NH Film Festival opens call for entries, announces 2009 dates for 9th annual Film Fest

[Received this press release from our friends at the New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth.]

Oct. 15-18 in Downtown Portsmouth, NH

Attention filmmakers, The New Hampshire Film Festival will take place Oct. 15-18 in downtown Portsmouth and the call for entries is now officially open. Films and screenplays are already pouring in, according to organizers.

The NHFF has garnered national press coverage including in Moviemaker Magazine. Filmmakers and writers entered more than 600 films and 100 screenplays in 2008 when more than 6,000 people attended the festival. Filmmakers should visit http://www.nhfilmfestival.com to enter with upload service http://www.withoutabox.com.

“A ton of film and screenplay entries have already poured into the NH Film Festival offices,” said NHFF Executive Director Nicole Gregg. “We urge filmmakers and writers to enter as early as possible this year so that we can keep up with the incredible response we've been so fortunate to experience.”

With a lineup of films coming from international festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, and Cannes, the NHFF program has evolved to compare to major film festivals, according to Gregg. NHFF entries are being accepted in the following categories: Feature Narrative; Feature Documentary; Short Comedy; Short Drama; Short Documentary; Student; Animation; and Screenplay. Submission deadlines for the 9th Annual New Hampshire Film Festival are as follows: Early Bird entries close June 5. Early entries close July 5. Late entries close August 5. Without A Box entries online close Aug. 15.

While NHFF has increasingly drawn international submissions, (more than 20 countries were represented in 2008) Gregg urged filmmakers with New Hampshire ties to submit any genre of film to NHFF's special New Hampshire Night when Granite State films will be screened, scheduled this year for Thursday, Oct. 15.

“NHFF is about great film and we are committed to giving local filmmakers a venue to share their work as well as experience a world class festival in their own backyard,” Gregg said.

NHFF will be announcing prizes and juries during the coming months as sponsorships, participating artists and other details are finalized. To stay in touch with NHFF announcements, sign up for the mailing list at http://www.nhfilmfestival.com. Past prizes have included cash, software, equipment and more.

NHFF's 2008 winners included: Best Short Comedy Award: "Cutlass," director Kate Hudson; Best Short Drama: "Centigrade," directors Colin Cunningham, Madison Graie; Best Animation Award: "The Magistical," directors John Cernak, Danny Oakley, writer John Cernak; Best Student Award: "The Abattoir," director/writer, T.J. Volgare; Best Documentary Award: "I.O.U.S.A.," director Patrick Creadon; Grand Jury Award: "The Life Before Her Eyes," director Vadim Perelman, writer Emil Stern; Best Feature Award, "The Unknown Woman," director/writer Giuseppe Tornatore; Best Screenplay Award: "The Stunning Box," by David Bertoni, Yarmouth, Maine; and Audience Choice Award: "Between the Folds," feature-length documentary, by Vanessa Gould.

Winners of New Hampshire awards included New Hampshire Documentary Film Award: "Communities and Consequences," director/writer Jay Childs; and the New Hampshire Film of the Year Award: "Sick Sex," by Justin Nowell, director and co-writer with Thomas Nowell.s

About NHFF | The non-profit New Hampshire Film Festival is the only event of its kind in the state. Its mission is to celebrate the art of filmmaking by uniting professional filmmakers, screenwriters, and film students with industry experts, educators, and film connoisseurs from around the globe.

In 2008, more than 6,000 people attended the four-day festival held the weekend after Columbus Day. NHFF relocated to Portsmouth in 2004 after starting in Derry in 2001 when it was known as the New Hampshire Film Expo. Further information will be available online at www.nhfilmfestival.com as the NHFF judges panel selects films for acceptance. Advertising and sponsorship opportunities are also available by calling 603.647.6439.