How cool would it be to have your very first film screening at the White House? Well, U.S. K-12 student filmmakers have the chance to receive the ultimate bragging rights by entering their short films into the first ever White House Student Film Festival, where the winner, yes, gets his/her film screened at none other than 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The contest is now open, so continue on to find out how to enter.

Again, the White House Student Film Festival is open only to students K-12 (all of us old fogies will have to wait for the White House Old Fogey Film Festival). This is a great chance for young filmmakers, who unfortunately miss out on most of these opportunities, to compete on a national stage and potentially receive a substantial amount of exposure.

As far as what the contest is looking for, here's a few words taken from its website that sum it all up:

Our schools are more high-tech than ever. There are laptops in nearly every classroom. You can take an online course on Japanese -- and then video chat with a kid from Japan. You can learn about geometry through an app on your iPad. So, what does it all mean?

We’re looking for videos that highlight the power of technology in schools.

Your film should address at least one of the following themes:

  • How you currently use technology in your classroom or school.
  • The role technology will play in education in the future.

And now, here's Bill Nye the Science Guy to give an overview of the contest:

Short films must be 3 minutes or less and address one of the two themes stated above. Entering is pretty simple; just upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo, fill out and submit the online entry form, as well as a link to the video on the White House website. That's it! And if you're 18, you can do all of this yourself -- if not, you'll need your parent or legal guardian to submit your entry for you.

White House staff will be judging each entry of the film festival based on

  • Creativity in expression of the theme
  • Originality of the Submission
  • Technical Quality of the final video product

Each finalist will receive an invitation to attend the screening of their shorts, which will be held at the White House. Each video will also be featured on the White House's website, YouTube and Vimeo channels, as well as on other social media pages. You'll also get a certificate!

If you're interested, head on over to the White House Student Film Festival website and read up on all requirements. All short film submissions (only one per student) are due 11:59 PM EDT January 29, 2014, so get crackin'!

Are you going to enter the WHSFF? What about all of you parents -- are you going to encourage your kids to enter? Let us know in the comments below.

Link: White House Student Film Festival

[via Indiewire]

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