women 40+ in film contest

MORE MAGAZINE AND WOMEN IN FILM LAUNCH NATIONWIDE CONTESTS TO FIND FEMALE SCREENWRITERS AND DIRECTORS WHO ARE 40 PLUS

Angela Bassett, Glenn Close, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sela Ward, Andie MacDowell, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Other Prominent Women Will Serve on the More Women In Film VIP Jury

In its March 2007 issue, More magazine will launch a new signature program that will pave the way for more 40+ women in the film industry. The More Women In Film contests aims to uncover the best female screenwriters and directors over 40 in the country. More, in partnership with Women In Film, the leading nonprofit dedicated to empowering, promoting and mentoring women in the global entertainment industry, will accept full-length screenplays and short films of between 10 to 20 minutes in length from February 20 - June 1, 2007.

Submissions will be reviewed by a VIP panel of film industry insiders including Angela Bassett, Glenn Close, Jamie Lee Curtis, Allison Janney, Andie MacDowell, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Sela Ward, Gale Anne Hurd (Aliens and Terminator producer), Amy Heckerling (writer and director, whose projects include Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Clueless), Susan Seidelman (Desperately Seeking Susan director), Diana Ossana (Brokeback Mountain screenwriter), Ilene Chaiken (creator and producer of The L Word), Anne Thompson (The Hollywood Reporter film industry columnist), Mary Hansell (Austin Film Festival screenplay competition director), and Catherine Wyler (High Falls Film Festival artistic director).

Two out of three women in this country are over 40, but our stories, preoccupations and achievements continue to be underrepresented in our nations most influential art form, explained More Editor-in-Chief Peggy Northrop. "Im honored that so many actresses, directors and other prominent women in film are joining this initiative. When you increase the visibility for and the number of women writers and directors, you increase the number of great movie roles for women."

"This is an inspired initiative for the film community,"commented VIP Jury Member and five time Academy Award-nominated Actress Glenn Close. "As women move into their forties and beyond, their lives become richer and more complex and it's crucial that movie roles and projects reflect this reality. I'm thrilled to support the More Women In Film contests and can't wait to uncover talented screenwriters and directors across the country who can help make this advance in movies come true."

Northrop will first announce the contests in the magazines March issue, on newsstands February 20th. All entries must be submitted via mail and postmarked no later than June 1st, and the winners of the 2007 More Women In Film contests will be announced in the late fall of 2007. There is no fee to enter the contests.

Depending on which contest they win, winners will receive key opportunities to advance their film careers, including meetings with agents and studio development directors, a film screening at the High Falls Film Festival (Rochester, NY), the premier East Coast festival celebrating women in film, and a two-week intensive screenplay workshop at the Austin Writers Ranch in Austin and Los Angeles. Prizes also include cash ($5,000), all access passes to the Austin Film Festival and the High Falls Film Festival, a luxury spa getaway and more. As Media Partners for the More Women In Film initiative, The Hollywood Reporter and Turner Classic Movies will promote the contest in book and on air, respectively.

For additional information on the 2007 More Women In Film initiative, including complete rules and application information, please visit www.more.com/filmcontests