Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is proud to announce the call for entries for its Remembering a Life Film Contest, an initiative to inspire filmmakers to create films that commemorate the life of someone who has died, or pay tribute to someone who is still alive. NFDA is working with the Milwaukee Filmmaker Alliance to promote the contest worldwide.
Three winning films will debut at the 2018 NFDA International Convention & Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah, and will be supported by unique workshops about storytelling and memorialization. NFDA will also be inviting the winning filmmaker to present at the convention, schedule permitting, providing attendees with a unique opportunity to learn about the inspiration behind the winning film. Following the convention, the films will be introduced to the public through an outreach effort including online promotion and social media. The films will also be available for NFDA members to show in their communities and on their websites.
“So many life-stories deserve to be told and we’re excited to see how filmmakers from around the world will showcase the variety of ways life can be remembered through film,” said Christine Pepper, CEO, NFDA. “These films will give us the opportunity to tell the stories of others through the eyes of the people who care about them most. I can’t imagine a more powerful way to demonstrate how memorialization can help people pay tribute to a loved one and begin their grief journey in such a positive way.”
The three winners will be selected by a panel of judges representing both the film profession and funeral service, including Thomas Lynch, president and senior partner of Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors and published writer and poet.
“If funerals are ‘sacred community theater,’” said Lynch, “then funeral directors curate a collection of one and only narratives – the uncommon stories of common women, ordinary men, neighbors and fellow pilgrims whose lives become the cinemas, the ‘moving’ pictures of our dreams and memories.”
The Remembering a Life Film Contest is open to amateur and professional filmmakers worldwide, including NFDA members, and films may be created in any style and format, including traditional film, animation and films created on a mobile device. The films must be five minutes or less and submissions are due May 1. First prize is $10,000, second prize is $5,000, and third prize is $2,500. There is no fee to enter.
NFDA members may visit www.nfda.org/filmcontest for resources that can be used to promote the contest in their community. Interested filmmakers may visit www.rememberingalife.com/filmcontest for details on how to submit a film.
About NFDA – www.nfda.org
NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving more than 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C.
About Milwaukee Film – www.mkefim.com
Milwaukee Film is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to entertaining, educating, and engaging our community through cinematic experiences. The 2018 Milwaukee Film Festival will take place October 18-November 1, 2018
About the Milwaukee Filmmaker Alliance – www.mkefilmmakeralliance.org
Newly formed, the mission of the Milwaukee Filmmaker Alliance (MFA) is to support all forms of media, television, and filmmaking, both artistic and commercial, from Milwaukee to the world and from the world to Milwaukee. The MFA strives to grow and sustain a diverse and vibrant creative community of storytellers through building an industry infrastructure that advances advocacy, education, and financial support.
