Information & Inspiration in 5 Simple Steps

1. Register

Registration is your way of letting us know that you are interested. It enables us to better determine your interests and needs so we can offer resources as you produce your film.

There is no registration fee and no obligation to ultimately submit a completed work.

The sooner you register, the more opportunities and resources you will have available.

After you register we will:

• Email you the required paperwork which must accompany your short film submission. Your information will not be shared with outside groups.
• Alert you to opportunities and resources via an e-newsletter.
• Reserve a seat for you at the film festival.

2. Collaborate. Assemble Your Team

Team up with family, friends and neighbors. The process of producing a short film can be a challenge, but one made easier when taken on as a team. You may have a great story to tell but no technical skills, or you may have the skills but no story. Everyone can have a role: researcher, writer, director, camera operator, or editor.

The process of producing the short film can be as rewarding as the actual product. We want to hear about this process. It can be inspiring for others.

If you need direction in getting started, let us know. We can help!

3. Stay inspired and informed

Take advantage of special offerings. Something inspired you to take that first step and register your interest with us. Perhaps it was a personal story you wanted to explore further. Perhaps you are a child or grandchild of someone who lived through 1968. The power of your story may be presented in a major traveling exhibition.

Sign up for our e-newsletter for updates, stories, and a calendar of film project events. We will share with you perspectives on 1968, stories of other filmmakers collaborating in their communities, and opportunities to meet, greet and learn.

4. Submit your film

Submit your film by September 15, 2009. The first step in submitting your film is to register. All film submissions must be less than 10 minutes in length on DVD and accompanied by the following information:

• Release and Agreement
  The Minnesota Historical Society retains limited usage rights usage to all films submitted.
• Process Report
  Description of your film and your work to complete it

5. Join us at the October Awards

Share your story in style at the Moving Pictures Film Festival. See the work of other filmmakers as we screen the entries and present $10,000 in awards to the best films in five categories.

• Best Film Award
• Emerging Filmmaker Award
• Special Focus Award: Best Exploration of the Generation Gap
• Eyewitness Award: Best presentation of a first-hand account
• Revelation Award: Best use of research & retrospection to reveal new information or create a new understanding 40 years later

Explore the Impact of 1968

The 1968 Film Competition explores the relentless events that forever changed America. The social forces that swirled through the turbulent 1960s crested in 1968. It was a turning point for a generation coming of age and a nation at war. The year saw the peak of the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy, riots at the Democratic National Convention, assertions of Black Power at the Summer Olympics, and feminist demonstrations at the Miss America pageant. Hair opened on Broadway, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In debuted on NBC, and Arlo Guthrie drew raves for his 20-minute performance of “Alice’s Restaurant” at the Newport Folk Festival. President Lyndon Johnson spoke of a country “challenged, at home and abroad” in his final State of the Union Address; his eventual successor, Richard Nixon, promised in his presidential nomination acceptance speech that “the long, dark night for America is about to end.” In the closing days of the year, we saw Earth in its entirety for the first time from the window of the Apollo 8 space capsule.

Any aspect of 1968 can be explored. Tell us what 1968 means to you.

The Rules

• The 1968 Film Competition is open to amateur and professional filmmakers nationwide.
• People of all ages and levels of experience are encouraged to enter.
• Films must be less than 10 minutes including closing credits.
• Films must be submitted on DVD.
• The Minnesota Historical Society retains limited usage rights usage to all submissions.
• Creativity is encouraged; variations in style and format are welcomed.