RISMEDIA, June 9, 2008-Chase, one of the nation’s leading residential housing lenders, announced the four finalists of The Chase Legacy of Homeownership Film Challenge. The public can view the finalists’ original five-minute movies online and vote for the grand-prize winner.
Chase is working with BlackFilm.com and Home Box Office (HBO®) to discover emerging filmmakers in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and New York and share their vision of legacy preservation within the African-American community through the lens of a camera.
The four finalists are:
• Adetoro Makinde from New York,
• Marc Newsome from Houston,
• Crystle ‘Clear’ Roberson from Atlanta, and
• Vincent Singleton from Chicago.
Each finalist received $5,000 and motion picture film products from Kodak Motion Picture Film to produce and direct an original five-minute film on African Americans who built, sustained and passed on their legacy through homeownership. The public can view all four films at www.blackfilm.com/chasefilmchallenge and cast their vote for the grand-prize winner until June 30.
“We want to highlight inspirational and empowering stories on the importance of legacy preservation through homeownership, which builds and maintains viable communities,” said Veronica Seale, Emerging Markets and Affordable Lending marketing manager at Chase. “It’s important to celebrate these success stories.”
“At HBO, we are committed to finding and developing diverse talent,” said Lucinda Martinez-Desir, vice president, Market Development. “The Chase Legacy Film Challenge is an important opportunity for us to help bring to light the creative genius of rising filmmakers and to infuse the film industry with new ideas and perspectives.”
All four films will be shown during an exclusive screening in New York on July 24 at HBO headquarters. The grand-prize winner will win an opportunity for their film to air on HBO Properties.
According to Valerie Moore, founder of blackfilm.com, “The Chase Legacy Film Challenge is one of the most meaningful grant programs available to filmmakers. Not only are we providing them with funding and industry resources, but we are inspiring filmmakers to reflect and celebrate the meaning of legacy and homeownership in the African-American community.”
The finalists were judged by the following panel of film industry professionals:
• Effie Brown – producer and founder, