Press release from Count Basie Theatre
The Count Basie Theatre has revealed the films that will compete in its second-ever Project FX statewide student film festival and competition, taking place at the Red Bank theatre on Sunday, April 17.
The competing films – ten entries from Garden State high schoolers, and an additional ten entries from students attending New Jersey colleges – are viewable now at projectFXbasie.com and facebook.com/projectFXbasie. The public can have their say by “liking” or “sharing” the films on Facebook, which will figure into each film’s final score.
Films will also be viewed and voted on by a panel of esteemed adjudicators, including Sony Pictures Classics co-founder and Middletown resident Tom Bernard; Oscar winner Timothy Hutton; Oscar nominated screenwriter James Schamus, legendary broadcast journalist Dan Rather, Clerks and Mallrats star Brian O’Halloran (pictured), United Talent Agency Independent Film Group head Rena Ronson, Breaking Bad cinematographer Peter Reniers and others.
The Project FXÂ Festival will also feature a panel discussion featuring industry experts and a discussion / audience Q&A on breaking into Hollywood and the motion picture industry. Entry into the festival is free, though advance tickets must be obtained by visiting www.countbasietheatre.org.
High school and college finalists are vying for the ultimate grand prize: a paid internship with Sony Pictures Classics’ offices in Manhattan. Second place winners in each category will receive Sony video cameras, while third-place finishers will receive a $500 cash prize.
Take it here for a full list of competitors with video links. A list of judges is included below.
Paul Bernard                       Director/Producer
Tom Bernard                       Co-President, Co-Founder, Sony Pictures Classics
Bonnie Bernstein         Howell native and ESPN / Fox Sports host
Alex Biese                            Entertainment Reporter, Asbury Park Press
TJ Bryan                                Radio Host, WJRZ-FM; owner, Shoreflicks
Nena Danevic                     Film Editor
Etta Rudolf Denk               Senior VP, Bank Of America
Timothy Hutton                Academy Award Winner (Ordinary People); actor (Taps, The Falcon and the Snowman, ABC’s American Crime)
Kate Lear                      Broadway producer (Catch Me If You Can) /daughter of the legendary Norman Lear
Brian O’Halloran                Actor (Clerks / Mallrats)
Nick Paleologos                 Executive Director, NJ Council of the Arts
Adam Philipson                 President / CEO, Count Basie Theatre
Dan Rather                         CBS Evening News / 60 Minutes, AXS TV’s The Big Interview
Peter Reniers                     Cinematographer, Breaking Bad
Rena Ronson                     Partner, United Talent Agency; head of UTA’s Independent Film Group
Linda Safran                       National Board of Review of Motion Pictures
James Schamus                 Screenwriter, producer (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon/Brokeback Mountain)
Maureen Van Zandt        Actress (The Sopranos, Broadway’s Hair)
Michael Vickerman        Writer; producer of the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Award-nominee Tut
Alycia Yerves                    Multimedia Manager, Two River Theater
