SI DocFest 2012 Awards To Be Held In Downtown San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fifth Annual Bay Area Social Issues Documentary Film Contest (SI DocFest) will hold its screenings and award ceremony at the Camera 12 Cinemas in downtown San Jose on Saturday, April 28, 2012, from 2 to 6 pm.

The SI DocFest is a contest focused on high school students, the documentary genre, social issues, and the greater Bay Area community. Participants are asked to create a short documentary (8-12 minutes) dealing with a social issue they care about. In its first four years, the organizers have awarded approximately $125,000 to Bay Area schools, non-profits and student filmmakers.

Submitted films are judged by the organizing committee, which selects a group of semifinalists to be screened at the event. These films are evaluated by a team of independent judges, which determines the final rankings.

First place will be awarded $10,000, second place $6,000 and third place $4,000. Each award will be equally divided between the non-profit, school and filmmakers associated with the film. Cash awards for the non-profits profiled by the other semifinalists will also be presented. A new Flex category will award $2,000 to the winning filmmakers and the annual Terry McElhatton Memorial Award will be presented to a local video production teacher. Also, a special award will be presented to Granada HS.

The semifinalist teams from Capuchino HS, Presentation HS, Lincoln HS, Saratoga HS, Freestyle Academy, Mt. Pleasant HS, and Carmel HS, have been posted on the SI DocFest website (www.sidocfest.com). A reception at the theater complex will cap the evening. Tickets are available at the Camera 12 box office or online at www.cameracinemas.com.

The SI DocFest has been conceptualized and organized as a volunteer-based endeavor by Do Good Docs Corporation, a non-profit organization co-founded by San Jose residents Loreli and Monica Alba. Loreli, 21, is a senior at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, while Monica, 24, is a graduate student at the Columbia School of Journalism.

Camera Cinemas, the leading independent movie theater company in the South Bay, has been an official sponsor of the SI DocFest since its inception in 2007.

For more information please visit www.sidocfest.com, which includes a tab with press materials.

Do Good Docs is a non-profit organization located in San Jose, California. Its first project has been the sponsoring and organizing of the Bay Area Social Issues Documentary Film Contest (SI DocFest), while two more initiatives focused on socially responsible filmmaking are in the planning stage.

For nearly 35 years, Camera Cinemas has been presenting a wide variety of well-made, intelligent films, from re-released classics to independents, international to mainstream, and has become an important institution in the local film community, making vital contributions to the cultural life of the San Jose area and representing the best of what the South Bay has to offer.

SOURCE Do Good Docs