The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that the 2014 Ozark Foothills FilmFest is the recipient of a festival grant aimed at exploring the power of the film medium to advance cultural understanding. Grant funds will support a program of screenings, post-screening discussions, and a filmmaker panel, titled “Breaking Through: Promoting C
ultural Understanding through Film.” The films were selected on the basis of their potential to expand understanding of diverse cultures andhelp bridge the divide between rural America and other cultural realities.
According to FilmFest executive director Judy Pest, one goal of the Festival Grants program of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is to encourage film festivals to bring audiences together with films and filmmakers that they might not otherwise encounter. Through its Film Festival Grants program, the Academy has awarded $5.3 million to film festivals since 1999. Other 2014 awardees include the Cleveland International Film Festival, the New Orleans Film Festival, the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, and the St. Louis International Film Festival. This is the second Academy Film Festival grant to be awarded to the Ozark Foothills FilmFest.
The 13th annual Ozark Foothills FilmFest takes place April 2-6, 2014 at several venues in Batesville, Arkansas. Information about the films included in the Academy-funded program, as well as the complete festival schedule, will be posted at www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org on February 26.
In addition to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the 2014 Ozark Foothills FilmFest is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Independence County Recreation Fund, the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville, Lyon College, First Community Bank, FutureFuel Chemical Company, Citizens Bank, Suddenlink Communications, and numerous Batesville businesses and non-profit organizations. A complete sponsor listing can be found at www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.
