Lights! Camera! Action!

Adelphi University is excited to sponsor the first annual All-American High School Film Festival (AAHSFF), an event launched by MTV-personality and independent filmmaker, Andrew Jenks.

At 16, Jenks founded the Hendrick Hudson Film Festival where young filmmakers, like him, could have an opportunity to showcase their works amongst industry professionals and gain insight from their experiences. Ten years later, Jenks has continued to create opportunities for aspiring teen filmmakers by founding the All-American High School Film Festival. This year’s event, the first annual festival, has collected 1,000 submissions from over 40 states as well as Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands and France. The weekend-long event beginning Friday, October 4 and concluding on Sunday, October 6, 2013 is located at the AMC Theater, 234 W 42nd Street (Times Square) in New York City and features panel discussions, technology and college fairs, as well as opening and closing ceremonies. The opening ceremony will include remarks by Katherine Oliver, Commissioner, NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, which facilitates all aspects of film, television and commercial production in New York City.

Adelphi University is the presenting sponsor of the AAHSFF technology fair, and will be hosting a Halloween-themed booth showcasing the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, one of the many professional grade film cameras used by the school’s communications department. Blackmagic Design Inc. has supplied the University with a Blackmagic Cinema Camera for the technology showcase and noted New York based cinematographer Paul DelVechio will be on-site to answer questions on the camera’s features and capabilities.

Admissions representatives from the University will be at the AAHSFF college fair, where visitors can learn all about the school’s theatre and communications programs and much more. The technology and college fairs are on Saturday, October 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Festival-goers that stop by the booth at the Adelphi technology showcase have an opportunity to win a $300 Fandango gift card, compliments of the University.

Adelphi Associate Professor, Terrence Ross, will be part of a panel discussion entitled Tricks of the Trade, Professor Ross is noted for his classes on media production and direction and working on Adelphi’s own student film festivals. The Tricks of the Trade panel also features other notable industry experts including Geof Bartz, Supervising Editor for Documentary Films at Home Box Office; it will convene at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday in Theater 25 on the 6th floor.

Out of the 1,000 entries submitted to the festival, less than 100 are nominated for awards. The finalists are judged by a well-known panel including Ed Burns, Kristen Stewart, Dylan McDermott and festival founder, Andrew Jenks. In addition, nominees were automatically entered into a drawing to receive a Blackmagic Cinema Camera courtesy of Adelphi University and BlackMagic Design Inc. The lucky winner will be announced during the awards ceremony on Saturday evening.

Many graduates of Adelphi University have gone on to filmmaking and appear on stage, screen and television. Recently, the Theatre Department held a masterclass by filmmaker alum, Todd Robinson ’82, which included a screening of his latest feature film, Phantom with the film’s star, David Duchovny.  To learn more about Adelphi and its undergraduate film and theatre arts courses and programs, visit adelphi.edu.

To purchase tickets, to the All-American High School Film Festival visit hsfilmfest.com.