Tallahassee Film Festival Announces 48 Hour Film Contest

Encourages area filmmakers to immerse themselves in the film process 

TALLAHASSEE—Members of the Tallahassee Film Festival, presented by Florida Commerce Credit Union, invite all amateur and professional filmmakers to compete in the 48 Hour Film Contest powered by Tallahassee.com.  The contest provides the community with the chance to be a part of the film process from conception to viewing by offering contestants the opportunity to create and submit their own short film.   

“One of the goals of the Tallahassee Film Festival is to give local cinematographers a venue to display their work to the general public,” said Bob Howard, president of the Tallahassee Film Festival.  “The 48 Hour Film Contest is a perfect vehicle in which to accomplish this goal.” 

The contest will take place March 20-22, 2009. The contest is open to anyone who assembles a team of one to five people to compete.  To enter the 48 Hour Film Contest, stop by the TCC Capitol Center from 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Friday, March 20, 2009. The entry fee is $50 per team. A representative from each team must register in person.  

Teams have 48 hours and a limited production budget of $100 to create their own short film for submission.  On Friday evening, teams will receive a theme, prop, and a line of dialogue which must be included in their film. On Sunday evening, all teams must turn in their finished work.  

All films will be featured on the Tallahassee Democrat website: www.tallahassee.com/48hourcontest.  The public will be able to view and vote for films to win the coveted Tallahassee.com Viewer’s Choice Award.   

A panel of judges will also select winners from the professional and amateur categories to present the Judge’s Choice Award.  The films with the highest total score in each category will be named Best of the 48 Hour Film Contest in that category and will be featured on the official festival programming schedule under a shorts category to be determined.   

Cash awards and trophies will be presented to the filmmakers at the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, April 18 at Tallahassee Community College’s Turner Auditorium. Winning filmmakers will be notified via e-mail or telephone prior to the ceremony. 

The Tallahassee Film Festival celebrates Tallahassee’s talent and harnesses the creativity of university students, amateur filmmakers and industry professionals, showcasing excellence in production, cinematography, acting, directing and everything in between. The festival showcases Tallahassee as an emerging stakeholder in the film industry to filmmakers and industry professionals.

To download the 48 Hour Film Contest entry rules and learn more about the Tallahassee Film Festival, visit www.tallahasseefilmfestival.com. 

###

Tallahassee Film Festival Unveils Plans For 2009

Festival to be held April 15-19, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 31, 2008

Contact: Jennifer Tran

850-681-3200

media@tallahasseefilmfestival.com

Tallahassee, Fla. – The Tallahassee Film Festival (TFF) has announced the dates for the 2009 festival.   After a highly successful first year, festival organizers have broadened the festival from its original 3-day offering to a full 5-day festival that will be held April 15-19, 2009 with added After Parties and an extended timeframe for the 24-Hour Film Festival.

The additional dates and other new offerings are made possible in large part due to the generosity of the festival sponsors who have already lined up to support the 2009 festival.  Most importantly, the Florida Commerce Credit Union has announced it will once again be the presenting sponsor.  A commitment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and agreements from all of last year’s media sponsors also have shored up the festival.

“Florida Commerce Credit Union is proud to serve as the presenting sponsor for an event that builds the arts community in Tallahassee,” said Samantha Strickland, director of Marketing at Florida Commerce Credit Union. “We believe TFF has the potential to foster incredible growth in arts and entertainment and attract the best of the best filmmakers to this area.”

The inaugural year of the festival surpassed expectations. The Tallahassee Film Festival seeks to double its attendance in the coming year and screen even higher quality films from across the globe. In 2008, more than 2,600 people attended one or more film festival events and 65 films were shown.  In addition to expanded dates, TFF will host a series of “After Parties” at clubs and restaurants throughout the Tallahassee area.  Sunday night, April 19, the festival will conclude with a new “Best of Fest” screening that will give festival attendees a second chance to watch the award-winning films at local venues.

Filmmakers interested in entering the Tallahassee Film Festival should go to www.withoutabox.com to register. The Early Entry deadline is October 31 and already, more than 22 entries have been received from filmmakers as far away as Singapore, Bosnia, Afghanistan, New Zealand and Canada.  There are several other entry deadlines coming up with the final call for entries deadline on January 2, 2009.

Tallahassee Film Festival president, Robert Howard, believes TFF has a unique advantage over other film festivals in the country because of its connections with Florida State University, Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College.

“These schools bring to the table resources that include quality venues to screen films and talented professors and students with film industry know-how,” said Howard. “We want our focus to remain on growing the educational components of the festival to include more workshops and lectures given by our own local film experts and others from around the country.”

