Unogirardeau, a one minute film festival, will be held in Cape Girardeau on December 12.
Film buffs, burgeoning filmmakers and amateurs are welcome to create and submit their own one minute film. Submissions are open through December 5.
Festival co-founder Dustin Carter said Unogirardeau’s goal is to provide an outlet and opportunity for filmmakers or for anyone who wants to express themselves.
“It’s not really just for filmmakers,” Carter said. “I kind of hope we get people shooting on their iPhones, not just the top, great camera gear.”
The founders decided to require the submissions to be only one minute long with minimal guidelines so that more people may participate.
“The cool thing about the festival is that it allows somebody to do something and create something and that in itself is a story,” Carter said. “So, just making a voice for themselves. There’s no guidelines to it. It could be anything from an art film to horror. Everyone is viewed in the same light.”
The festival will be held at Cup 'n' Cork at 7:30 p.m. and the hosts want the event to be fun and welcoming.
“It’s just open to everyone and just a cool atmosphere. Maybe 80 percent party, 20 percent film festival,” Carter said.
The founders plan to award cash prizes and trophies to the winners of the festival.
“It’s a chance to meet a lot of interesting people, see the people that create the films and see a vision you may not have seen before since it’s not just filmmakers making films, it’s pretty much anybody,” Carter said.
Depending on how the first film festival goes, Carter hopes to make Unogirardeau an annual event and has aspirations for taking the event nationwide.