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Con-Science

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CMU IFF 2023 Short Film Competition

Maximum Film Length: 5 Minutes

Prize: $1,000 for Judges' Choice
Eligibility: Filmmakers local to Pittsburgh
Registration Deadline: March 24

The Short Film Competition is a 1-week challenge for ALL filmmaker teams across Pittsburgh, under the theme Con-Science. Each team will be competing for a $1000 grand prize to submit the best film scored by Festival Staff and a panel of guest judges from Pittsburgh’s Filmmaking Community.

 

Unique to this competition,  teams will have access to exclusive virtual office hours with mentor filmmakers to get feedback and advice in creating the best version of their short film.

"Con-Science"  invites you to explore the possibility of the future, the advances of technology, and the humanities behind them. Using the medium of film, we would like to hear your interpretations of science, the humanities, and how they will collide with the human form, whether that be socially, or internally. How will people change in the future? How will technology and science influence these things?

Events Schedule

Kick-off Event
March 24, 6 PM @ Frank Ratche Studio for Creative Inquiry

Event includes competition overview, pizza social and film workshop
for participants

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Screening  and Reception

March 31, 5:30 PM @ Simmons Auditorium

Event includes screening, awards ceremony and catered reception

Image by Peter Stumpf

Full Rules

  1. Teams may have a maximum of 4 members.

  2. Films may be no longer than 5 minutes.

  3. Films must be complete, i.e. not a trailer for a more extended project.

  4. Only original works are accepted. Submitting parties must hold complete ownership and rights to the submitted product.

  5. Submissions are due March 29, 11:59 PM, with 1 hour grace period for technical issues. No submissions will be accepted after March 30, 1 AM.

  6. All submissions are final. Repeated submissions will be considered ineligible to win.

  7. Video submissions will be uploaded to the CMU IFF WeTransfer account. Participants will receive a confirmation email from CMU IFF confirming their submission has been received.

Judges

  • Jane Bernstein, English Professor, Carnegie Mellon University

  • Steven Haines, Founder and Director of Pittsburgh Sound+Image

  • Jeffery Hinkelman, Director of the Film and Visual Media Program, Carnegie Mellon University

  • Christian Lockerman, Executive Producer, The Warhol Creative | Sr. Director, External Affairs, The Andy Warhol Museum

  • Harsh Pundit, Filmmaker

  • Isabelle Strollo, Adjunct Instructor, Carnegie Mellon University

  • Andres Tapia-Urzua, iDeAte Professor, Carnegie Mellon University

  • Mark Tierno, Actor

  • Rodolfo Manuel Vega, Director of the Latin American Programs for the Center for Voice Intelligence and Security, Carnegie Mellon University

  • Ralph Vituccio, iDeAte Professor, Carnegie Mellon University

Mentors

 

  • Inbar Haga, Virtual Reality and Multimedia Artist, Carnegie Mellon University

  • Dan Finegold, Video Director

  • Lance Parkin, Director, Writer, Producer, & Sound Engineer

  • Milky Tran, Filmmaker, Point Park University Alumnus

Image by Riccardo Sanmartini

Register by March 24!*

*Deadline applies to competition registration  ONLY. Guests are welcome to register to attend until the day of the event.

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