The .EDU Film Festival is

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

's only school-sponsored, statewide, high school film festival.
www.edufilmfest.org. The two-day event puts Minnesota's young filmmakers together with film industry professionals and provides them with an authentic festival experience. The festival features student film screenings, equipment demos; roundtables with film directors, writers, and producers; and meet-and-greets with post secondary institutions that feature strong film/video production programs.
, Switchblade Comb, ".edu Film Fest at Parkway Theater", by "The Joe" In 2009, young filmmakers representing 25 schools from around the state of Minnesota submitted 125 short films to the festival.
Minnesota Public Radio's MPR NewsQ, ''Movie Natters'', by Eaun Kerr. Films are categorized as

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller (ge ...

, documentary,

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

, or

experimental film Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that rigorously re-evaluates cinematic conventions and explores non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many experimental films, parti ...

and must be student-made and without violence, profanity or drug use.
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, "Festival Showcases Films by Local Students", by Peter Schilling. The festival takes place in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota and is housed in several venues such as the

Riverview Theater The Riverview Theater is a cinema in the Howe neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Designed by Liebenberg and Kaplan, the theater was built by theater owners Bill and Sidney Volk in 1948. After building a subsequent theater in ...

in South Minneapolis, St. Anthony Main Theater on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

front in Northeast Minneapolis, and the Parkway Theater also in South Minneapolis. A long list of notable Minnesota filmmakers support the .EDU Film Festival by serving as panelists during both days of the event. In 2009 panelists included: documentarian

Melody Gilbert Melody Gilbert is an independent documentary filmmaker, and educator from Washington, D.C. now living in Natchitoches, Louisiana. She has directed, filmed, produced, and sometimes edited, seven independent feature-length documentaries since 2002 ...

, documentarian Matt Ehling, film reviewer and novelist

Peter Schilling Peter Schilling (born Pierre Michael Schilling; 28 January 1956) is a German synthpop musician whose songs often feature science-fiction themes like aliens, astronauts and catastrophes. He is best-known for his 1983 hit single "Major Tom (Comin ...

, film critic Colin Covert, film writer Jim Brunzell III, news editor Euan Kerr, filmmaker and animator Tom Schroeder, screenwriter Michael Starrbury, producer/filmmaker Bobby Marsden, production manager Deena Graf, and creative director Jeffrey Bair.
, 2009 Panelists.

Mission statement

As the only school-sponsored, statewide, student film festival in the state of Minnesota, The .EDU Film Festival serves an important role in the development of young filmmakers in our state. .EDU aims to provide young filmmakers with an authentic film festival experience, a valuable understanding of the film industry, and an opportunity to screen their movies on “the big screen.” By putting students together with Minnesota filmmakers, industry professionals, and post high school educational institutions, the .EDU Film Festival also introduces the young people of Minnesota to the variety of film industry options available right here in our state. Lastly, The .EDU Film Festival provides a time and place for young filmmakers from all over the state to interact with each other, form friendships and partnerships, and to create a professional network of peers.

Organizations with a similar mission

All American High School Film Festival

Student World Impact Film Festival

The Lighthouse Initiative - Filmmaking for Students

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:.Edu Film Festival Film festivals in Minnesota Student film festivals