January Newsletter

Hello friends of the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office.  Welcome to 2017, the year of the Fire Rooster.  As we look ahead to the coming year, we are hopeful to continue building upon some wonderful relationships we've formed with our public and private partners.  We also seek to engage our friends working in the creative industries early and often this year as we collectively continue our efforts to grow the creative economy in Michigan.

MFDMO Heading to Sundance to host Michigan-themed reception

On the afternoon of Friday, January 20th, the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office will be hosting a Michigan-themed reception during the opening weekend of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.  The event will be held at AFCI's Beyond Cinema Media Studio and Filmmaker Lounge somewhere on Main St., in Park City, UT.  This reception is part of the MFDMO's continued effort to promote the State of Michigan at film and creative industry events.  We will also be co-sponsoring an event called "Monday on Main Street" with our friends from the Midwest Independent Film Festival on Monday, January 23rd.   If you or someone you know would like to be added to our invitation list or you would just like to connect during our time in Park City, please your email your requests to michiganfilmanddigital@gmail.com.  Thank you!

Digital Badging awards for Google CS First Students

CS First Digital Badging Program In partnership with Google and the Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office (MFDMO) is excited to offer students the ability to share their success in the CS First program by earning a digital badge specific to the completion of their CS First Club themes in Art, Game Design, Fashion & Design, Sports, Friends, Music & Sound, Social Media, and Storytelling.  The CS First Digital Badging Program is an exclusive opportunity for clubs that have signed up for the CS First program through our office and in partnership with Google.  Overview: Clubs that have signed up for the CS First program through the partnership between the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office and Google will have access to the digital badging program. To access the digital badges, club facilitators will create an account (details below) and distribute the respective digital badge to students who complete a CS First Club. For more information about the digital badges offered visit HERE.  For more information about this partnership and the digital badging program, please contact the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office by email (csfirst@michigan.org) or phone (517.373.3456).

Thunder Bay International Film Festival Primer

Mark your calendars for this year's 5th Annual Thunder Bay International Film Festival which takes place January 20-29th.  The TBIFF serves to promote the inter-connectivity between our Great Lakes and the world's Oceans, while also acting as one of the main fundraisers for The Friends of National Marine Sanctuary: a group which seeks to preserve the Great Lakes and their history through both education and research.    This year's TBIFF will feature over 50 films.  The TBIFF is strengthened through their partnership with the San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival.  Another exciting element to this year's festival is the Student Film Competition, which asks 6-12 grade students to answer what #BIODIVERSITYIS in films no longer than 5 minutes in length.   Plans in full swing for annual TBIFF, The Alpena News Downloadable 2017 TBIFF Program

Have an aspiring young filmmaker?  There's a film festival for that

A new collaborative between the Neutral Zone, Community Television Network (CTN), and the Ypsi 24 Hour Shootout, brings teens a new film competition which allows them to compete against their peers for various cash prizes.   The 13-18 year old entrants can assemble teams and then must complete films that meet certain requirements such as props and locations utilized.  The films must be submitted within the 24 hour time frame.  On February 4th there will be a public screening of the submissions.   For more information, visit HERE

The 14th Annual Teen Filmmaker Festival will take place on March 4th at the Chenary Auditorium in Kalamazoo.  The competition is open to Michigan residents ages 12-19.  The films are to be no longer than 10 minutes in length.  Teen filmmakers will be competing for prizes and awards including the People's Choice Award which will be selected the afternoon of the event.   Teen filmmakers interested in entering this year's competition had better act fast, as the January 20th submission deadline is rapidly approaching.   For more information visit HERE

This year marks the 49th Michigan Student Film Festival.  Michigan students grades K-12 are eligible for participation and are judged in numerous categories in the following divisions, Elementary (K-5), Junior (6-8) and High School (9-12).  All film entries are not to exceed 5 minutes in length.  Students will compete for prizes such as scholarships, gift cards and film gear. 

This year's event takes place on April 29th at the Detroit Film Theater in the Detroit Institute of Arts.  Potential entrants have a few more months to meet the March 4th submission deadline. 

For more information visit HERE

36-Hour Challenge - Grand Rapids Film Festival

The Grand Rapids Film Festival is joining the film competition circuit, launching a 36 Hour Challenge: a film competition for high school and college students and for aspiring professional filmmakers.  Teams are launched on Friday, January 27th at 8pm, tasked with submitting a six minute short film by Sunday, January 29th at 9am.  There are four student scholarships up for grabs among numerous cash prizes.   For more information visit HERE

MFDMO seeking student internship candidates

Are you a student currently enrolled in a film, digital media or other creative industry program?  Are you interested in learning about the work of the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office?  This might be the opportunity for you - the Michigan Film Office (MFDMO) is accepting applications for internships for the 2017 spring semester.   You will be Assisting the Commissioner and MFDMO staff in the implementation of the 2015-2016 Strategic Plan, providing administrative support by helping to organize documents, preparing records, building contact lists, assisting professional staff with special projects, and when schedules permit, attending meetings with the Film Advisory Council and industry partners to learn more about film and creative industry work around the state.    The ideal candidate should be detail-oriented, reliable and available up to 8 hours per week (two half days or one full day) for a full term or semester.  This is an unpaid position.  If you are interested and meet the qualifications, please send an email to mfo@michigan.org, with the subject line “Spring semester 2017 Intern,” and attach a resume and current academic transcript (it can be an unofficial transcript). *Please note the MFDMO is located in Lansing, MI*

MFDMO looking to feature creative industry success stories

Are you aware of any individuals or businesses making a name for themselves in the creative industries here in Michigan?  If so, we'd not only like to know about them, but we'd like to feature them in our monthly newsletter.  We want to hear stories about why these individuals and businesses chose Michigan.  Is it because of the infrastructure and resources available, the access to quality talent, or simply because they refused to relocate?  We want to share with your peers, your Made-in-Michigan success story and let others in on some of the reasons you've been able to attain prosperity.  It is a goal for us to bring a greater sense of inter-connectivity among the creative industries, and by sharing your success stories, we are on our way toward accomplishing that goal, if only in a small way.

**If you'd like to be featured in our monthly newsletter or would like to nominate an individual or business to be featured, please send the full details to mfo@michigan.org. Thank you!**   

Upcoming Events

January 12 - Transforming Fashion Lecture: Ken Krayer - Grand Rapids Art Museum

January 13-15 - Alfred Hitchcock Film Festival - Rogers City

January 20-23 - MFDMO @ Sundance Film Festival - Park City, UT

January 20-29 - Thunder Bay International Film Festival - Alpena

January 27-29 - 36-Hour Challenge - Grand Rapids Film Festival - Grand Rapids

January 28-29 - 24-Hour Teen Film Competition - Ann Arbor

February 25 - Detroit Movie Magic Tour - Begins in Madison Heights

March 4 - 14th Annual Teen Filmmaker Festival - Kalamazoo

**Do you have a creative industry event or festival you'd like featured in our monthly newsletter and/or through our website and social media channels?  If so, please email the full details to mfo@michigan.org and we will do our best to highlight your event**