Student Quarantine Short Film Competition

Please read the directions and fill out the form below.

The Challenge: We are calling on all Connecticut Middle School, High School, and College students to make a short documentary (5 minutes or less) with the resources you have in your home. The theme can be anything, but we challenge you to convey your feelings about the CoronaVirus and/or being quarantined in the film.

The Perks: Participants in the NHdocs Quarantine Student Film Challenge can sign up for three 15-minute video-chat mentor sessions with professional filmmakers during the process of making their films. The goal of these mentorship sessions is to equip students with creative ideas for telling their stories within the confines of their current limited resources.

The pitch: explain the idea for your film to your mentor. Consider the execution of the idea, the safety procedures, the main focus of your film and the ideas you wish to bring across.

The rough draft: working with your mentor, find the strengths of your film and possible ways to improve other areas.

The final cut: Your mentor gives you a final critique of your project.

The Mentors: Mentors will be assigned at random by NH Docs.

Gorman Bechard is the director of 18 feature films, including the much lauded Pizza A Love Story, and the author of five novels, including the cult favorite The Second Greatest Story Ever Told. He is also the Exectutive Director of NHdocs.

Karyl Evans is a six-time Emmy Award winning director/producer/ editor/writer of documentary films. She has created films for PBS, ESPN, the State of Connecticut, WTNH – an ABC affiliate, and Yale University. She also taught documentary filmmaking full-time at Southern CT State University for 2 years.

Lindsay Thompson is the director of the feature documentary Travel Light. In addition to teaching filmmaking to kids of all ages, she has worked on documentaries for PBS, Fox Sports, CBS, and as a writer for PBS’ Arthur.

Suki Hawley and Michael Galinsky have been making times together for 25 years. They have made narrative films and documentaries, incorporating both narrative techniques into their documentaries as well as documentary techniques into their narratives

Ed Gendron is a Documentary filmmaker, animator and photographer. He is the director of the feature length documentary Playing Soldier and many short animated films.

The Rules: PLEASE be safe while you make your movie! We ask that you don’t interview/physically work with anyone who is not in your household, and that you abide by all Shelter In Place rules. That being said, now is the time to get creative! Can you hold an interview over Zoom or Skype instead of in person? Can you animate a scene instead of going out to film it? Can you use photos from old family albums as background video? Use the mentor conversations as a tool to make your film safely AND break new creative ground.

The Rewards: Compete in the NHdocs Student Film Competition when it safely can occur. Have your film screened at the festival on a large screen for an audience. There will be a special prize category for these films, with first, second, and third place prizes. Winners will be recognized on our website.

Fine Print: As the resource of our filmmaking mentor’s time is limited, we reserve the right to cap the number of participants at 50 students. Applications will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Deadline and Important Details: All filmmakers MUST fill out the form below. We will be in contact shortly with information on mentoring and how to submit. Submissions will be open as of May 1, 2020. Limit one film per student. Final deadline for submissions is July 8, 2020 via FilmFreeway.com.