26 Films by 23 Filmmakers from 10 Countries -
Judging Now Open for $1,000 Online Audience Favorite Award
Palo Alto, CA - October 10, 2008 - Metacafe® and Microcinema International today unveiled finalists for MetaFest 2008, a juried online and offline film festival presenting the best in international creative and contemporary short-form video entertainment. Short-film enthusiasts are invited to vote for their favorite between now and October 31, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. PDT at MetaFest Finalists. The filmmaker whose work is chosen as the Online Audience Favorite will be awarded $1,000 cash and DVD selections from the Microcinema catalog worth $250.

MetaFest finalists - 26 films by 23 filmmakers from 10 countries - were selected from more than 750 entries by jurors Hillman Curtis, an award-winning filmmaker, designer and author whose books include "Creating Short Films for the Web," and Glenn R. Phillips, who is senior project specialist and consulting curator of contemporary programs for the Getty Research Institute and recently curated the "California Video" exhibition.

"We were thrilled with the quantity and quality of MetaFest submissions," said Mark Poggi, senior manager of content marketing for Metacafe. "There are so many filmmakers creating innovative and entertaining short-form works that engage the imagination, tell great stories and are well-suited to the interactive environment. The finalists selected by the jury are exceptional examples of this, and I look forward to seeing which our audience likes most."

MetaFest combines the best of the interactive online video-viewing experience with the best of the live-audience offline film festival experience. Select films will have a theatrical premiere at San Francisco's Roxie Theater on November 13, 2008 and will be screened at dozens of "microcinema" events across the U.S. and around the world through the first half of 2009.

"We've been working with filmmakers for nearly 15 years, and the digital entertainment evolution has opened up some exciting new opportunities," said Patrick Kwiatkowski, co-founder and CEO of Microcinema International. "MetaFest is all about marrying the best of the online and offline worlds and celebrating the works of talented creators making outstanding short films. The program we'll screen at the Roxie is sure to entertain, amaze and inspire."

At the theatrical premiere, one jury-selected Grand Prize winner will be awarded $5,000 cash, a "Short-Short" Award winner will receive $2,000 cash, and the Offline Audience Favorite will win $1,000 cash and DVD selections from the Microcinema catalog worth $250. All award winners will be prominently featured on the Metacafe home page for 10 days and receive additional exposure through marketing and publicity efforts. Additionally, the creator of each film selected for the MetaFest offline program will receive a cash honorarium of $50.

[1] comScore Media Metrix, August 2008