LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - August 5, 2010) - Openfilm.com, the online platform that connects independent filmmakers to the professional community and helps them find an audience for their films, today announced the six finalists in its 1st Get It Made short film competition. The announcement was made here at the opening of the 6th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival where the entries will be screened on August 11.
The six finalists -- the "Top Six Flix" -- will now move on to the next round of the competition where the Openfilm Advisory Board, comprised of award-winning actors and filmmakers James Caan, Scott Caan, Robert Duvall and Mark Rydell, will judge each film and ultimately choose the final winner.
Each of the six finalists will receive feedback from the Advisory Board, and the winner will receive $50,000 in cash and $200,000 in financing to develop his or her short into a feature film with Openfilm Studios. The Get It Made competition commits $1 million over the next year and a half to support independent filmmakers, with a new winner selected every five months.
Based on the Openfilm community voting, which ended at midnight August 1, the Top Six Flix are:
- "Code Name: Operation Black Thunder" (Edgar Jimz, director -- Staten Island, NY) When the intelligence agencies are infiltrated by a terrorist organization and can no longer be trusted, seven disgraced New York City cops are called upon to stop the worst terrorist attack in US history. One cop rises to the challenge and becomes a vigilante who saves us all.
- "Dead Cat Bounce" (Daric Gates, director -- Burbank, CA) When brokers underestimate the bottom of a falling stock market, the resulting brief rise and subsequent freefall of stocks is called the dead cat bounce. As the global economy verges on disaster, an ambitious broker uncovers a startling secret placing him at odds with the underground society in control of the world market for centuries.
- "Hawaiian Ghost Story" (Grant Wheeler, director -- Honolulu, HI) This animated adventure tells the story of three best friends who enlist the help of a spiritual guide to rid their home of a terrifying ghost named Namiko. When one of the boys is drawn into the spirit world, his friends must solve the ghost mystery before his stay becomes permanent.
- "HELP" (Val Lauren, director -- Los Angeles, CA) Follow one man on the night he embarks on a desperate mission to save his dying mother's life.
- "Rosewood" (Marvin Choi, director -- Norwalk, CA) Paul is a college student who gets his first job as a part-time dishwasher at an old diner named Rosewood. To survive his first night on the job he must contend with the tyrannical head chef and calloused kitchen staff and learn what it takes to work in a real restaurant.
- "Untitled for James" (Ali Tabibnejad, director -- Missoula, MT) James' father was a brilliant inventor who upon his death bequeathed his son an unusual inheritance. If you received a dream generator that allowed you to start over with a clean slate, would you be able to resist?
The HollyShorts Film Festival's screening of the Get It Made Top Six Flix will be held August 11, at Laemmle Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd. Tickets can be purchased online now at http://www.hollyshorts.com. The Top Six Flix are also available for viewing online at http://www.openfilm.com/videos/?&f=500&q=1.
The 2nd Get It Made competition is now open and submissions are being accepted now. More information about submitting a film is available at http://www.openfilm.com
The winner of the 1st Get It Made competition will be announced in September.
About Openfilm
Openfilm is a technology company that is advancing the distribution of independent film. The company's online platform provides filmmakers with a variety of revenue sharing opportunities. Through Openfilm's software, films are presented in the highest quality available online. Openfilm's IP portfolio is being developed by an exceptional team of engineers, many of whom hold PhDs. Led by an Advisory Board of established industry heavyweights, James Caan, Scott Caan, Robert Duvall and Mark Rydell, Openfilm will transform the way independent films are discovered, financed and distributed. For more information: http://www.openfilm.com
Note to Press and Bloggers: James Caan will meet the press today, Thursday, August 5, at the HollyShorts 2010 Film Festival press conference at the DGA Theater, 7920 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, starting promptly at 4:30 PM PT. Directors and actors representing the six Get It Made finalist films will be available to speak to the media. For additional information please contact HollyShorts publicist: Isandra Gonzalez, 22 Entertainment, (818) 668-4718 or isandra@22entertainment.net
Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Lauren Lagarde
Sparkle Beetle Communications
(504) 304.6792
lauren@sparklebc.com