A Fine Farewell: Hospice of Michigan Conducts Film Contest to Shine Light on End-Of-Life Issues

A Fine Farewell: Hospice of Michigan Conducts Film Contest to Shine Light on End-Of-Life Issues

DETROIT, May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Reunion, joy, grief, pain, loss and reconciliation - these are some of the things people face in their final months. To shine light on the closing scenes of life, Hospice of Michigan is conducting a film contest, A Fine Farewell, and inviting filmmakers to create a short five-minute film about end of life from their perspective.

Judging the contest entries are Hospice of Michigan President and CEO Dottie Deremo, along with five film industry insiders:

-- Lisa Enos, screenwriter, director, winner of the Boston Independent
Film Festival and four-time Independent Spirit Award nominee
-- Rebecca Green, formerly of Paramount Studios and currently part of
creative development for TicTock Studios
-- Jon Helmrich, formerly of E! Entertainment Television and HBO and
founder and president of International Broadcast Communications
-- Linda Kinnaman, former Broadway and commercial actress and event
consultant for many major Hollywood events
-- Janet Lockwood, director of the Michigan Film Office and film
commissioner for the State of Michigan.

"I was honored to be asked to be a judge for the Hospice of Michigan film contest," said Janet Lockwood, director of the Michigan Film Office. Hospice is near and dear to my heart because my mother received hospice care when she was diagnosed with kidney failure. She had the most joyous death and hospice was very helpful. A Fine Farewell Film Contest, which is being conducted by Hospice of Michigan, is positive in two ways - it provides an incentive for filmmakers to bring their talents to a short format, and at the same time it will shed light on the final scenes of life."

Contest Details

Name of Contest: A Fine Farewell
Conducted By: Hospice of Michigan -- 313-578-5041
400 Mack Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201
E-mail: communicate@hom.org

Entry Deadline: June 30, 2008

Prizes: Category I: Adults (post high school)
(Open to everyone - no experience required)
1st Place: $1,500.00
2nd Place: $1,000.00
3rd Place: $500.00

Category II: High School Students (Ages 14 - 18)
1st Place: $750.00
2nd Place: $500.00
3rd Place: $250.00

Theme:

A Fine Farewell -- end-of-life experiences, fears about dying, conversations about what people want at the end of life and/or a hospice experience.

Contest rules and information:
1. Anyone can enter. (With the exception of Hospice of Michigan employees
and their immediate family members.)
2. All films must be five minutes or less from the start of the film to
the end of the credits - excluding the 10 seconds of black that must
appear before the start of your film.
3. All entrants must submit the film along with all paperwork (signed
releases, proof of royalty free or original music, registration, etc.)
4. Official entry forms must be completed in full, including one contact
name, phone and email.
5. All entries must be submitted on DVD or mini DV format.
6. Any music that is used must be original or royalty free. NO copyrighted
music will be allowed unless proper permission has been granted.
7. Entrants may enter as many times as they wish.
8. All decisions on winners and finalists are final.
9. The winning films, including the top 10 films, will be subject to use
by Hospice of Michigan in promotional and education materials and on
websites associated with Hospice of Michigan.
10. Film content must be centered on the theme A Fine Farewell:
-- End-of-life experiences and/or a hospice experience
-- Fears about dying
-- Conversations about what people want at the end of life
Communications Department
Hospice of Michigan
400 Mack Avenue; Detroit, MI 48201

Judging:
1. All entries will be viewed by the "HOM Contest Screening Committee."
2. The Screening Committee will select the top 10 entries in each category
for final judging. Categories are:
a. High School Contest Entries
b. Adult Contest Entries (post high school)
3. Final judging will be conducted by Hospice of Michigan President and
CEO Dottie Deremo and five film industry insiders.
4. The judges will be sent a copy of each of the top 10 films in two
categories, along with judging score sheets.
5. Three winners will be selected in each category: grand prize, first
runner-up and second runner-up.
6. The qualified panel of judges will evaluate eligible entries on the
basis of overall story idea (20%), overall impression (20%),
cohesiveness of production (20%), adherence to the theme of A Fine
Farewell (20%) and the film's effectiveness in illuminating end-of-life
themes (20%).

Announcing the Winners:
1. The top 10 filmmakers in each category will be notified via
email/phone.
2. The top 10 will be invited to be special guests at a Michigan screening
hosted by Hospice of Michigan.
3. The winners in both categories will be announced at a special event
hosted by Hospice of Michigan in September 2008 in Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
4. Winners will be announced in a press release distributed statewide and
on the Hospice of Michigan web site, www.hom.org.

5. The winning film will be shown at screenings throughout the state.

About Hospice of Michigan:

Hospice of Michigan is the state's largest hospice, caring for nearly 900 people each day in nearly 60 counties. A leader in end-of-life care, Hospice of Michigan is dedicated to providing high quality end-of-life care to all who need and seek it regardless of their diagnosis or ability to pay. For information about Hospice of Michigan's services, call toll-free 888-HOM-5656 or visit the website at www.hom.org.

