Bittersweet

Now comes the toughest part of this whole process...  notifying those who did not make it into this year's festival. :-(

It's such a cliché:  "Thanks but, no thanks."  Four simple words. 

The fact is, we do thank those who were not selected, and what's more we salute them for taking the chance in the first place.  Unlike actors who can always hide behind the lines that they did not write, filmmakers take a huge personal risk by asking others to view and (in this case) judge their work, their vision, and really, themselves.  The willingness to put themselves out there is what separates them from the great majority of their peers.  How can you not applaud and respect that? Hopefully, rather than be discouraged they will work even harder to achieve their dreams.   The ultimate goal of this festival is to honor all those who did take that chance, and ultimately encourage every student filmmaker to continue their reach for perfection.  

Finalist Selections Nearly Complete

After viewing about 350 minutes of student films, the first round of evaluations are nearly complete. Phew!  Even after being directly involved in this process since 2001, I'm still amazed at the level of sophistication and innovation that so many of these films bring.  And just for the record, I do not serve as a judge for any of the panels.  

So What happens next?  Quite simply, after the finalists are selected for inclusion in the main public screening event,  a program for the festival screening will be put together, and each filmmaker notified.  Each of these will be designated as an "Official Jury Selection."  Finally,at the conclusion of the May 9th screening,  winners are announced for each category and awards presented.  And then everyone in audience gets $50,000 in cash!    ummmm.. okay, the "cash" part isn't true.  But what is true is that everyone in attendance will be treated to some absolutely amazing student films.

Dead Lines, schmead lines

Yes, the April 10 deadline has passed. Yet still a couple films are straggling in from throughout this great land of ours. So far the overall quality of the projects has been very impressive. There seems to be a trend developing in which the film makers are using snow scapes. Not sure of the significance of that, perhaps it's a reflection of tough economic times? Or maybe it's just a sign of winter. The plain truth is we are big fans of creative expression and interpretation. So have at it!
Meanwhile, back at the festival... all the entries are still being evaluated, we expect to have the judging phase completed before the end of April, at which time we should have a schedule figured out. As Proust once said: "We'll know more when we know more."

Welcome to the 2009 Delta Moon Student Film Festival

The 9th annual festival is now open! The main public screening event featuring all finalists will be held on May 9th, 2009. Last year's audience of over one-hundred were treated to an incredibly diverse selections of student films from across the country.

Founded in 2001, the Delta Moon Student Film Festival is exclusively dedicated to showcasing the top works from high school students nationwide. Entries are judged by a panel of industry professionals.

The Delta Moon Student Film Festival is presented by the Liberty Film Alliance and the cooperative efforts of Frank Pappas of Liberty HS & Gary Wickman.

Additional support provided by Bart Cox of Heritage HS, and Kiel Olff of Deer Valley HS, Paul LaCasse of Pittsburg HS, and Jeff Vargen of Freedom HS.

Welcome to the 2008 Delta Moon Student Film Festival

2008 Delta Moon Student Film Festival: Entry Deadline - April 4th.

The 8th annual festival is now open! The main public screening event featuring all the finalists will be held on May 3rd, 2008. Last years audience of over one-hundred were treated to an incredibly diverse selections of student fims from across the entire country. It was especially gratifying to have so many of the filmmakers in attendance as well. (Not easy for students at that time of year, especially for those from other states.) In all, twelve filmmakers were able to attend. We have high hopes for an even better field of entries this year.

Founded in 2001, the Delta Moon Student Film Festival is exclusively dedicated to showcasing the top works from high school students nationwide

The Delta Moon Student Film Festival is the result of the cooperative efforts of Frank Pappas of Liberty HS & Gary Wickman.

Additional support provided by Bart Cox of Heritage HS, and Kiel Olff of Deer Valley HS, and Jeff Vargen of Freedom HS.