For the first time, Film Your Issue, a project from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, will accept short 30- to 60-second films on the subject of animal welfare, the result of a special collaboration with the Humane Society of the United States.
Film Your Issue founder Heathcliff Rothman says that his personal commitment to animal welfare was the reason for adding the category to the competition. Rothman, a journalist, urges filmmakers to infuse their submissions with passion and to use any approach, from serious to humorous. We want you to be uncensored, unzipped and truthful.
Entrants must be 18 to 26 years old and produce a live-action or animated film. Six finalists will be selected by the public via MSN Video and the FYI jury, which includes Walter Cronkite, George Clooney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and HSUS president Wayne Pacelle.
The top vote-getting entry in each of the six categories will be broadcast on MSN Video, MSNBC.com, and mtvU. A selection of finalists in the animal welfare category will appear on the HSUS website.
The deadline for entries is May 1. For more information, visit the FYI website.
Posted: April 1, 2006, 5 a.m. EST