See The World Like Never Before Through The Lens Of Student Filmmakers In Study Abroad Film Festival

CHICAGO, Oct. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- IES Abroad, a leading not-for-profit organization that provides college students access to more than 400 study abroad programs in 85 global locations, is pleased to announce the four student Finalists for its sixth-annual IES Abroad Study Abroad Film Festival.

This year's Finalists include inspiring, high quality, creative short films that will leave you with a deep sense of wanderlust and appreciation of the power of study abroad. From following students' "rite of passage" through Paris, with originally-produced music; to getting lost in a series of love letters detailing intimate experiences through Dublin; and experiencing the most sincere, authentic visual diary of Tokyo you've ever–this year's Film Festival offers something unique for every viewer:

• "Come Alive," by Siyu Zhou | University of South Carolina | IES Abroad Tokyo, Japan, Fall 2018
• "Dear Dublin," by Kirsten Mossberg | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | IES Abroad Dublin, Ireland, Spring 2019
• "Les Cinq Mois / 'The Five Months,'" by Chase Devens | University of Wisconsin-Madison | IES Abroad Paris, France, Spring 2019; and co-directed by David Smith | University of Wisconsin-Madison | IES Abroad Paris, France, Spring 2019

Students participating in the Film Festival produced their films based on their study abroad experiences around the globe with IES Abroad. The Grand Prize Winner will be chosen by the public, who can vote for their favorite film on the IES Abroad Film Festival website, www.IESabroad.org/film-festival, now through November 5 at noon CST. Viewers can also join and follow the Film Festival conversation across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by following @iesabroad, as well as utilizing the #IESabroadFilmFest hashtag.

IES Abroad students submitted 99 film–the most-ever submitted to the Film Festival. The films were viewed and narrowed down to three Finalists by a prominent jury of directors, editors, producers and screenwriters, all of whom are either IES Abroad alumni or film studies faculty from the organization's international Centers. Over a span of six years, more than 156 colleges and universities have been represented through 450+ student film submissions, all documenting the various experiences at IES Abroad study abroad and internship programs around the world.

Amy Ruhter McMillan, Senior Associate Vice President of Marketing and Founder of the IES Abroad Study Abroad Film Festival says: "The IES Abroad Film Festival gives students a unique platform to share their authentic, life-changing, global experiences through their own voices. Even in its sixth year, we are still awed by the level of quality, dedication and storytelling abilities of our students, and we can't wait for everyone to be as captivated as we have been by this year's films."

Voting for the Finalist films takes place now through November 5^th on the IES Abroad website, www.IESabroad.org/film-festival. Participants can vote once per email address, and all votes will be confidential until the winner is announced at the IES Abroad Film Festival Awards Ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Chicago's renowned Museum of Contemporary Art. IES Abroad will roll out the red carpet for the second year in a row with ceremony host, Richard Roeper, best known as the film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and for his 10 years as co-host of the television series, "At The Movies with Roger Ebert."

"I'm honored to be hosting the IES Abroad Film Festival for the second year in a row," says Roeper. "It's always a treat to see future filmmakers' work come to life on the big screen, and I look forward to sharing the stage with these talented individuals on November 7^th."

Through these visual journeys, the Film Festival helps increase the awareness of the benefits of studying abroad to new audiences, as well as helps raise IES Abroad scholarship funds to send even more students abroad. This year, the IES Abroad Study Abroad Film Festival has secured the most sponsors ever for the event–more than $40,000 that will provide 22 IES Abroad students with $2,500 scholarships each to assist them with studying abroad in the coming semesters. Additionally, Student Universe will be sponsoring the Finalists' flights to the Film Festival event, taking place in Chicago.

"In addition to students being awarded for their outstanding films, IES Abroad will be honoring our President and CEO of IES Abroad, Dr. Mary M. Dwyer, with a Standing Ovation Award for her 25 years of dedication to making study abroad accessible for as many students as possible through scholarship and financial aid, which this event contributes to directly," says Ruhter McMillan.

Additional Film Festival information includes:

• Tickets can be purchased on the IES Abroad Film Festival website–$25 for general admission ($30 at the door), $80 for VIP admission, and $10 for students and children under the age of 12
• It is encouraged to register and purchase tickets before November 1, as the event is expected to sell out quickly
• This year's Film Festival sponsors include: Anatomy Warehouse, Arrive Luxury Travel, Carr Realty, Contiki Travel, Cultural Insurance Services International, Diversity Abroad, Erika Maschmeyer, GoAbroad, GoOverseas, Kirkland & Ellis, Lockton Companies, Lucky Girl Brewery, Marquette Associates Inc., MoreVisibility, Inc., STA Travel, and Student Universe.
• Follow @IESabroad on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for #IESabroadFilmFest updates

For more information on IES Abroad's study abroad programs and the IES Abroad Film Festival, please visit www.IESabroad.org or www.IESabroad.org/film-festival.

About IES Abroad
Founded in 1950, IES Abroad is a not-for-profit academic consortium of 270 top-tier American Colleges and universities, with more than 240 additional partner universities worldwide. IES Abroad provides premier study abroad and internship programs around the world through IES Abroad, IES Internships, IES Abroad Customized & Faculty-Led Programs, and The Study Abroad Foundation. With more than 400 study abroad programs in 85 global locations worldwide, the organization creates authentic global education opportunities for more than 10,000 students annually. IES Abroad has more than 140,000 alumni who have benefited from studying in IES Abroad programs since its inception and offers $5 million in scholarships and financial aid. Learn more at www.IESabroad.org.

About the IES Abroad Film Festival
Founded in 2014, the IES Abroad Study Abroad Film Festival is one of the first student-focused study abroad film festivals in the industry. Celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, the IES Abroad Film Festival has provided students a platform to voice their global journey through their own words and video footage, capturing unique views into their life-changing study abroad experiences – showing what the experience meant to them and how it redefined their world. For more information, please visit: www.IESabroad.org/film-festival.

Media Contact
Kelli Hartsock
Mekky Media, on behalf of IES Abroad
[email protected] 
(309) 507-1418

SOURCE IES Abroad

Related Links

http://www.iesabroad.org