FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2010
Contacts:
Nancy Carr, 818-755-2643
ncarr@hallmarkchannel.com
WINNERS NAMED IN STUDENT SHORT FILM COMPETITION SPONSORED
BY HALLMARK MOVIE CHANNEL AND NYU’ S TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
TO CELEBRATE UP-AND-COMING FILMMAKERS
Hallmark Movie Channel to Showcase Winners
In “Film Positive,” Original Special Premiering March 19
Judges Include NYU TISCH Alumni Alec Baldwin, Billy Crystal and
Marcia Gay Harden
Hallmark Movie Channel and the Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & TV at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts collaborated to showcase a celebration of up-and-coming filmmakers, with the three short-film winners to be featured in “Film Positive,” an original special on Hallmark Movie Channel premiering Friday, March 19 (8-9:30 PM, ET/PT) and online at www.hallmarkmoviechannel.com.
In addition, the films of all ten finalists will be presented on www.hallmarkchannel.com on March 19 following the premiere of the special.
“We have a special appreciation for movies and are proud to be a part of this unique and exciting opportunity for Hallmark Movie Channel, our viewers and the Tisch students,” said Bill Abbott, President and Chief Executive Officer. “As the destination for the best family movies, we are excited to welcome these young filmmakers -- the very best from Tisch – to our family.”
Hallmark Movie Channel and NYU tapped prestigious Tisch alumni Alec Baldwin, Billy Crystal, Marcia Gay Harden to judge the student and alumni films that were entered in the competition.
Following are the three winning short films:
The Grey Woman: By A. Sayeeda Clarke of New York, N.Y. -- The film is a musical story about a woman who is grey while the world around her is in color. On her birthday, music and love help her to stop living in the grey and begin to embrace a colorful life.
The Desert Rose: By Samar “Omi” Vaidya of Culver City, Calif. -- Jamie Shaw, one of the wealthiest women in Palm Desert, seemingly has it all. Jaime Mendina, her Hispanic gardener from Indio, seemingly has nothing. But appearances can be deceiving and assumptions prove tragic when the two must face a life-or-death crisis without even a common language.
In The Foxhole: By Jairaj Walia of Norwalk, Calif. -- On a farm in the Midwest, Major Duke Lars has retired to a life of peace with his wife, Marie, and son, Tim. Working the land is Duke’s life after a lifetime of war, his past still haunts him and it distances him and his son. In an attempt to close the gap between the two, Tim decides to follow in his father’s footsteps and enlist. This one action challenges this family’s peaceful life. On his once peaceful farm, Duke struggles to find his life, his family and what it means to be a father.
The panel judged the films based on a set of brand-defining criteria as determined by Hallmark Movie Channel. In order to qualify, the films were required to have high production values, inspirational and celebratory themes, good storytelling qualities and, above all, be appropriate for the entire family. The short films could be any length up to 30 minutes. Those qualifying for entry included current students of NYU as well as alumni of up to five years (May 2004 - May 2009).
Hallmark Movie Channel, the second linear channel from Crown Media Holdings, Inc., simulcast in SD (Standard Definition) and HD (High Definition), is a 24-hour cable network dedicated to bringing viewers the greatest family movies of all time with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies and special events. In today’s crowded television landscape, the network is a unique and captivating entertainment experience, providing programming that families can watch together. It is now available in 30 million homes. Crown Media also operates Hallmark Channel which provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming to a national audience of more than 88 million subscribers.
About Tisch School of the Arts:
For more than 40 years, Tisch School of the Arts has drawn on the vast resources of New York City and New York University to create an extraordinary training ground for the individual artist and scholar of the arts. Students learn their craft in a spirited, risk-taking environment that combines the professional training of a conservatory with the liberal arts education of a major research university. www.Tisch.NYU.edu
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