Hope Film Challenge

Hope Givers, the award-winning Atlanta-based film company, has announced a call for entries for its 2nd Annual Hope Film Challenge. The Hope Film Challenge is a youth filmmaking competition to help support high school and middle school student filmmakers in producing short-film content (30-90 seconds) to practice their craft and further develop their storytelling capabilities featuring hope and resilience. Finalists will have their films featured in the upcoming second season of the uplifting PBS series "HOPE GIVERS," available on Georgia Public Broadcasting. Over $4,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded.

To qualify, students must work with an adult mentor at their school and submit a short film (30-90 seconds) that highlights hope and resilience. Films should be first-person stories that allow the student to tell their story in creative ways to provide peer-to-peer support. The theme this season is "The Power of Connection." Films can be shot on a camera or phone or produced through animation, stop-motion, acting/dance/music or other creative choices.

"We are expecting up to 1,000 submissions across the country this year," says Tamlin Hall, Hope Givers founder and CEO. "Peer-to-peer support is one of the most effective ways to learn resilience and combat mental health challenges our youth are facing right now. The power of the films submitted last year was contagious. Educators are telling us that first-person student stories are effective and engaging. Students are saying that as well. It's the one tool that educators and students both agree on."

Hope Givers, which debuted its first season in 2021 on Public Broadcasting, is the #1 Youth Mental Health Series in America. The series promotes more connectedness between students and educators when it comes to mental health. Also, 87.5% of students believe there is a need for stronger mental health programs at their school and 81 percent of educators believe the Hope Givers series can save young lives. As a mentor for these films, educators also have a chance to receive two cash prizes valued at $1,500.

The 2022 Hope Film Challenge is sponsored by FINAL DRAFT and the Cobb EMC Foundation. In addition to monetary prizes, students have the opportunity to win a copy of Final Draft, the premiere screenwriting software for film and TV.

Students in grades 6-12 from across the country are invited to participate to have their films judged by a panel of active industry professionals. Finalist judges this year include Justin Hillian (Showrunner, SHOWTIME's "The Chi"); Rachel Axler (Writer, four-time Emmy Winner for "Veep," "The Daily Show"); Marion Dayre (Showrunner, MARVEL's "Echo"; Writer, "Better Call Saul"); and Christopher Escobar (Executive Director, Atlanta Film Festival). Deadline for entry is April 8, 2022.

Find contest rules and submissions at hopegiversGA.org.