Cal State Long Beach is one of 12 colleges and universities across the country that is offering students a chance to screen their movies at a major film festival in June 2011.
The Sprite Refreshing Films program will choose six student screenplays to be turned into six- to 12-minute movies. Industry professionals and high-profile celebrity actors will participate in the making of the films, according to a press release, but no names have been announced yet.
“We recognize the need for programs that offer up-and-coming young filmmakers across the country a unique chance to spark their creativity and play an integral role in the filmmaking process,” said Stefanie Miller, vice president of strategic partnership marketing for Coca-Cola.
The short films will be posted on the Sprite Refreshing Films website and will be voted on via text message. There will also be a Green Ribbon Panel of industry professionals to judge the films, and the winning filmmakers will attend a screening at a film festival next summer.
“Any opportunity to make a film benefits our students,” said Michael Pounds, professor and chair of the film and electronic arts department. “It helps them develop their story-telling craft and improve on their skills … It’s good for students to be able to showcase their creativity and receive critiques so they can grow.”
Staff interns will receive college credit and have their traveling expenses paid.
CSULB had also been involved in previous installments of the program.
“CSU Long Beach has a great reputation for film and the creative arts,” Miller said. “This year, we wanted to continue building upon our relationship together to offer new classes of CSU Long Beach students access to opportunities that spark their creativity and offer valuable on-the-job experience in scriptwriting and filmmaking.”
The program started in 1998 and was originally called the Coca-Cola Refreshing Film.
The program is accepting applications through Nov. 30. Students, aged 13 to 19, are eligible to apply for the film crew and no experience is required. Screenwriters must be 18 years or older. The contest is only open to students at CSULB or one of the other schools selected for the program, but it is not selective to film majors only.
Prospective staff interns must be at least 18 years old and a second-year film student. They will have an opportunity to run one of the six films as a director, producer, technical director or behind-the-scenes documentarian.
“We’re looking forward to carrying on this program through the Sprite brand and seeing the creative results these students produce,” said Caren Pasquale Seckler, vice president for Sparkling Non-Colas, Coca-Cola North America.
For more information, visit SpriteRefreshingFilms.com.
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