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Students Invited to Compete in Albany Film Festival

By Bailey Cummings

Published November 12, 2019



Are you a filmmaker, graphic designer, or artist? If so, there is an event for you coming up in the spring semester.


The New York State Writers Institute is holding the Albany Film Festival on March 28, 2020 on UAlbany’s uptown campus.


Paul Grondahl, Director of the Writers Institute, came up with the idea to host a film festival on campus that is open to students and the public. It is also a way to build on the popular Albany Book Festival that is put on each fall.


“The festival is open to the campus and the community, free of charge,” says Michael Huber, communications specialist for the Writers Institute. “We love it when our events bring lots of community members to the campus.”


The festival will consist of film screenings, a poster contest, workshops, and will be held in the Campus Center and Lecture Centers.


The Albany Book Festival poster contest is open to current UAlbany students and has no entry fee. The creator of the winning poster will receive a cash prize of $300.


“Every film begins with a story, and storytelling in the filmmaking process is the essence of the New York State Writers Institute’s Albany Film Festival,” says Grondahl.


Full-length and short films created by students and acclaimed directors will be screened at the festival, along with panel discussions and Q&As that encourage audience participation.


“The Festival will include in-depth panel discussions and how-to workshops with writers, screenwriters, filmmakers and film industry professionals, film critics and authors who have adapted their books into films,” says Huber.


The film festival is calling submissions for short films in the following genres: comedy, drama, experimental, and documentary. A winner from each genre will be selected, as well as Best Overall Short Film and Best Overall Student Short Film.


You can find submission details for the short films and poster contest at https://www.albanyfilmfestival.org/.


The Writers Institute encourages students to help out, either as interns or as event volunteers. For more information on how to help out with the Albany Film Festival, email Michael Huber at mhuber@albany.edu.


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