Last year, the festival included a popular 24-Hour Film Contest held two weeks prior to the festival. More than 15 amateur and professional filmmakers created their own mini-movies within a one day timeframe, each on a limited budget of $100. Films were voted online by the public at Tallahsasee.com and by a professional panel of judges. In 2009, expect the new 48-Hour Film Contest to attract more teams throughout the area.

To learn more about the Tallahassee Film Festival, please visit www.tallahasseefilmfestival.com.

The Tallahassee Film Festival is an outgrowth of Tallahassee’s Knight Creative Communities Initiative, and a project of the THE INTERNATIONAL CREATIVITY CENTER, INC. a non-profit tax exempt organization.

# # #

Moving Forward

As you all know, the yearlong commitment to the Knight Creative Communities Initiative has come and gone. Now, the Knight Foundation is working with KCCI catalysts to determine how best to institutionalize this innovative and community-driven process. The foundation plans to analyze what worked well and what could have been done differently so that they can repeat the process in the future with NEW catalysts who will generate and implement NEW ideas. In the end, Knight Foundation hopes that all of the projects will result in achievement of a balance of the 4Ts and sustained regional economic prosperity. Stay tuned to your local media outlets and this Blog for more detailed information.

In the meantime, please feel free to review a final update on KCCI here.

Check Out UrbanTallahassee.com

Now there’s a new way to track growth and development in the Capital City. It’s UrbanTallahassee.com, and it lists all proposed and pending new development projects in the city. It was created by TJ Lewis, an original KCCI Catalyst whose passion for Tallahassee is clearly demonstrated through his creative photography and detailed articles displayed on this new Web site. Learn about the soon-to-be-here bars and restaurants (i.e. Bob Evans, One O One Martini Bar), hotels (i.e. The Floridian), retail stores (i.e. Hhgregg), offices, planned communities and downtown and Gaines Street redevelopment. It’s a great community resource and a must-see!

Arts on Gaines project has artist support

TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT

Article published Jan 19, 2008

Julian Pecquet
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER For the past decade, wood-carving artist Steve Fox has been using his Brookwood Drive basement as a creative workshop.

But he says he’d be ready to give it up to move into a proposed development where artists would live, work and exhibit their creations, a place where they could share their views on everything from high-concept artistic visions to down-to-earth marketing advice.

“A place like Arts on Gaines would be interesting because it would be a community,” Fox said. “Right now, we’re scattered all over the city and the county.”

Fox is vice-chairman of a committee that the city and county formed four years ago to look into creating a space for artists. He’s also among dozens of artists interested in moving to the site, which would mix affordable housing for artists with studio workspace.

Proponents say it would help efforts to revitalize Gaines Street, and they’re hoping results from a recent survey will convince Tallahassee leaders to turn over a 4.5-acre, city-owned parcel at Gaines and Gay Streets.

But city re-development officials, who have been counting on businesses to build retail space on Gaines Street, received a $4.1 million offer for the site on Thursday from a residential developer.

“We need to make a decision soon, just for everyone’s sake,” said City Commissioner Mark Mustian.

The survey, commissioned by the Council on Culture and Arts, was completed by 332 artists. It showed that half are interested in relocating to a multi-purpose arts facility. Also, about two-thirds expressed interest in renting studio or workspace.

“The responses were incredible,” said Peggy Brady, the council’s executive director. “It really solidifies what this group of citizens has been doing for the past three years working towards this point.”

Based on the survey results, Minneapolis-based nonprofit Artspace, a national leader in real-estate development for the arts, is proposing the creation of up to 55 affordable housing units and 30 studio spaces.

Artspace is set to present the survey’s findings 7-9 p.m. Tuesday at the Marriott Residence Inn at Gaines Street and Railroad Avenue. Earlier that day, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will make an announcement regarding a grant request for the project. COCA is seeking a $225,000 grant to help get the project going.

“There’s been conversation now for 20-some years about turning Gaines Street into an arts and entertainment district,” said Mike Pate, the foundation’s local program director and former publisher of the Tallahassee Democrat. “What we have now is some things actually coming to fruition.”

Proponents say Artspace can be built within three years. It would include an “incubator” space to house the Boys’ Choir of Tallahassee and the Tallahassee Ballet. It would also have rehearsal space for rent and performance/convention space for 300 to 500 people.

The project’s cost isn’t yet known, but COCA expects to have to raise at least several million dollars from the private sector. COCA also hopes to get a $100,000 grant from the Legislature.

