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Local Filmmakers To Gather For Clifton Film Fest

Lorton's Workhouse Arts Center will host the third Clifton Film Fest on Saturday, July 23

Hours of work come down to a few minutes on the big screen. This is the Clifton Film Fest, where the area’s filmmakers will assemble in a few weeks to display their artistic passion.

“There’s not often times when you get to see your art in such as big way,” said festival director Dani Weinberg. “I think people want to be involved in these kinds of festivals but there’s not that many around here, so they jump at the chance.”

Created by Weinberg in 2009, the third annual Clifton Film Fest will take place at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton on Saturday, July 23. All hopeful participants must submit films that are three to eight minutes long by Friday, July 8. The event welcomes all types of films, including documentaries, dramas, music videos and animations.

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Weinberg divides the festival participants into two categories – “students” aged 13 to 21, and “21+”, or individuals older than 21, she said. A panel of judges scores each film and present a “Best Picture” award, bestowing Adobe Premiere Pro CS 5 video editing software as the prize. Winners of other awards, such as “Best Cinematography” or “Best Editing,” will receive medals.

“It’s fun to attend it with your family and friends and possibly see you win something,” Weinberg, 24, said.

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As a local freelance filmmaker, Weinberg has enlisted the help of a “well-rounded judging group” with video experience to give participants feedback for improvement, she added. One judge, for instance, is a Discovery Channel editor, and another is a film critic from New Orleans.

“It’s good to know what you do wrong,” she said. “It’s a big feat to actually make a movie and commit to actually doing it.”

Clifton resident Dillon Meyer, 18, took second place in the “students” age group at the 2009 festival. His film this year will document a friend’s experience with an apparent home invasion, he said.

“My favorite part is definitely that it’s true,” he said. “People knew the story.  It’ll be really funny to see people’s reactions when they start to recognize it.”

Meyer, a recent graduate of Robinson Secondary School, will study film next year at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). The event has helped him publicize his videos, he said.

“I’m always looking for ways to get any type of attention and the festival is really close to home for me,” he said. “This seemed like a really good way to focus all the creative energy that I have inside.”

Weinberg initiated the event two years ago to allow young people to submit new work and to receive feedback for growth, she said. The festival lets the community “spend time together that’s artistic,” she added.

Nick Sampson of Clifton placed first in the older category in 2009 with his music video, “Green and Orange.” He filmed it while studying kinetic imaging at VCU, and seeing the actual product was fulfilling, he said.

“In college, you’re trying out different techniques to find what’s your style,” he said. “Submitting to this film festival, it was cool seeing the final step in production of something.”

Sampson,22,  will not participate this year, as he is working on an animated episode in Richmond to pitch to several TV networks. But the festival’s level of competition has increased since it started, he said, using his film as an example.

“It was kind of like a dance thing – more of an experiment for a class, but it won,” he said. Then he laughed. “As you know now, the standards of the film festival are much higher.”

About 100 people attended the inaugural event in 2009, Weinberg said, but last year, 200 people came. Submissions doubled too, increasing from seven entries in 2009 to 14 entries in 2010. Clifton Town Park hosted the festival in past years, but the Workhouse Arts Center offered a larger spot and an “artistic community” to allow for event expansion, Weinberg said via email.

“I just hope it grows in audience members and the amount submitted,” she said. “I hope that people enjoy themselves. I mean, that’s all I could ask for.”

Doors will open at 7:30 p.m on July 23., and the event begins at dark. Admission is $5 in cash. Bring a blanket or low chair and cash for food, beverages and T-shirts. Contact director Dani Weinberg at dani@cliftonfilmfest.com or call 703-662-3659. Mail all film submissions to P.O Box 77, Clifton, VA 20124 on a DVD by July 8. 

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