Verizon Kicks Off the 2006 Asian Pacific American Film Festival in Washington With a Nationwide Video Trailer Contest

Verizon Kicks Off the 2006 Asian Pacific American Film Festival in Washington With a Nationwide Video Trailer Contest

Aspiring Film and Video Directors Invited to Submit Entries and Compete for $1,000 Cash Prize

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon and APA Film have launched a creative competition in search of the best 60-second-or-shorter video trailer promoting the annual D.C. APA Film Festival. The competition invites amateur filmmakers and directors across the country to submit original video spots that celebrate or highlight the spirit of the Asian Pacific American film experience. Verizon is also a presenting sponsor of this film festival, to be held from Sept. 28 - Oct. 7 in the D.C. metropolitan area.

"As Verizon establishes a foothold in the entertainment industry by rolling out FiOS TV, our entertainment service through Verizon's fiber-optic network, it's appropriate that we begin to support the art forms that generate entertainment and other video content," said Jeff McFarland, director of multicultural marketing for Verizon. "We are proud to be the presenting sponsor of this film festival."

Clare Fang, group manager of Asian marketing for Verizon, said, "We hope to get many entries for this video contest from around the country. Being a part of the D.C. APA Film Festival gives Verizon another opportunity to further demonstrate our continued support of the Asian-American community."

The winning entry will be chosen through a combination of votes from APA Film and the public. The general public can view entries online at www.apafilm.org and at APA-sponsored events from September 5-27. Deadline for entries must be received or postmarked by August 25.

A $1,000 prize will be awarded to the person who submits the best video promoting the D.C. APA Film Festival. The winning short clip will be screened on opening night, Sept. 28, before the feature film. Entries can be submitted in any language, but English subtitles are required for submissions in foreign languages. For contest rules and for more information about the Verizon D.C. APA Film Festival, visit www.apafilm.org.

Over the years, Verizon has been a strong supporter of Asian communities around the country, a role exemplified further by Verizon's recent sponsorship of the annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival, The Asian American International Film Festival in New York and Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York.

About APA Film, Inc.

The APA Film is a nonprofit corporation based in Washington, D.C., that aims to explore the cross-cultural interface of the East and the West through art and education. The annual Festival brings attention to the creativity of Asian Pacific American communities and encourages the artistic development of APA films in the Washington, D.C., area. The D.C. APA Film Festival is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a nonprofit arts service organization.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), a Dow 30 company, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving nearly 55 million customers nationwide. Verizon Business operates one of the most expansive wholly-owned global IP networks. Verizon Telecom is deploying the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network to deliver the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services to customers. Based in New York, Verizon has a diverse workforce of more than 252,000 and generates annual consolidated operating revenues of approximately $90 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

Source: Verizon

CONTACT: Ellen Yu, Verizon, +1-908-559-3496, ellen.yu@verizon.com;
Chinese - Ann Hsieh, +1-212-653-9120, annh@admerasia.com, Korean - Suzie Lin,
+1-212-653-9159, suziel@admerasia.com, both of Admerasia

Web site: http://www.verizon.com/
http://www.apafilm.org/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/618232.html

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