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"Well they tell me there's really no problem... only solutions." -- John Lennon

Announcing the 2009-2010 Elfenworks and CMF Social Justice Award Winners

Students from over 50 colleges and universities submitted short movies and songs to help shed light on issues of poverty and inequality in America for the CMF Elfenworks Social Justice Category. Along with The Elfenworks Foundation, we're proud to announce the winners of this year's competition. Taking home the $10,000 grand prize is Propogating Peace from Georgia Tech, 2nd place went to Building a Connection from Cal State East Bay, and earning the artistic excellence award is A Time for Hope from UC Berkeley.

The Campus MovieFest Elfenworks Social Justice Category encourages students to take a look at issues that are difficult to discuss such as hunger, homelessness, access to medical care, abuse, incarceration, and also expose those whose actions cause positive change and hope in the community. Take a look at this year's winners and check below to start on your movie for the 2010-2011 competition.

College Battle of the Bands and The Elfenworks Foundation also challenged bands and artists to create music with a message. This year's grand prize winner was The Beat Advocate for their song The Otherside. Taking home 2nd and 3rd place respectively are A Silent Canvas for their song Close Your Eyes, and The Taxi Project for their song New.

How it Works:

Filmmakers at participating CMF schools can sign-up for free online and get all the gear needed to tell your story in a week. Or, students who attend any US college or university can submit their short movies online by May 1, 2011. Movies must follow the CMF guidelines such as being under five minutes long and not including any copyrighted material, but can take the extra time beyond a week to interview, explore, and create.

Musicians can submit their tracks online by the same deadline. Winners selected by the Elfenworks Foundation will be announced at the CMF International Grand Finale in June 2011.

About the Movies and Music:

Fear
Ever wonder why so many people say there's no poverty problem in America? Did you know there was a Stanford study showing more people in denial about poverty after Katrina coverage than before? What are we afraid of: that the problem is too big to fix, or that if we look we'll have to help, or that the same thing could happen to us? Churchill wasn't so dumb, when he said "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.' In your movies and music, consider exploring the concept of how fear is a mind-killer, and how it makes us blind to possibilities and hope.

Hope
Similar to the past two years of the Elfenworks CMF Social Justice Award, you can also tell the story of a visionary or visionaries who are doing something. Highlight people unafraid to look, see a solution, see their role, and make an impact. Showcase the tales of people who didn't let fear stop their minds from thinking problems through to solutions.

Or as Lauren Speeth, CEO of the Elfenworks Foundation explains, "What do you think lies on the opposite side of fear? One of our winning films was Hands of Change... Remember we'll always consider films that tell the story about how NOBODY should underestimate their ability to make a ripple of positive change."

Quality / Expectations
The Elfenworks Foundation encourages you to focus on the stories, but don't forget your audio and video quality, too. No more shaky pictures and inaudible interviews. We want to share the winning movies around the world, and therefore need them to meet a standard of brilliance. Think about this category - about your potential to move hearts and minds - and come at it smartly.

Prizes
We're throwing down the gauntlet to you students, to tell a story in a way people will watch or hear... and we are quaking in FEAR of adding this new 'fear' concept, so we're adding fair warning: this will be the HARDEST YET to win. The filmmakers and musicians who can tell this story well might be able to get the country to - gasp - look at ourselves in the mirror and admit we might have a poverty and inequality problem.

As always we're looking for the very best and brightest, and as always Elfenworks and CMF this year and in future years reserve the right to postpone the deadline if nothing of the level of previous years is submitted.