Contact: ..................................................................... February 11, 2005
Bridget Rutherford
ISDC Coordinator
312-664-6795

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chicago International Documentary Festival to screen
Columbia College’s Student Doc Competition Winners
Friday, April 1 – Sunday, April 10, 2005

Chicago, IL – The Chicago International Documentary Festival (CIDF) is pleased to announce that a new element of the 2005 edition will highlight films from the 2nd Columbia College-Chicago International Student Documentary Competition (ISDC). On April 2nd at 3pm in the Gallery Theater in the Society for Arts (1112 North Milwaukee Ave), doc film enthusiasts will get a chance to view 7 award winning pieces produced by some of the best up-and-coming young film minds in the business. In 2005, the CIDF runs Friday, April 1 through Sunday, April 10, with screening in 8 Chicago area locations.

Briefly, the CIDF is a thought-provoking 10-day film event, dedicated to the celebration and cultivation of the documentary film. Each edition presents an array of extraordinary programs, showcasing the work of brilliant filmmakers and providing a venue for established and emerging artists of film. Therefore, collaborations with the ISDC fit well with the mission of the CIDF. “The CIDF is committed to discovering and promoting works of young filmmakers, and our collaboration with the ISDC helps us to achieve this goal”, say’s Festival Director Christopher Kamyszew.

The International Student Documentary Competition is the first competition dedicated solely to student documentary work. Founded in 2003 by Russell Porter, the mission of the competition is to find and applaud the emerging voices in documentary filmmaking The International Student Documentary Competition is committed to recognizing and celebrating the best student documentary films from across the globe.

Students from around the world, attending recognized film institutions that teach filmmaking at either graduate or undergraduate level, were invited to submit documentaries, completed as course work since January 2003, into the ISDC. The competition focused on challenging, fresh, and innovative responses to the contemporary world, which were originated in any format, that could employ any style and be on any subject, with a maximum length of 30 minutes. ISDC winners were announced in November 2004.

ISDC 2004 Winners / CIDF Student Film entrants include:

• Best Film and Most Innovative Film
NOTHING WITH NO ONE (Brazil/Cuba) Dir: Marcelos Pimentel
Escuela Internacional De Cine Y Television

• Best Biographical Film
PLANE MAKER (TAIWAN) DIR: YEN-NI WANG
National Taiwan University of Arts

• Best Social Issue Film
WHITE CANE AND WHEELS (USA) Dir: Paul Apelgren
University of Southern California

• Best Biographical Film
JOSE MANUEL, THE MULA AND THE TV (France/Cuba) Dir: Elsa Cornevin
Escuela Internacional De Cine Y Television

• Most Technically Skilled Film
SYMPHONIC EPISODES (Panama/Cuba) Dir: Victor Mares
Escuela Internacional De Cine Y Television

• Best Personal Documentary
SMALL TOWN SECRETS (USA) Dir: Katherine Legget
Stanford University

• Special Mention Prize
MILK MEN: CAN WE DELIVER? (Australia) Dir: Peter Templeman
Australian Film Television and Radio School

CIDF screening locations include: the Beverly Arts Center (2407 West 111th Street), Doc Films- Max Palevsky Cinema in Ida Noyes Hall (1212 E. 59th Street), Facets Cinematheque (1517 W. Fullerton Ave.), Gallery Theatre in the Society for Arts, (1112 N. Milwaukee Ave.), Gateway Theatre (5216 West Lawrence Ave.), Thorne Auditorium at Northwestern University (375 East Chicago Ave.), Chopin Theatre (1543 W. Division Street), and Block Cinema Gallery (1900 Sheridan Road).

Tickets may be purchased daily from noon - 6:00 pm. at the CIDF Main Box Office, c/o The Society for Arts (1112 Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60622), or charged by phone at (866) 466-ARTS and online at www.chicagodocfestival.org. Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover are accepted and all charges are subject to a nominal handling charge. For up-to-date and detailed Festival information, visit www.chicagodocfestival.org or call (773) 486-9612.

Presented by the Society for Arts, the CIDF is a non-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that depends on contributions from individuals, businesses and government to make the program possible.

For more information about the ISDC, Columbia College - Chicago and student filmmaking, visit www.filmatcolumbia.com or contact the Documentary Center Film & Video Department, 600 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL., 60605, via email at isdc@colum.edu or phone at 312-344-6795.

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