“FEMALE FILMMAKER CHALLENGE”: Submission dates Aug 10-28.

h. nazan ışık—

10 August 2015—

The Helios Film Festival and TentSquare have announced the launch of a “Female Filmmaker Challenge” as part of the film festival’s inaugural edition. The first time film festival takes place in Cincinnati, from October 9-11 2015.

“We could not be more excited to join forces with TentSquare to host this Female Filmmaker Challenge in our very first year,” said Festival Director Lana Read. “As filmmakers ourselves, Co-Director Ramsey Stoneburner and I are thrilled that the Helios Film Festival will immediately establish itself as a home for female directors and a film festival they can look to as a place dedicated to putting their work front and center.”

The “Female Filmmaker Challenge” will be open to female writers, directors, cinematographers and producers to submit a short film up to 15 minutes for a chance to win cash prizes, VIP badges to the 2015 Helios Film Festival and receive a spot on the “Women in Film” panel at the festival. The winner of the website’s contest will receive $500, 2 VIP filmmaker badges, and a spot on a “Women in Film” panel that will take place during the film festival. Choosing the winner of that contest will be actress/filmmaker Pollyanna McIntosh (LET US PREY, THE WOMAN), producer Kerry Fulton (JUSTIN AND THE KNIGHTS OF VALOR, ANA Y YO), and director/producer Sylvia Caminer (AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART, TANZANIA: A JOURNEY WITHIN). A staff-chosen winner will receive a $250 prize and a single VIP filmmaker badge.

TentSquare’s Andrew van den Houte said: “Film history is rich with so many contributions made by female filmmakers,” and added, “and yet those creative voices are heard less often. The community is replete with talented women filmmakers and we’re excited to see what they create.”

The deadline for entries for the “Female Filmmaker Challenge” is August 28, 2015. . Application and entry details can be found at

https://www.tentsquare.com/challenges/female-filmmaker-challenge-sfcs.

The Helios Film Festival is currently accepting entries through August 31, 2015. The categories and submission information are on the web site at http://heliosfilmfestival.org.

“The focus of our film festival is to bring independent films out of the darkness and illuminate the talent and professionalism that they contain,” said actor/director and film festival co-director, Michael Loos.