MIFF & Shanghai International Film Festival Team Up for Student Film School Competition

Miami International Film Festival’s ‘CinemaSlam’ student film school competition will expand to a match-up between Miami and Shanghai film schools in Miami+Shanghai CinemaSlam 2014. Thirteen film schools in two cities will compete in this 4th annual student film competition. A component of MIFF’s Florida Focus program, Miami+Shanghai CinemaSlam aims to discover, showcase, and celebrate the work of undergraduate and graduate students in Miami and Shanghai film schools.

The seven Miami film schools participating are Barry University, Florida International University, Miami Dade College, Miami International University of Art & Design, New World School of the Arts (University of Florida), St. Thomas University and University of Miami. The six Shanghai film schools participating are East China University, East China Normal University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai Theatre Academy, and Shanghai University.

MIFF’s CinemaSlam 2013 Winners (l to r):  Joey Desantino, Kristen Nyman, Sam Shaib, Nick Katz, Rachel Hall accepting for Noah Debonis

Showcasing the works of college-level auteurs, the dual-city film student competition crowns the best made-in-south Florida and made-in Shanghai short films created by undergraduate and graduate-film students attending each of the cities’ collegiate institutions.  The top 10-12 films judged from Miami/Shanghai faculty heads at each participating Miami/Shanghai school will be selected to proceed to the final shortlist in each city.

A jury of industry professionals in each city will then select the top three films from each of the Miami and Shanghai finalists, and these six films will be announced and screened during Miami International Film Festival’s 31st edition on March 7-16th, 2014. Audience members will have the opportunity to vote and determine the Miami+Shanghai CinemaSlam Audience Award Winner. The six finalists will also go on to screen as part of the official selection of Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), China’s largest and most prestigious film festival, in June 2014.

MIFF’s CinemaSlam 2013 Winners at O Cinema Wynwood

Miami+Shanghai CinemaSlam 2014 and follow-up screenings of the student award-winning films at SIFF in June 2014, will be the first US-China film student competition affiliated with two major film festivals in these two countries. Introduced by MDC’s Confucius Institute (CI), Chinese Academy of Art Industries and School of Film & TV Arts and Technology at Shanghai University, will lead and coordinate the participation of the Shanghai side in this project.  The six participating schools in Shanghai include some of the most prestigious film and art schools in China and Asia.

The Miami CinemaSlam Champion will receive a complimentary Platinum Fast-Pass to MIFF 2014 (value $2,500), a handcrafted Artisan Award, automatic inclusion in the Shanghai International Film Festival program in June 2014, free Mandarin Chinese lessons from MDC’s Confucius Institute from March – June 2014, an invitation to attend the Confucius Institute’s Chinese Culture Summer Camp in Beijing, China (a 2-4 week program in July 2014, living expenses in China will be covered by Confucius Institute scholarship) and an in-kind prize.  Click here for regulations and submission guidelines.  — Tatyana Chiocchetti

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