LAMBERTVILLE: Plans are under way for annual Film Festival

By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
   LAMBERTVILLE — Makers of short films inspired by Hunterdon and Bucks counties will vie for cash prizes this summer in the Artist Visions Film Festival, where the films will be shown as an outdoor video installation.
   The Friends of the Lambertville Library, who are putting on the festival, received a $200 grant that will allow them to award monetary prizes for the top three short films. The artist who wins first place will receive $100. Second and third place each will receive $50.
   In addition, all winning short films will be shown at the Acme Screening Room on South Union Street as a preview before all films in September.
   The festival will be held on first Fridays and second Saturdays in June, July and August.
   The video installation will feature short films about or inspired by Hunterdon and Bucks counties, along with live music performances taped at Arts Council of Princeton’s Café Improv by producer Tom Florek. The installation will be located on the side of the Wells Fargo Bank, at the corner of Bridge and Union streets, from sundown to 10:30 p.m.
   Funding was made possible in part by the Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders, through funds administered by the Hunterdon County Cultural and Heritage Commission.
   The festival is seeking youth and adult filmmakers and visual artists to submit films that are one to five minutes long. Submission is free.
   To submit, send an e-mail to [email protected] that includes a URL link to a video that may be viewed online by April 30. Attachments and mailed DVDs will not be accepted.
   Filmmakers whose work is selected for the video installation will be notified by May 8. They will be required to provide a high-resolution copy of their submission on DVD for inclusion in the installation by May 15.
   The festival celebrates the creative visions of filmmakers and visual artists in Hunterdon and Bucks counties by featuring free outdoor film screenings, live music and the video installation as well as a roster of student films at the Acme Screening Room, presented in partnership with the Princeton Student Film and Video Festival.
   Funding for the Artist Visions Film Festival has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through funds administered by the Hunterdon County Cultural and Heritage Commission.