The Somerville Open Cinema Festival, to be held on May 5-6th, is seeking short films submissions.

By Tatiana Kombo

The Somerville Open Cinema Festival, to be held on May 5-6th, is seeking short films submissions. Budding filmmakers are encouraged to submit video productions of under 10 minutes that, if chosen, may be broadcasted on the Somerville Community Access Televisions (SCATV). The festival is open to all genres of film, ranging from experimental films to documentary shorts, and has no submission fee in order to create a “welcoming, open atmosphere where all types of film and video making can coexist.”

As explained by Gordon Nelson, a film artist and teacher working at the Somerville-based SCATV, the upcoming Somerville Open Cinema Festival was brought about by a suggestion from SCATV Board of Directors member Melitta King to offer “greater representation of moving image and media artists during the Somerville Open Studios event.” In reference to his goals for the exhibition, the latter stated that one of the main ideas behind the project is to “invite the community of film and video makers from Massachusetts to share their work with the Somerville community.”

Nelson, who is experienced in both the creation and curation of film exhibitions, noted that he hopes to create “engaging moving image programs that offer new and unusual experiences that people in Somerville will enjoy.” He further commented on his desire to “build a greater awareness of community access television as a public resource and free speech outlet.” Nelson’s hope is that Somerville residents will use the SCATV facilities and resources to create and develop their own ideas and programs.

Film director Douglas Sirk said, “To produce films is to gamble.” Indeed, there are no real guidelines on how to visually create a story that will inspire its audience, spark conversation or ignite change, but for Somerville residents, the time has come to pick up a camera and gamble conceptually.

For submission detals go to: http://somervilleopencinema.blogspot.com/. The submission deadline is April 5.