College Hosts 24-Hour High School Film Competition

Back for a fourth-straight year, Tompkins Cortland Community College is hosting the “Sleepless at Tompkins Cortland” 24-hour film festival competition April 6-7. The event will feature high school students from several area school districts, including Cortland, Ithaca, South Seneca, Broome-Tioga BOCES, Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES, and Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES.

According to Chris Xaver, competition organizer and chair of the College’s degree programs in communication and media arts, digital cinema, and broadcast production, the high school contestants will arrive Saturday afternoon and stay on campus working through the night to create a short film. Each team will be given a script and instruction on using the College’s cameras and editing equipment. Actors will be provided, but the rest of the creative team is filled by the high school students. The deadline for finishing the film is Sunday at noon, 24 hours after the start of the contest.

A public screening of all the projects will be held at noon Sunday in the Forum at Tompkins Cortland Community College. A panel of judges will rate each project based on cinematography, visual elements, editing, coherence, sound, originality, and resonance. In addition to the judge’s pick for best film, an “Audience’s Choice” award will also be given. Winners will be given free tuition for their choice of one of four one-credit COMM classes offered at the College.