It’s also not clear how much would be paid for the site at Gaines and Gay. However, local governments in most communities have turned over land for a symbolic $1, said Wendy Holmes, vice president of consulting and resource development for Artspace.

24-Hour Film Contest Call for Entries

Members of the Tallahassee Film Festival invite you to enter its first 24-Hour Film Contest for non-filmmakers. You’ll get a chance to be a part of the film process from conception to viewing by participating in training seminars and then creating and submitting your own short film. If you’d like to learn more, click here.

To help organize the First Annual Tallahassee Film Festival, which takes place May 15-17, 2008, please e-mail kccitallahassee@gmail.com to volunteer.

A First!

Florida’s first home with “LEED” environmental certification is in Tallahassee!

Check it out: K2 adds touch of silver to green home

(Article is also posted in the News section of this site)

Update on Greenovation

KCCI community catalysts and volunteers gathered for a full-team meeting on Nov. 15 to discuss progress made by each initiative and offer suggestions for overcoming any obstacles. Below is the update provided by the Greenovation team.On a side note, Greenovation’s PARC (Park-and-Ride Community) team is looking for help in launching a second StarMetro park-and-ride program in January. The fact that StarMetro is interested in extending this pilot program is excellent news! If you are interested in offering your assistance or expertise to the PARC team, please e-mail kccitallahassee@gmail.com.  

REPORT ON GREENOVATION

Summary of Six-Month Accomplishments  

EDUCATION: In partnership with Leon County Schools, Leon County and the City of Tallahassee, we’ve launched a major overhaul of the school district’s countywide recycling program. Recycling coordinators are at every school; “how to” posters are in every classroom and other rooms — jointly financed by the Tallahassee Democrat and World Class Schools; submission of two separate joint Innovative Recycling Grant applications to the Department of Environmental Protection: one is a partnership of the school district, the city and the county, the other is a partnership of FSU, FAMU and the city and county. It’s a competitive process, and we’ll learn in the spring how we fared, but we’re very optimistic. The money for the grants is distributed in the fall of 2008.

PARK-AND-RIDE: We’ve launched PARC (Park and Ride Community), a pilot program designed to increase the use of mass transit among residents in the North Thomasville Road area of the city. Fifty-three people signed up, substantially more than our original goal. A few PARC riders participated in a focus group last week, where they were asked about their experiences. As people become more sustainability conscious and as gas prices increase, we’re confident that more people will consider StarMetro as a transportation alternative, and this pilot program is giving the city a lot of data on how to make it a more attractive option for a broader segment of the population.

URBAN DESIGN STUDIO: Discussions are under way for creation of an Urban Design Studio. The idea, in a nutshell and in layman’s terms, is to create a strategy, working with local government, to encourage desirable, sustainable architectural design and buildings as well as land-use planning.

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE: We were invited to present in mid-October in the 2nd Annual Campus & Community Sustainability Conference at FSU, attended by people from all over Florida in the business, government, academic and nonprofit communities. We’ve also been asked to participate in the planning for a local/regional Climate Change Summit that Leon County is planning.

SUSTAINABLE TALLAHASSEE: Finally, we’ve launched Sustainable Tallahassee, the vehicle for sustaining our initiative well into the future. There’s ongoing discussion about whether Sustainable Tallahassee should just be called Greenovation, since Greenovation has already achieved some name recognition, but no final decision has been made. Whatever we call it, we see this organization as our most important legacy because it will be a clearinghouse and resource center for everything we’ve done so far and what we hope to do in the future. A few important highlights related to Sustainable Tallahassee include:

1. Funding opportunities: Kristin Dozier, who’s chairing Sustainable Tallahassee, has had several discussions with Kim Williams, of Marpan Supply, about financing a Web site and we’re very hopeful that deal will be closed. Web-related issues have dominated the group’s efforts so far, but they’ve made a lot of headway in terms of research and organization. We’re also anticipating submitting a new financing proposal to our friends at the Knight Foundation as well as some local sources.

2. Besides that, the committee also identified marketing and communications, participation in an upcoming Brogan Museum energy exhibit and Web site content as its major focuses.

