February 12, 2013 From staff reports

    With entries ranging from a story about some young con women to a map that holds the key to a future world, the 2012 Statesboro Film Festival was an exciting evening for short film lovers of all genres.
    So, the Statesboro Herald and the Averitt Center for the Arts is teaming up again for the Fifth Annual 2013 Statesboro Film Festival to find and honor the best locally made films. The festival is scheduled for 7 p.m., Thursday, April 11 at the Averitt Center in downtown Statesboro.
    Like the past four years, the festival offers everyone a chance to do what Hollywood does — make your own film.
    Matt Bankhead again will serve as the event’s coordinator. He is a video producer for statesboroherald.com and the lead producer for the “Statesboro Herald Report” on Northland Cable and the “Studio Statesboro” vodcast.
    “Overall, we are very pleased with how our first four festivals turned out,” Bankhead said. “One of our goals was to provide a creative outlet for filmmakers in the community. That’s our goal again this year. I really encourage everyone to give it a shot.”
    Simply put, the Statesboro Film Festival wants your films.
    Last year, top honors at the festival went to Brian Graves, an assistant professor in Georgia Southern’s Communication Arts Department. His entry, “Save As…,” was a film about accepting death through the doldrums of everyday life. In the film, actor Michael Czech’s daily grind at the office is interrupted when he receives a mysterious message from his computer and is met by Jesus Christ waiting on the other side of the screen.
    “I came up with the idea, and I knew it was a film I wanted to make, a film I believed in, and when I produced it, I really didn’t have a good venue for showing the film and was thrilled when I heard about (the Statesboro Film Festival),” Graves said about his Best Film-winning entry.
    Bankhead said Graves’ work is a perfect example of the type of film he hopes the festival will attract.
    “It’s only about two and a half minutes long, but it tells a fascinating story in an unusual way that also keeps the audience guessing,” he said.
    Bankhead said the festival is a great venue for not just experienced filmmakers to show their work, but for anyone who has always enjoyed shooting video for fun but wants to take the next step.
    "I urge anyone with an itch to see what they can do with a camera to give it a shot," said Jim Healy, operations manager for the Herald. "I know Georgia Southern students have a lot of creative ideas. Let's see it on film."
    Some of the basic submission rules for the festival include the following:
    •  Films may be no longer than eight minutes.
    •  The deadline to submit a film is 5:30 p.m., Thursday, April 5.
    •  There is an $18 submission charge.
    •  Entered films cannot be shown on YouTube, Facebook or any other mass media site until after the April 11 festival.
    All rules and information about the festival can be viewed at www.statesborofilmfestival.com — the festival's official website.
    Selected films will be shown at the 2013 Statesboro Film Festival at the Averitt Center’s Emma Kelly Theater on April 11. Awards will be given for Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.
    “Even if you don’t make a film, come to the festival,” Healy said. “For $5, you get to watch about a dozen films, enjoy a delicious catered intermission spread and have a great time.”

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