Palm Springs International Festival Of Short Films & Film Market Announces Ten Student Awards To Be Presented By Kodak

The Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Film Market and Kodak will continue to honor the best in student filmmaking with ten awards including The Kodak Award For Best Student Cinematography. The first place winner of the Best Student Cinematography Award will receive an invitation to attend the 2005 Cannes International Film Festival to showcase a clip of their film in the Kodak Showcase, presented by Kodak’s Emerging Filmmaker Program.
By attending the Cannes Film Festival, the winner will have the opportunity to meet industry professionals from around the world through participation in panels, showcases and other events. All of the participants in the annual Kodak Showcase have won prestigious student competitions within the United States. The criteria for consideration of the Kodak Award for Best Student Cinematography will include unique uses of the camera, use of lighting or creative lighting techniques, unique looks of creative processing of the film, how well the camera is used to tell the story, and frame composition.
Kodak, a major sponsor of the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films and Film Market, provides film stock to winners in five of the Festival’s student categories including Best Student Animation, Best Student Documentary, Best Student Live Action (over 15 minutes) Best Student Live Action (15 minutes and under) as well as Kodak Award for Best Student Cinematography. Kodak will award a total of $7,500.00 in film stock during the Festival, with each first place winner receiving $1,000 in film stock, while second place winners will receive $500.00 in film stock. All student filmmakers in competition are eligible for these awards.
“We are very pleased to have Kodak return as a major sponsor,” stated Earl Greenburg, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Palm Springs International Film Festival. He added, “Kodak is a global leader in the field of traditional filmmaking photography as well as digital imaging of the future. Their contribution and support to young filmmakers is know throughout the industry and is consistent with our Festival’s mission to showcase and recognize these talented individuals. We are honored that Kodak endorses our efforts and will continue with this important partnership honoring the filmmakers of tomorrow.”
"Filmmaking is a uniquely collaborative form of artistic expression," says Jonathan Williamson, spokesman for the Kodak Student Filmmaker Program. "The role of the cinematographer is frequently overlooked by the press and the public, because their work is generally designed to be transparent to the audience. However, the reality is that cinematographers are the authors of the images that are the heart and soul of every motion picture, whether it is a short film or an epic movie. We thank everyone involved in this festival for the work they are doing to inspire talented young cinematographers to pursue their dreams. We are proud to be their partners in this noble venture."

Designated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as an award-qualifying festival and accredited by the International Short Film Conference (ISFC), the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films is the largest short film showcase in North America. The Festival has captured Hollywood’s attention as a scouting ground for new filmmaking talent and is well attended by those in the business of buying and selling short films.

In its tenth anniversary edition The Palm Springs International Short Film Festival and Film Market will present over 300 short films from over 40 countries with several exciting sidebars and special events. Presented on three screens with concurrent Film Market facilities featuring over 2000 shorts, this making it the largest short film festival and market in North America. The Festival offers 20 awards in ten different categories featuring cash prizes and/or film stock. All submitted films eligible for film market participation for no additional submission fee. Winning films in Live Action and Animation categories are automatically qualified for nomination consideration by AMPAS in the short film categories. Festival runs from August 31st to September 6th in Palm Springs, California. For ticket information you may go to the website at www.psfilmfest.org.