'Politics on Film' Launched Today

'Politics on Film' Launched Today

Washington Political Film Festival to Provide Annual Spring Showcase in Nation's Capital

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The inaugural Politics on Film, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit, bipartisan film festival showcasing political and policy-oriented film, will take place May 7-10, 2009, organizers announced today.

Politics on Film is the nation's first juried film festival with a mission to highlight political film broadly, providing a platform for filmmakers who focus on government, the electoral process, or pressing public policy issues, and establishing an entertaining and educational opportunity for the community. The festival will award prizes in four categories: feature film, documentary film, international film, and political advertising. Festival programming will include panel discussions relevant to film topics, special screenings and events, and will conclude with an awards program.

Politics on Film is a project of the Washington Political Film Foundation and is made possible by an alliance with the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), an organization promoting discourse that seeks to unite the constructive center in the pursuit of viable policy goals.

Politics on Film and the Washington Political Film Foundation were founded and are managed by Lee Johnson of the Congressional Media Group, Gayle Osterberg of 133 Public Affairs, and Philip Dufour of Dufour & Company Productions, with support from McDermott Will & Emery LLP and Paras Productions. More than 100 volunteers are lending professional expertise.

The festival's Honorary Chair is Mrs. Mary Margaret Valenti. "The intersection between Washington and Hollywood has always been a fascinating one," Mrs. Valenti said. "The movies tell our nation's political stories so well, and frequently provide some of the best educational moments for the public. It is only natural that a festival celebrating these important films be held in the Nation's Capital and I am delighted to be a part of it."

The BPC is dedicated to finding bipartisan solutions to the country's most difficult public policy challenges. Currently, the BPC conducts projects that focus on energy, health care, transportation, national security, homeland security, and science policy.

BPC Executive Vice President C.M. Cameron Lynch underscored the substantive focus of the festival, noting, "Movies are more than entertainment, in an increasingly interconnected world, films educate, advocate, expose and examine crucial public policy topics. The BPC is dedicated to helping to solve those problems from the right and the left, and the festival's panel discussions with policy experts and filmmakers will provide a unique forum to further the political discourse in Washington."

Politics on Film Chairman and CEO Lee Johnson said, "As the new Congress assembles here in Washington and a new President prepares to take the oath of office, Politics on Film has arrived at just the right time and at just the right place. We are joined in this effort by many friends and colleagues who are excited to participate in what everyone hopes and believes will become one of the great film festivals. We are particularly excited about working with the Bipartisan Policy Center to build an event that will provide a fascinating new opportunity for important political themes and issues to be explored."

Politics on Film is open for submissions today, January 7, 2009, at www.politicsonfilm.com. The early deadline for entries is January 31, 2009 (postmarked) and the final deadline is March 13, 2009 (postmarked).

Juried Categories
-- Feature Films: Feature-length films produced in the United States not
yet released in theaters.
-- Documentary Films: Documentary films produced in the United States not
yet released in theaters.
-- International Films: Feature or documentary films produced outside the
United States and not yet released in U.S. theaters.
-- Political Ads: Political advertisements to be considered in various
categories with winners packaged in a short reel to be run prior to
festival screenings.

More information is available at www.politicsonfilm.com

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Politics on Film: Gayle Osterberg, 202-548-0133
Bipartisan Policy Center: Eileen McMenamin, 202-379-1633

About Politics on Film

Politics on Film is a project of the Washington Political Film Foundation. It is an annual, bipartisan film festival based in Washington DC dedicated to providing a platform for films that tell stories of America's politics and policies. The festival celebrates the power of film to educate and motivate, as well as entertain. The Festival also celebrates the historic and ongoing legacy of films about American government and democracy, as well as related stories and themes from an international perspective. www.politicsonfilm.com.

About the Bipartisan Policy Center

Former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell formed the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) in 2007 to develop and promote solutions that can attract the public support and political momentum to achieve real progress. The BPC acts as an incubator for policy efforts that engage top political figures, advocates, academics, and business leaders in the art of principled compromise. For more information please visit our website: www.bipartisanpolicy.org.

Source: Politics on Film

CONTACT: Gayle Osterberg for Politics on Film, +1-202-548-0133; or
Eileen McMenamin for the Bipartisan Policy Center, +1-202-379-1633

Web Site: http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/
http://www.politicsonfilm.com/

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