Shameless Middle School Student Film Festival Plug

Well, a wee bit o' shame, really, but we plunge forth nonetheless....

The 7th/8th graders in a little film class I teach will be getting together with a larger film class over at the Public Academy for the Performing Arts (PAPA) to put on a little "festival" this Saturday. There aren't many "film festivals" for middle school students, in the same way that there just doesn't seem to be a ton of anything for middle school students. Not to complain or anything. It's just that the 13-14 year-olds in this culture tend to be avoided like an infectious disease or something.

Anyway, a teacher at PAPA and I decided to get together this little festival as a small step toward reintroducing our 7th/8th grade young people to the rest of humanity.

Here are the details:

• Date: Saturday, May 9th
• Time: Doors open at 11:45, show starts at Noon. We'll be done by 2:00 p.m. Promise.
  
• Place: Guild Cinema, 3405 Central Ave (N.E., in case you're wondering)
  
• What: "Films Collide": A ton of short films, ranging from the strangely sublime to the sublimely silly.
• Why: See above
• Cost: One U.S. Dollar. That's it...it's a buck. This admittance will help pay
• Prizes: $50 for 1st Place, $20 for 2nd, $10 for 3rd
• Judging: Open to anyone in attendance. You don't have to judge, however. You can just sit there, after grabbing some popcorn and a Blue Sky, and watch the madness unfurl itself.

Thanks to Su Hudson at PAPA for even considering the idea, Keif at the Guild for all his help, my school for letting me "create" a film class in the first place, and Ms. Riley at my school for diligently selling ice cream at school day after day to raise money for this shindig.

I'm sure I left some things out, but the marketing "plug" shame is rapidly growing. Hope to see you Saturday. No salesman will visit your home.

And speaking of that old line, let's close by enlisting the unwitting help of Tom Waits to help promote this "festival"...Step Right Up...Step Right Up...