Award For Young Filmmakers Promoting Social Change Created

AUSTIN, TX — The Paramount Theater has teamed up with The Nobelity Project to form the Nobelity Social Impact Award promoting social change to be awarded at an upcoming young filmmaker's festival.

The award is scheduled to be given out during the 2018 UIL (University Interscholastic League) Young Filmmaker's Festival, organizers said. The winning films will be screened at the Paramount during the Festival, and will also be screened at the Theater at another date in 2018 to be determined, likely during the Paramount Summer Classic Film Series, officials said.

Organizers said the inaugural Nobelity Social Impact Award will be given in both divisions of the festival, with films in each festival category that addresses social issues eligible for the award. Organizers said the Award seeks to honor films entered in the festival that inform and inspire audiences to take action on an issue they care about.

Each division will have one winning school and on runner-up. The winning schools will receive $1,000 in film equipment grants, and the runner-ups will receive $500, according to festival officials. A judging panel led by Turk and Christy Pipkin of The Nobelity Project and Stephen Jannise, film programmer at the Paramount, will evaluate the top six finalists in each division. Films will be judged in three areas: emotional impact, cinematic storytelling, and technical merit.

"The Nobelity Project believes that local acts lead to global impacts, and the Paramount is inspired by the power of the arts to change lives," officials said in a press advisory. "And together, they want to celebrate your school and your call to make the world a better place. This partnership between The Nobelity Project and the Paramount is the latest in a growing collaboration that began with the Paramount hosting special film screening events for schools as part of the Student Matinee program of the award-winning documentary Building Hope with The Nobelity Project."

The UIL Young Filmmaker’s Festival contest portal opens in January, with the deadline to enter on Jan. 15, 2018. For more details, visit: https://www.uiltexas.org/film. For more information on events at the Paramount Theatre, call 512-474-1221 or visit www.austintheatre.org. Follow the Paramount on Facebook at www.facebook.com/paramounttheatre and on Twitter @ParamountAustin.

ABOUT PARAMOUNT THEATER (provided text):

The Paramount Theatre has stood on Congress Avenue in the heart of downtown Austin for over 100 years. The Paramount Theatre plays a significant role in the many communities that make Austin unique. It is home to Austin's red carpet film premieres and is part of the SXSW and the Austin Film Festival. It is a vibrant player in the Austin music scene, hosting release parties, booking local talent and presenting touring acts. Through its own quality programming and by serving as a venue for area arts organizations, the Paramount serves as the anchor for the Austin arts community.

The Paramount Academy for the Arts provides programs that focus on the youth of Central Texas, including active partnerships with more than 100 schools and 40 nonprofits throughout the region, serving around 22,000 children annually. The Paramount Academy for the Arts aims to integrate the arts across all curriculum, ensuring that we are raising creative, empathetic, literate and collaborative thinkers in all our schools.

The Paramount currently operates alongside the State Theatre next door under The Austin Theater Alliance. This 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization strives to bring the widest variety of entertainment to as many people as possible in its two historic theaters.

ABOUT THE NOBELITY PROJECT (provided text):

Founded by Turk and Christy Pipkin, The Nobelity Project is a nonprofit organization seeking solutions to global problems through education and action. Advocating for basic rights of children everywhere, they have a special focus on enabling rural Kenyan communities to fill the gaps in educational infrastructure so their children can see a brighter future. http://www.nobelity.org/.

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