Louisiana Film Prize Launches a Distribution Partnership with Shorts International

Louisiana Film Prize is launching a distribution partnership with Shorts International.

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The top five winners of the competition will have their shorts released by Shorts International via iTunes and other platforms.

In addition, winners will be seen at Dallas VideoFest, Sync Up Fest in New Orleans and the Los Angeles and Hollywood Shorts Fest.

"In our efforts to make the Louisiana Film Prize the coolest film event on the planet, we knew we had to up our game and offer our filmmaking contestants an incredible incentive," Louisiana Film Prize executive director Gregory Kallenberg said. "This year, we will not only give away $50,000 cash, we will also be awarding future screenings for the filmmakers as well as the ultimate prize, a distribution deal for their short films."

The Louisiana Film Prize is open to filmmakers from all around the world so long as they shoot in the Shreveport-Bossier area. The deadline for submissions for this year's festival, which will take place Oct. 4-6 in Shreveport, is July 9. The jury is made up of film industry executives, filmmakers and press and will be announced in the spring.

“This is a great opportunity to showcase these filmmakers and bring their short films to a broader audience," said Carter Pilcher, CEO of ShortsHD, a division of Shorts International and the first high-definition channel dedicated to short movies. "It is an exciting time for short filmmakers, and we are honored to be part of the process of cultivating emerging talent."

Email: Tatiana.Siegel@THR.com, Twitter: @TatianaSiegel27