2020 SOMA Film Festival Calls on Students and Alumni for Submissions  

The Fifth Annual SOMA Film Festival runs from March 18-22, 2020.

The fifth annual South Orange-Maplewood Film Festival will once again host a special two-hour block of films dedicated to the work produced by the Seton Hall community. Currently, the College of Communication and the Arts is calling on current students and alumni to submit their best work for consideration.

Hosted in Maplewood's historic building, The Woodland, the SOMA Film Festival is an annual event that showcases the exemplary work of independent and emerging filmmakers. Attended by members of the film industry and local film enthusiasts alike, the festival offers attendees five nights of diverse, locally produced independent cinema. It is a fantastic opportunity for both students and alumni to gain exposure, connect with potential distributors or producers, and meet members of the community that share their same enthusiasm for cinema.

SOMA Film Festival Founder and Director Matt Smollon recently shared his excitement for this year's festival, and is eager to see the submissions from the Seton Hall community. "We are so thrilled to be continuing our ongoing relationship with the College of Communication and the Arts. Students provide a unique creative perspective that is essential in independent film, and each year the Seton Hall submissions get more and more exciting. I cannot wait to see what they have in store this year."

William Pace, Faculty Associate of Digital Media Production in the College of Communication and the Arts, similarly shared his enthusiasm for the rare benefits the festival offers students. "SOMA is an incredible opportunity for our students to participate in what is often the initial step in many young filmmakers' career path: film festival exposure. Festivals are where new directors are discovered and heralded, and Seton Hall's partnership with SOMA allows our students to experience that process firsthand and prepare them for the larger film world ahead," said Pace.

How to Submit Your Work
Students and alumni are encouraged to submit any video project they produced in the past year, including short films, documentaries, music videos, animations, class projects, and other such media. All submissions are viewed by select judges whose votes will be tallied to determine which projects will be screened. Below are the guidelines and instructions for submitting your work for consideration. All submissions must be sent by January 31, 2020.

• Upload the video file of your project to YouTube, Vimeo or DropBox.
• Email a sharable URL linking to your project to [email protected]
• In your email be sure to include your Name, Year of Graduation, Title of Project, Length of Project. If your video is password protected, include that as well.
• All submitted work must be under 20 minutes in length.

Any questions regarding how to submit your work, email Professor Pace at [email protected].

The 2020 SOMA Film Festival will be held March 18 to 22 at The Woodland in Maplewood, NJ. The dedicated Seton Hall session of films is Sunday, March 22 at 3:00 p.m. All students, alumni and faculty are welcome to attend. For more information on the festival and ticketing visit somafilmfestival.com.

The College of Communication and the Arts currently offers students many different ways to learn film, television, and digital video production through its undergraduate degree in Visual and Sound Media. For more information, contact Amanda Carcione at [email protected].

Categories: Arts and Culture, Campus Life