SikhNet is holding 9th annual Youth Online Film Festival. The SikhNet has received all of the entries for its 9th annual Youth Online Film Festival and the festival has begun. A release by the SikhNet says the “SikhNet Youth OnLine Film Festival” (SYOFF) has become a much anticipated event within the world-wide Sikh community.
“This year, the theme for the festival is UnCommon Courage. SikhNet received 25 films from young Sikh directors in India, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. These films have now been posted to the SikhNet website”, Ek Ong Kaar Kaur Khalsa, a representative of the SikhNet, informed Sikh Siyasat News (SSN).
“The SikhNet Youth OnLine Film Festival offers different prizes for different categories. The Junior Division is for directors ages 11-17. The winner of this category will receive a $500 prize”.
“The Intermediate Division includes directors ages 18-28 and has three different prizes of $1000 each. The three categories for this division are: Does it make me think? Does it make me cry? Does it make me laugh?”
“The Senior Division is focused on directors above aged 29, and the best film receives recognition and promotion, but no cash prize is awarded in this category”.
In 2013, SikhNet had an online voting system for the films and the viewers chose the winners. This year, there will be a hybrid judging system. The SikhNet staff will serve as the five judge members of the voting panel and the audience will act as the 6th judge by showing which films are most popular with them. The online audience can watch the films, “like” the films through various social media such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Google+, and then comment on the films and share the films with their friends and family.
Films are open for public likes and comments between September 10th and September 24th. All winners will be announced on September 30, 2014.
The purpose of the SikhNet Youth Online Film Festival has always been to give Sikh youth a chance to express themselves through digital media. To tell the stories they think are important, and to find their own voices. The Festival originated in 2006 with SikhNet’s recognition of the immense popularity and creativity of video postings on Internet sites such as YouTube.
According to SikhNet Webmaster, Gurumustuk Singh, “Tapping into the creativity of Sikh youth worldwide has been one of SikhNet’s primary goals. In 2006, when we initiated the online film festival, we could not envision what beautiful films we would receive. Nor could we have imagined the groundswell of support from the Sikh community worldwide.”
“SikhNet considers every film submitted a winner in its own right. The SikhNet Youth Online Film Festival is truly a Sangat event. Sikh youth create the films and Sikhs around the world watch, enjoy and share them” Gurumustuk Singh said.
“From all of us here at SikhNet, we hope that you enjoy this year’s SikhNet Youth Online Film Festival: UnCommon Courage” he added.