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May
16


Filmmakers John Waters and Matt Porterfield and Maryland Film Festival President Jed Dietz.

Two minutes, one big chance

Here's your opportunity to have your short films seen and judged by a panel of filmmakers and film professionals, with the winning entries awarded cash prizes and being shown during the 2011 Maryland Film Festival, set for May 5-8 at Baltimore's Charles Theater.

Amateur filmmakers are encouraged to submit up to three entries in the competition. Films must run between 1 ½ and 2 ½ minutes. No documentaries; save those for another contest. Films must have been produced since Jan. 1, 2011. (For complete rules, click here) Selected films will be available for viewing on baltimoresun.com, giving them a potential audience of millions.

Entries must be submitted to baltimoresun.com no later than midnight April 30, 2011. They will be judged on originality, vision, technical expertise, narrative technique and any other criteria our judges care to invoke. Winners will be announced at the Maryland Film Festival Festival on the morning of May 6, 2011.

The judge panel includes Baltimore-born writer-directors John Waters ("Pink Flamingos," "Hairspray") and Matt Porterfield ("Hamilton," "Putty Hill"), Maryland Film Festival President Jed Dietz, Baltimore Sun movie critic Michael Sragow and Baltimore Sun film writer Chris Kaltenbach. The winning video will be awarded a $500 gift certificate to Best Buy. The second-place winners will receive a $250 Best Buy gift certificate, with a $100 gift certificate going to the third-place winner.

Entries will be accepted until 5 p.m. on April 30. Entrants should submit MOV files, no larger than 1.8GB, to the Sun's FTP site:

https://ftp.tribune.com/
ftp
 username: baltsunnews

password: baltsunnews2006

initial directory: FILM FESTIVAL

Once you have submitted a video, please email leeann.adams@baltsun.com with your name, email address, street address, phone number and the name of the file(s) you have submitted.

Sun Shorts 2-minute film contest