Upcoming Plans

We’ve been bowled over by the energy and enthusiasm that Greenovation has attracted and inspired. Our challenge has been to maintain a focus and direction without exerting too much control. We’ve wanted to let people be free to run with their ideas without having to answer excessively to a chain of command. It’s worked well so far, and our next challenge is to maintain the momentum for the next six months and beyond. Here’s what we anticipate:

RECYCLING: On the recycling front, we’re forming Green Teams at every school; developing curriculum resources for teachers to help them integrate recycling concepts in various disciplines at the elementary, middle and high school levels; and planning for big events such as Earth Day. We’re also discussing an art competition and possible video production. Finally, we see a real opportunity, given Gov. Crist’s “green” initiatives, to be a catalyst for substantially upgrading recycling programs at various state offices here in Tallahassee.

PARK-AND-RIDE: The PARC program is compiling data from two focus groups. Virtually all of the participants who attended the recent focus groups said they would continue to use StarMetro after the program ends Dec. 7.

SUSTAINABLE TALLAHASSEE: We expect a gradual migration of our other efforts into Sustainable Tallahassee over the next six months. We see that as part of the natural evolution of our overall initiative.

PARTNERSHIPS: We expect a few initiatives/partnerships to develop over the next six months. The first is a partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and, hopefully, local and state governments on a business recycling program. Chamber Chairman Ron Sachs has publicly identified this as a major effort of his tenure, and he reached out to Greenovation to partner with the Chamber. We’ve already had one meeting with Chamber representatives on this, and we expect this will begin to move pretty quickly.

The second is something that we’re calling the Greener Business Bureau, an idea and name that Mark O’Bryant of Tallahassee Memorial dreamed up. The GBB, whose home will be within Sustainable Tallahassee, of course, would be a whole set of sustainable standards and programs that local and regional businesses adhere to — the idea being that if you’re a member of GBB, customers, investors and others will know that you’re certifiably green in more than just a marketing sense. Mark is in the process of developing a TMH program along these lines, with the goal of rolling out a GBB proposal after the New Year.

School CANpaign Winners Announced

Participation More Than Doubles for CANpaign 2007

The City of Tallahassee Utilities teamed up with Leon County Schools, a host of local business partners, and volunteers that came out to help from FAMU, FSU, Greenovation, Leon High and Lincoln High to participate in the recent CANpaign 2007 Recycling Challenge. This year’s CANpaign brought in over 4,300 pounds of aluminum cans.

Thirty-four area schools and college organizations participated in this year’s CANpaign, up from 15 in 2006. While the competition was tight, the following schools came out on top in their respective categories.

Elementary School: Chaires, with a CANtribution total of 410.1 pounds

Middle School: Raa, 54.2 pounds

High School: Chiles, 228.2 pounds

Private School: Magnolia, 157.6 pounds

College Organization: FAMU ESSO, 53.4 pounds

Deerlake Middle School was the lucky winner of the drawing for a $250 gift card to The Home Depot to be used for recycling or landscaping supplies. All participating schools and organizations were automatically entered into the drawing.

“The community was the real winner of this challenge,” said Anja DeLoach, recycling and special services coordinator for the City’s Solid Waste Services. “Tallahassee has increased its recycling exponentially this year with more frequent curbside recycling service, and this event really brought the effort home.”

CANpaign 2007 is part of the U.S. Council of Mayors nationwide recycling challenge, conducted in October and culminated locally in the CANpaign 2007 Rally on Saturday, Oct. 13 in the parking lot of The Home Depot, 3200 Capital Circle NE. In 2006, the City of Tallahassee won first place nationwide for “Most Innovative Recycling Campaign”.

“The success of this program is just one demonstration of how collaborative efforts can have a significant impact on our environment,” said Reginald Ofuani, general manager of Solid Waste Services. “We look forward to continued efforts to increase and enhance recycling in our community.”

The City of Tallahassee has a strong commitment to recycling throughout the community. In May of 2007, the city increased household recycling pickup from every other week to weekly collection. Since that time, residential recycling has increased by over 30 percent over the same period in 2006, and even without a service change, commercial recycling has almost doubled during that same time period as well due to growing awareness.

For more on CANpaign 2007 and other City recycling information, visit Talgov.com.

Jump Start Team Goes Separate Ways

After several months of working to establish a collective vision, the Jump Start Plan X team has decided to separate and pursue individual projects related to assisting small businesses. Some team members will develop new initiatives to make Tallahassee a more small-business- friendly city, while others will re-channel their energy and creativity into existing KCCI projects. Either way, each catalyst and volunteer will continue to play a significant role in helping achieve KCCI’s overall goal, which is to stimulate positive change that brings sustainable economic prosperity to our region.

While Jump Start Plan X will be removed from the list of KCCI initiatives, we will continue to keep you posted on any new developments related to small business efforts moving forward. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or e-mail kccitallahassee@gmail.com.