Free Bright Ideas Film Festival Showcases Student Filmmakers

The inaugural Bright Ideas Film Festival, in partnership with the Brenden Theatres of Concord, will launch the screening of winning entries at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at 1985 Willow Pass Road, Concord, CA. The public is invited to this free event whose goal is to provide a public showcase for student filmmakers in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The festival has competitive categories for High School, Undergraduate and Graduate students. The filmmakers may register to compete at the following website https://filmfreeway.com/festival/BrightIdeasFilmFestival .The entry fee is $10 per film by May 31. Late entries submitted by June 10 will pay $15 per film. According to the rules and terms of the competition, all films must have been produced no earlier than June 14, 2015. All films must be produced exclusively by students. Films may be no longer than 20 minutes including the running of the credits. The films must have copyright privileges for all material used.

Tony Alfaro and Madisun Marquez, both independent student filmmakers, are the festival directors organizing the student entries and the arrangements for the screening.

“We have a panel of professional filmmakers who will judge the entries. They will evaluate the technological quality of the film as well as the strength of the script and acting,” Alfaro said.

Additionally, the festival competition will offer awards and prizes in each of the competitive categories. Award certificates will be presented for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Screenplay. A $500 award will be given to one film across all categories to Best in Show.

The festival is seeking donations to support it outreach and student recognition from community businesses and organizations. Donors and volunteers, who are interested in supporting the festival activities, may contact Alfaro by calling 925-457-0996. Those attending the festival can accept the event invitation on the festival’s Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/BrightIdeasFilmFestival .

“We ‘turning on the switch’ to show the rich talents student filmmakers can bring to the film making industry. We invite everyone to join us for an evening of innovation and entertainment.” Alfaro commented. ޚ8V