The imbee FILM CHALLENGE Wants You To Be Magnificent!

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., March 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- imbee, the kid's social network, has partnered with The National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) and HarperCollins Publishers for the imbee FILM CHALLENGE, the first-ever national film contest of its kind.  The contest kicks off today and tasks aspiring filmmakers with executing their film vision of select chapters from author Michael Grant's The Magnificent 12 book series for tweens.

imbee partnered with HarperCollins and NFFTY on the FILM CHALLENGE to bring together all of their resources and give young filmmakers the chance to adapt the written word into a film that reflects their personal vision.    

All imbee FILM CHALLENGE submissions will be screened and judged by a panel of executives and imbee users.  The submissions will be narrowed down to ten finalists that will be posted at imbee.com in the HarperCollins fanZone for imbee user voting.  Films from the top five finalists will be screened at this year's NFFTY in Seattle, WA and three winners will be chosen by the judging panel with the grand prize winner getting the chance to produce an exclusive film project for imbee.  All finalist films and the winning films will be featured on the imbee site.  For more information, go to http://filmchallenge.imbee.com.

"imbee recognizes the potential of today's youth. Having young filmmakers translate the written word into their own film vision is a creative way to encourage reading, foster innovation and provide a platform for kids to showcase their work," said Alan Anderson, imbee's CEO. "The goal of the Film Challenge is to engage kids in making something real and meaningful that they can be proud of.  We are very pleased to be working with HarperCollins, NFFTY and all of the young filmmakers who will be participating."

imbee is the social network for tweens.  The site is a one-of-a-kind social media experience that is a mash up of the best of the web: video and photo uploads, real-time chat, playlist sharing, original web series and clips, pop culture news and cool games (music downloads and virtual store coming soon!).  All in a safe environment that is all about kids, all the time.  Check imbee out.

HarperCollins Children's Books is one of the leading publishers of children's books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures—Charlotte's Web, The Chronicles of Narnia, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends, the Ramona series, Where the Wild Things Are; and popular new classics—The Graveyard Book, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Warriors, and Fancy Nancy. HarperCollins Children's Books has published some of the world's foremost authors and illustrators, and has won numerous awards including the Newbery Medal, the Caldecott Medal, the Printz Award, and the Geisel Award. HarperCollins Children's Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading English-language publishers in the world and a subsidiary of News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NCP, NCPDP). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia/New Zealand, and India. You can visit HarperCollins Children's Books at www.harpercollinschildrens.com and HarperCollins Publishers at www.harpercollins.com.

NFFTY (National Film Festival for Talented Youth) is the largest and most influential film festival for young filmmakers (age 22 and under). NFFTY occurs each spring in Seattle, Washington and includes up to 225 film screenings, filmmaking panels, film contests, parties, and opportunities for young filmmakers to network with industry professionals and each other. Young filmmakers from around the world submit feature-length and short films in narrative, documentary, animation, music video, experimental, and action sport categories.  More than 10,000 film fans are expected at NFFTY 2011, April 28-May 1.

Contacts:
Bronagh Hanley, imbee
[email protected]
415-314-7262

Elizabeth Rosenberg on behalf of NFFTY
[email protected]
310-598-0131

Sandee Roston, HarperCollins
[email protected]

SOURCE imbee