywood wrap party and will be made available for viewing online following the camp. Second and third prize winners in each category will win Kamp Hollywood camp gear, and their films will be made available for viewing online following camp.

Film submissions must be received by 10 p.m. Central on June 10, 2011. All films will be reviewed by a panel of experts, and winners will be announced via e-mail and online on June 30.

About The Movie Institute
The Movie Institute is a 501 (c) 3 public charity that provides mentoring and training programs for both young people and adults (regardless of race, creed, or economic background) that utilize the creativity and disciplines of the moving image and media industries in order to train vital skills such as teamwork, leadership, organizational ability, and critical thinking, so that they may become more employable and lead successful, productive lives.

About Kamp Hollywood
Kamp Hollywood is a comprehensive moviemaking day camp where young people experience the Indie film industry by creating their own digital indie short films. Campers, or "Indies" as they are called at camp, have fun experiencing the creativity that only the moving image industry brings. Through this one-of-a-kind experience, vital life skills such as teamwork, discipline, and leadership are learned while gaining a sense of confidence and accomplishment. Indies experience the creation lifecycle of a film hands-on, taking on various roles from concept through production. Indies are empowered to leverage their natural talents in screen writing, casting, lighting, camera work, production, direction, location scouting, acting, and more to contribute to each film project. This unique approach engages Indies of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences in a collaborative team environment where they will collectively achieve their goals. Films produced are screened at the graduation/wrap party for family and friends. For more than a decade, Kamp Hollywood has created a stellar reputation among camp veterans through creative, dynamic, and strategic programming. Camp alumni have gone on to high-profile film schools such as NYU, USC, UCLA and SMU.