EXCLUSIVELY ON VIMEO, SUBMISSIONS OPEN FOR FOCUS FORWARD
FILMMAKER CHALLENGE, AWARDING $200,000 IN CASH PRIZES
GE And CINELAN Premiere Four New 3-Minute Films For Focus Forward On Vimeo
NEW YORK, June 18, 2012 – Presented by GE and CINELAN, The FOCUS FORWARD Filmmaker Challenge, exclusively on Vimeo®, an operating business of IAC [NASDAQ: IACI],will award $200,000 in cash prizes — including a $100,000 Grand Prize — to five finalists who create three-minute nonfiction films around the themes of invention and innovation. Aspiring and established filmmakers from anywhere in the world are encouraged to participate. The submission deadline is August 23rd, 2012, and it is free to enter. Entries can be submitted through Vimeo at:
In addition, GE and CINELAN will premiere four new films throughVimeo in conjunction with the 2012 LA Film Fest as a part of FOCUS FORWARD - Short Films, Big Ideas, an unprecedented series of 30 three-minute stories directed by the world’s most celebrated documentary filmmakers. As part of the ongoing day-and-date release strategy, all four of the three-minute films—created by award-winning directors Eddie Schmidt (Twist of Faith), Liz Garbus (Bobby Fischer Against the World), Jeff Reichert & Farihah Zaman (Gerrymandering), and Supriyo Sen (Hope Dies Last in War)—will premiere online on Monday, June 18, at noon EST at
Later this fall, ajury composed of professional filmmakers, film industry experts, program partners, and key representatives of CINELAN will review and evaluate Challenge submissions.Cash prizes will be awarded to the top five entries, and up to 100 Challenge films will be distributed globally through Vimeo, where they will be presented alongside the 30 FOCUS FORWARD films directed by Lucy Walker, Alex Gibney, Lixin Fan, Jessica Yu, Steve James, Morgan Spurlock, and other top nonfiction filmmakers from around the world.
The Challenge winners will be announced at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.Learn more about the Challenge.
About Vimeo
Vimeo® is the home for high-quality videos and the people who love them. With its best-in-class HD player and powerful, easy-to-use tools, Vimeo empowers and inspires people around the world to create, share, and discover videos. Vimeo is one of the world’s largest creative networks, with 11 million registered members and a global audience of more than 70MM monthly. Founded in 2004 and based in New York City, Vimeo, LLC is a subsidiary of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI)
About FOCUS FORWARD - Short Films, Big Ideas
GE and CINELAN,the leading publisher of three-minute non-fiction films,have partnered to create a new series of short nonfiction films focused on the incredible human power of ideas and invention. The effort, led by CINELAN co-foundersMorgan SpurlockandKarol Martesko-Fenster, and head of special projectsDouglas Dicconson, is working with Oscar- and award-winning documentary filmmakers, to produce30 three-minute filmsthat will be featured at prestigious film festivals globally, followed by day-and-date distribution online and via additional platforms to millions of viewers. These films, curated by CINELAN Director of Content Strategy and Acquisitions Damon Smith, will be telling the stories of visionaries such as scientists, engineers, economists, mathematicians, physicists, financiers, and insome cases everyday folks who have facilitated human progress or reshaped our world by their efforts and inventions. Without production oversight of the films, GE aims to have the program provide authentic, enjoyable content, aligned with its own mission to viewers globally. For more information, visit
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Media Contacts: Deborah Szajngarten, (212) 524-8776; for U.S. inquires, Sean Hamel, (212) 524-8791; for European Inquires, Nikki Thompson, +44 (0) 7763 632 048; or