BELLOWS FALLS — Thanks to an $800 grant awarded to (1)Rockingham Entertainment Development LTD (RED) by Claremont Savings Bank, a regional, one-day film festival will occur at the Bellows Falls Opera House on Saturday, Oct. 21.
The Bellows Falls Vermont (BFVT) Film Showcase will feature filmmakers whose work focuses on Vermont topics and locations, or whose actors, directors, and team members are from Vermont.
RED will partner with Falls Area Community Televisions (FACT TV) in Bellows Falls to produce the festival. Ten years ago, FACT TV offered the No Film Film Festival at the Opera House, (2)in which particpants submitted short spoofs of American film classics. Since then, aspiring filmmakers associated with the cable public access station have gone on to produce a number of independent films, including a recent documentary, Called to Duty, about the 1981 Star Hotel fire in which two firefighters lost their lives.
The BFVT Film Showcase will offer three categories: 7- to 15-minute microfilms, all genres; 30- to 45-minute shorts, all genres; and 60- to 90-minute features, narratives, or documentaries.
Submissions will be accepted beginning Aug. 1, and details will be uploaded to Film Freeway and the Bellows Falls Opera House websites. Entry fees are not required, and anyone is welcome to submit a microfilm or short film, which will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis until available time slots are filled.
Feature films will be juried in advance, and the selected feature will be screened in the 500-seat Opera House during the one-day festival.
Audience members will be able to come and go throughout the day to enjoy local offerings and remain downtown for shopping and dining. Audience voting will end at 6 p.m. The winning feature filmmaker will also receive a $200 cash prize.
Musicians are also invited to participate as well, by submitting a two-minute festival theme song that focuses on the importance of village life with the tagline: “The BFVT Film Showcase right in your own backyard.” Files can be uploaded beginning Aug. 1.
For all details, watch the Bellows Falls Opera House website, bellowsfallsoperahouse.com.