Hill City will host the first annual Black Hills Film Festival this spring, May 14-16, 201
Hill City, S.D. – Located just minutes from Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Crazy Horse Memorial, Hill City is a small mountain town known for its arts focus. The theme chosen for this year’s event is “Location! Location! Location!”.
“The beautiful Black Hills and the granite mountain monuments attract millions of travelers each year,” said Janna Emmel, festival president, who is excited to bring another art event to Hill City. “The festival occurs prior to the rush of tourists so that filmmakers and film-lovers can enjoy the Black Hills and the film festival at the same time.”
Filmmakers from across the country and the world will feature their films in the festival which will be screened at multiple sites throughout the central Black Hills. Audiences to the three-day event will see documentary and feature films of all lengths and types. These are films they would not typically see in theatre multiplexes, but which are juried in to the festival for their high-quality and interest to audiences.
Festival events include:
· Educational workshops, seminars and panels for independent filmmakers at Crazy Horse Memorial,
· A Student Film Festival,
· An Awards Celebration,
· Networking opportunities at Hill City restaurants, pubs and galleries,
· Special appearances by renowned guests (to be announced).
The festival will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Alfred Hitchcock film, North by Northwest, ranked by American Film Institute as the fourth most thrilling film created in America in the past 100 years. Starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, scenes from North by Northwest were shot at Mount Rushmore National Memorial and in Rapid City.
“Several groups of student and foreign filmmakers have shot in South Dakota over the past two years, working on amazing projects. This festival will give them an opportunity to bring their films “home” and let audiences here see the view through new eyes,” concluded Chris VanNess, festival organizer.
Entry forms for filmmakers are available online at www.blackhillsfilmfestival.org. For more information please contact Chris VanNess at 605-574-4671.
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The Black Hills Film Festival is a South Dakota non-profit organization operating in partnership with the Hill City Arts Council, a 501(c)3 organization. The South Dakota Film Office, a component of the South Dakota Department of Tourism and State Development, has sponsored the event and is in full support of the inaugural festival and its activities.