The Sun Valley Film Festival returns March 14-17, 2013 with new cutting-edge independent films, premieres, exciting children's programming, previews of new television series, fabulous parties, engaging coffee talks with filmmakers and industry insiders, intimate filmmaker dinners, après ski gatherings, a spectacular closing awards ceremony and more.
Over three days, the Festival will screen more than 60 different films at the Sun Valley Opera House in Sun Valley, the Magic Lantern Cinemas and nextStage Theatre in Ketchum and the Liberty Theatre in Hailey. Building on the family-friendly spirit of Sun Valley, the festival includes kid's programming, the SVFF AudienceAward, and everyone is invited to begin each day with a Coffee Talk - a morning coffee series where filmmakers and industry experts engage the audience in a range of topics. Some notable film producers/directors already committed to participate in 2013 include Jim Burke, The Descendents, Josh Pate, Mirror Mirror, Will McCormack, Celeste & Jesse Foreverand Jonas Pate, Shrink. The Sun Valley Film Festival is currently accepting films in all categories including shorts, mixed media, animation, feature length documentaries and narratives, and this year there’s also a special category for young filmmakers.
In addition to its innovative programming, the Festival will present two awards found at no other film festival – the One In A Million, which honors filmmakers who have made a standout film for under a million dollars and the Vision Award, which recognizes producers and their filmmakingjourneys. Zions Bank is back to present the Gem State Award, given to an Idaho filmmaker whose film best reflects the beauty and diversity of Idaho -The Gem State. New awards this year include the Hot Shot, presented to best film by a student under 18 years old and the Shorty, recognizing the best short story film, no matter the genre or aesthetic. The public is invited to the March 17 awardspresentation and closing ceremony, sponsored by Alaska Airlines.
The idyllic mountain resort setting of Sun Valley, the original ski town steeped in Hollywood history, provides a truly unique location for this lauded new film festival. When Sun Valley Resort opened its doors in 1936, celebrities flocked to play at the glamorous new winter wonderland and Hollywood’s love affair with “America’s first destination ski resort” began. To celebrate the area’s old school Hollywood heritage and bring it into the 21st century, the inaugural Sun Valley Film Festival was launched in March 2012. It showcased over 50 films, attracted over 1,500 participants and 30 top filmmakers and was an instant hit with both audiences and filmmakers alike.
Now entering its second year, the Sun Valley Film Festival is adding new events and new leadership to continue its forward momentum. Candice Pate is the Festival’s new Director and will oversee the management of the event along with Festival Executive Director, Teddy Grennan. “Candice brings a level of leadership and grace which will allow the SVFF to become a premier destination film festival more quickly than we could have imagined,” remarked Grennan. And Hailey has been included as a film venue making this a true Wood River Valley event, he noted.
Grennan added that many of the Festival’s inaugural sponsors, including Lionsgate, Nat Geo WILD, Alaska Airlines, Zions Bank, Idaho Film Office, Idaho Tourism, Sun Valley Resort, and Sun Valley Property News, are back on board and are anticipating a long and successful partnership with the Festival in the years ahead. The Hailey Chamber of Commerce is also a new Festival sponsor.
This spring, filmmakers from around the world will once again bring their vision to the Sun Valley Film Festival and movie lovers are invited to watch it come into focus.
For updates and the latest Festival information go to www.sunvalleyfilmfestival.org, and sign up for email, Facebook and Twitter alerts.
Call for Entries:
The Sun Valley Film Festival, March 14-17, 2013, is currently accepting films in all categories including shorts, mixed media, animation, feature length documentaries and narratives, and this year there is a special category for filmmakers who are 17 and younger.
For further details and to submit a film for consideration: www.sunvalleyfilmfestival.org.
