PlanetOut, the leading Internet media company for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community, and IFILM, the leading Internet resource for film fans, filmmakers, and film industry professionals announces the 25 finalists for this year’s “Queer Short Movie Awards.” Finalists were selected from more than 150 entries, and viewers can watch and vote in the biggest online event in queer cinema history. Five finalists in each of five categories (drama, comedy, documentary, experimental, animation) will be exhibited on the PlanetOut Web site throughout the month of June in competition for Audience Awards in each category. Viewers from around the world will watch the films online and vote for their favorites. All films are being presented in both RealVideo and QuickTime formats. Finalists are also eligible for $15,000 in juried cash prizes.
The distinguished jury includes such gay and lesbian film industry notables as lesbian actress/writer Guinevere Turner (American Psycho, Go Fish), Sundance Film Festival and Outfest programmer Shari Frilot, and indie distributor/producer Marcus Hu, co-president of Strand Releasing. The jury will select a $10,000 Grand Prize winner as well as $1,000 First Prize winners in each of the five catagories.
Winners will be announced and prizes presented at a special “Queer Short Movie Awards” ceremony and program at Outfest: The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (July 6-16, 2000). The prize-winning filmmakers will be flown to Outfest for the Awards ceremony where they will participate in the largest film festival of any kind in Southern California, attended by leading figures in the entertainment industry. SND Films, an international sales company specializing in gay and lesbian shorts, will also preview all finalists for a possible international distribution deal.
For more information and to view the finalists, go to http://movieawards.planetout.com
