The Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) is proud to be a returning sponsor of the Clean Shorts Film Festival, which will be held virtually through the event’s website May 6-8, 2021.
The Clean Shorts Film Festival was established in 2015 by the digital media students of Choctaw’s Eastern Oklahoma County Technology Center (EOCTC) and showcases short films across all genres that are fresh, creative and appropriate for all audiences. This year’s Clean Shorts Film Festival will stream 81 official selections of various genres from around the world, including 13 films created by Oklahomans. Additionally, the festival will also stream 11 submissions created by students from around the state for the Clean Shorts Student Fest Film Challenge. A virtual award ceremony will be broadcast on the evening of May 8.
This is the second year that the festival will be virtual as a safety measure during the pandemic. Festival goers can now view all the official festival selections from the comfort of their homes. During the festival, attendees can cast a vote for their favorite film to win the Audience Choice Award.
“Clean Shorts is a great opportunity for independent filmmakers from around the world to screen their films in a family-friendly environment.” said Ben Hlavaty, Festival Director and Digital Media Instructor at EOCTC. “We feature films in a wide variety of genres that cover a multitude of topics. We screen everything from comedies, to faith-based, music videos, thrillers, horror, etc. There are just limits on language and content. The festival gives my students an opportunity to connect with and learn from other filmmakers, which will hopefully lead to jobs in the booming Oklahoma film industry.”
Clean Shorts is produced entirely by students of the Digital Media class at Eastern Oklahoma County Technology Center in Choctaw. The festival is an opportunity for students to connect to the film industry and raise the funds required to compete in the Oklahoma Skills USA state competitions. Thus far, the festival has provided the opportunity for more than 80 students to compete, of which 20 were State Champions who moved forward to the national competition.
“OF+MO is proud to be a returning sponsor of the Clean Shorts Film Festival,” said OF+MO Director Tava Maloy Sofsky. “We applaud the students and leadership of Eastern Oklahoma Country Technology Center for their hard work in hosting an event of this kind, and look forward to seeing the next generation of filmmakers arise from programs like this.”
For more information, visit the official festival website at cleanshorts.org.
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About the Oklahoma Film + Music Office:
Created in 1979, the Oklahoma Film + Music Office strives to share all that Oklahoma has to offer by welcoming filmmakers and music professionals to the state and by creating a network of support to develop Oklahoma’s film and music industries. For more information about the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program or the Oklahoma Film + Music Office please visit okfilmmusic.org.