Mammoth Film Festival to Debut Faith-Based Film Category

AMMOTH LAKES, CA —Organizers of the Mammoth Film Festival have announced a new Faith-Based film category, which will debut as a competitive category at the 4th Annual Mammoth Film Festival, taking place December 8-12, 2010, in Mammoth Lakes, California.

The Faith-Based category is open to a broad range of films, both documentary and narrative style, of any length. Work submitted in this category must use faith-based, religious, or inspirational themes in the characters, topics, issues, or storylines. Films accepted into competition will be vying for the Best Faith-Based Film award. The addition of this new category comes on the heels of the successful addition of two other specialty competitions, Green and Extreme Sports, which debuted at the 2009 event.

“Faith-based films, especially those with Christian themes, have become increasingly successful and popular in Hollywood, and with audiences across the world,” said MFF co-founder Andreas Wettstein. “We wanted to give filmmakers creating work in any aspect of this genre an opportunity and a venue to share their viewpoint and storytelling, and give audiences a chance to see the best of these films.”

Overall, the festival gives out ten awards across nine categories. In addition to Faith-Based, Green, and Extreme Sports, other categories are Drama, Comedy, Foreign, Documentary, Documentary Short, and Narrative Short. The festival also features one non-competitive category, the Screening Series, designed to provide an opportunity for films which already have a distribution arrangement, are otherwise not qualified, or do not wish to enter competition. The four traditional categories, Drama, Comedy, Foreign, and Documentary, will once again compete in MFF’s trademark elimination-style tournament. Films in other categories will participate in separate satellite competitions.

Last year’s 3rd annual Mammoth Film Festival presented an outstanding lineup of films in all categories, including the new-for-2009 Green and Extreme Sports categories. In addition to film screenings, filmmakers and attendees enjoyed a number of hosted events, including The Hollywood Reporter party, and sixty inches of fresh snow during the five-day festival.

Deadlines for submitting a film for consideration are June 15, 2010 (Earlybird), August 15, 2010 (Regular), and September 15, 2010 (Late). MFF’s submissions partner, Withoutabox, also offers its members an exclusive extended deadline, September 30, 2010. Entry fees vary based on entry date and category. Full details are available at the official website, www.mammothfilmfestival.com.

About Mammoth Film Festival

Mammoth Film Festival is an annual international winter film festival in Mammoth Lakes, California, home of the Mammoth Mountain ski resort. In 2009, MovieMaker, the world’s best-selling independent movie magazine, named the Mammoth Film Festival to its list of Top 25 Festivals. The Festival includes five film competitions and ten awards, and accepts a broad range of entries in feature, short, faith-based, green, and extreme sports film categories. The main Feature Film competition is a trademark elimination-style tournament.

With over 1.5 million annual skier visits, Mammoth Mountain is currently the third most frequented resort in the United States. Along with world-class skiing, the town of Mammoth Lakes also offers premiere dining, accommodations, and resort activities.

www.mammothfilmfestival.com