Film Contest Judges

Lisa Enos

West Michigan native, Lisa Enos recently returned to the Ludington-area after spending many years in Los Angeles and London, where she worked mainly as a screenwriter for multiple companies including: Phoenix Pictures, Artisan Entertainment, FOX Television and Channel 4. In 2003, a film she co-wrote and produced entitled, ivansxtc (Ivan's Ecstasy) in association with Rhino Films (a subsidiary of Warner Bros.), was nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards and played in several international film festivals including Berlin, Toronto and Cannes, and won the Boston Independent Film Festival. Enos also produced and starred in a horror satire entitled Snuff-Movie which opened at the prestigious Edinburgh Film Festival in Scotland, and was distributed in 2005 by Lionsgate UK. Before moving to Hollywood in 1997, she made two documentary films for A&E Network: The Angel of Bergen Belsen which she wrote, produced and scored, and Copycat Crimes which she directed. Enos' most recent project, Ivansxtc II: The Kreutzer Sonata, is in post-production and a project with the BBC entitled, Mr. Nice is slated for production in 2008. Enos is a graduate of Michigan State University and a member of The Writer's Guild of America.

Rebecca Green

Rebecca formerly worked at Paramount Pictures as vice president of Lynda Obst Productions. Prior to that, Rebecca spent four years at Lionsgate, where as a creative executive, she worked on Employee of the Month and Pride. In acquisitions there, Rebecca spearheaded the theatrical release of Ju-on: The Grudge and earned a production coordinator credit on Kevin Spacey's Beyond the Sea. During college, Rebecca interned at Christine's Vachon's Killer Films where she worked on Boy's Don't Cry. She has a B.F.A from the North Carolina School of the Arts of Filmmaking where she produced over a dozen short films.

Jon Helmrich

A Michigan native, Jon Helmrich is founder and president of International Broadcast Communications (IBC), a global programming, distribution, and channel development company. Before IBC, Helmrich was a member of E! Entertainment Television's original launch team where prepared for the company's 1990 start in the US and later created the company's international development department, establishing E! Network's presence in more than 120 countries. Prior to E!, Helmrich was production manager for HBO talent and entertainment features in New York where he oversaw post-production and financial operations for HBO and Cinemax short features and entertainment news. In 2004, Helmrich relocated his international television consultancy business from Los Angeles to Saugatuck. He currently serves on the board of the newly founded West Michigan Film Office and the Board of Mason Street Warehouse as Co-Vice Chair and is also active in other non-profit and political organizations. Helmrich holds an M.A. in Liberal Studies from New York University and a B.A. in Communications from The George Washington University. He was a charter member of the National Academy of Cable Programming and is a member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, ATAS, and the National Council on Media and Public Affairs.

Linda Kinnaman

Linda Kinnaman began her show business career at a young age when she started taking dance, piano, voice and acting lessons, which lead to her co-writing, producing, directing and acting in two children's plays at the age of 13. Kinnaman's stage career led her to Broadway where she shared the stage with such notables as Ruby Keeler, Martha Raye, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell and June Allyson. In 1981, she moved to Los Angeles and continued a busy career in television commercials before transitioning into the world of special events. For eighteen years she was an event consultant, working with most of the major event production companies, caterers, designers and film studios. She coordinated many events for some of Hollywood's biggest stars including Goldie Hawn, Kevin Costner and Barbra Streisand. Television specials include The People's Choice Awards, The Stunt Awards and Bob Hope's 90th Birthday Special. Kinnaman has a BA in Communication Arts from Marymount Manhattan College and now resides in Douglas, Michigan.

Janet Lockwood

An actor since childhood, Janet Lockwood has been Director of the Michigan Film Office, an agency within the Department of History, Arts and Libraries, since 1992. Lockwood is also film commissioner for the State of Michigan. She currently serves on the boards of IFP Midwest/Chicago, Lansing Area Movie Buffs (LAMBS), East Lansing Film Festival Advisory Board, Waterfront Film Festival Advisory Board, West Michigan Film Office Board and Lansing Community College Motion Picture Production/Direction Advisory Board. Lockwood is also a member of IFP Chicago, Association of Film Commissioners International, Riverwalk Theatre and Women In Film. Lockwood is a graduate of Michigan State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Hospice of Michigan

CONTACT: Tracy Lark of Hospice of Michigan, +1-313-578-5041,
tlark@hom.org; or Jillian Lambert, jlambert@profmktg.com, or Diane Jones,
dcjones@profmktg.com, +1-616-949-9104, both for Hospice of Michigan

Web Site:

http://www.hom.org/

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