Winning Team to Receive $5,000, Olympus PEN® Equipment, 2012 VIP Festival Passes and a Private Meeting with an Award-Winning Hollywood Film Producer

Vail, Co. (February 22, 2011) – The Colorado Film Institute today announces the launch of the Olympus PEN Your Short 48 Hour Film Contest as part of a new partnership between the 2011 Vail Film Festival, held March 31 through April 3, and Olympus. During the 2011 Vail Film Festival, filmmakers will be challenged to create a film, from start to finish, in a 48-hour timeframe.

Olympus will supply each registered filmmaker with a loaner Olympus PEN® camera, a variety of MICRO Four Thirds™ lenses and accessories and challenges them to create a film festival-ready short in just two days. The winning team of filmmakers (limit five per team) will receive a cash prize of $5,000, courtesy of Olympus, an Olympus PEN interchangeable lens camera kit, VIP passes to the 2012 Vail Film Festival and a private meet-and-greet with an award-winning Hollywood film producer.

“The Vail Film Festival is proud to host the Olympus PEN Your Short 48 Hour Film Contest during this year’s festival. The contest serves as both a hands-on education in guerilla filmmaking and a unique showcase for up-and-coming Indie filmmakers,” said Sean Cross, Co-Director, Colorado Film Institute. “We are honored to have a world-renowned company such as Olympus as a partner, and as the title sponsor for this great contest.”

The Olympus PEN Your Short 48 Hour Film Contest will build on the past successes of the Vail Film Festival Reel Quick 48 Hour Film Contest and begin with a shotgun start at 11:00 a.m. MT on Thursday, March 31, 2011, with all entries due by 10:59 a.m. MT on Saturday, April 2, 2011. Contest entries will be screened as part of the official 2011 Vail Film Festival program, followed by an on-site judging process. The winning team of filmmakers will be announced during the 2011 Vail Film Festival Closing Night Awards Ceremony, to be held on Saturday, April 2, 2011 at The Sebastian Hotel in Vail, Colorado.

“We are excited to enter into this sponsorship with the Vail Film Festival and eager to get our Olympus PEN cameras, lenses and accessories into the hands of some of the brightest and most talented emerging filmmakers around. We anticipate that the compact size and creative functions of the PEN camera, combined with the beautiful surroundings of Vail will translate in to amazing HD footage from these gifted individuals,” said Peter Ewen, Director of DSLR & PEN Product Marketing, Olympus Imaging America Inc.

Filmmaker registration for the contest will begin March 1, 2011 and continue through 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 31, 2011. Interested filmmakers are encouraged to either register in advance of the festival by sending an email to [email protected], or register in person at the festival Will Call Office beginning Tuesday, March 29, 2011.

As part of the partnership, Olympus will also provide a hands-on PEN camera training session, on-site 24-hour tech support for participating filmmakers and hands-on counsel and inspiration from veteran Motion Picture and Television Cinematographer and Director of Photography, Kris Krosskove, who used the PEN camera to film a portion of a full-length, award-winning Hollywood motion picture.

For further details about the 2011 Vail Film Festival and to obtain registration and guideline information for the Olympus PEN Your Short 48 Hour Film Contest, please visit http://www.vailfilmfest.com/olympus-48-hour-contest/.

About Vail Film Festival
The Vail Film Festival promotes independent filmmaking, with a special focus on new and innovative filmmakers. The Vail Film Festival is produced by the Colorado Film Institute, a non-profit arts organization. Additional information: www.vailfilmfest.com or call (970) 476-1092.

About Olympus Imaging America, Inc.
Olympus Imaging America Inc. is a precision technology leader, designing and delivering award-winning products for consumer and professional markets.

Olympus Imaging America Inc. works collaboratively with its customers and its ultimate parent company, Olympus Corporation, to develop breakthrough technologies with revolutionary product design and functionality that enhances people’s lives every day. These include:

• Digital Cameras

• Professional and Interchangeable Lens System Cameras

• Related Underwater Products and Accessories

• Digital and Microcassette Recorders

• Digital Media

• Binoculars

Olympus Imaging America Inc. is responsible for sales in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. For more information, visit: www.olympusamerica.com.

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