Here’s a news release we’re distributing today about the We Media Film Festival …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Online Festival Celebrates the Power of “My Community”
ifocos.org today announced a call for entries and viewer-judges to the 2007 We Media Film Festival. The user-generated online film festival, launched in conjunction with the We Media Miami conference to be held Feb. 7-9, is organized in cooperation with the University of Miami School of Communication and Magnify.net, an online resource for community-powered video.
Video creators can upload or link to their videos and anyone can review and judge the entries online at: http://video.ifocos.org
The theme of the video festival is “My Community.”
“Community can mean so many things. It can be a place, an idea, or a group of individuals with shared interests,” said Andrew Nachison, executive director of ifocos.org. “We wanted We Media filmmakers anywhere to be able to use their personal media devices to paint on a broad canvas, and to celebrate the diversity of perspectives about what constitutes a community. We hope the entries will be entertaining and informative in their own right – and that they will enrich conversations worldwide about how media can inform and strengthen real communities.”
The contest is open to the public. Video creators may upload up to five minutes of storytelling around the “my community” theme. Or, if they have already posted a film on one of the popular video sharing sites, like YouTube, GoogleVideo, Revver or Magnify, they can simply link to that posting for their submission.
Ten winning entries will be selected, and winners will have their films premiered at the We Media Miami forum in Miami from Feb 7 – 9,, 2007. Winners will be selected by both a public panel of viewer votes and selected by the festival’s panel of judges.
The overall best entry, determined by the festival judges, will receive an N-series Nokia Multi-Media phone.
To be considered for a prize, entries must be submitted online by Feb. 2, 2007.
Rules for entry and submission guidelines are available by visiting http://video.ifocos.org.
As a resource for community-powered video and the We Media forum, Magnify.net also provided the site design for the festival, and the video upload technology and hosting for the festival site. “Magnify.net is based on the idea that ‘We’ is the future of media creation. Whether it’s peer production, peer review, or submission, Magnify.net is fueled by the very concepts that drive “We Media,” said Steve Rosenbaum, Magnify.net’s CEO.
About iFOCOS
iFOCOS, the Institute for the Connected Society, is an independent not-for-profit organization committed to enabling a better-informed society. Based in Reston, Virginia, iFOCOS convenes thought leaders from across industries and disciplines to understand, apply and experiment with media and technology, and to harness the power of media, communication and human ingenuity for the common good. iFOCOS organizes the annual We Media conference. For more information visit www.ifocos.org.
About Magnify.net
Magnify.net powers user-generated video channels for web publishers, media companies, and video bloggers. The Magnify platform searches and sorts video based on a site’s unique interest and engages the users to discover, share, rate and rank them for relevancy and entertainment value. The company, headquartered in New York, is founded by a team of experienced media, technology, and web development entrepreneurs with track record of best-of-breed innovations. With over 1,500 UGV Channels already on the platform, Magnify.net provides customer focused solutions that are critical to the Video 2.0 revolution. For more information visit www.magnify.net.
For more information:
For iFOCOS:
Andrew Nachison, Executive Director
(703) 251-4807
andrew AT ifocos.org
For Magnify.net:
Laura Galloway
Galloway Media Group
(212) 260-3708
laura AT gallowaymediagroup.com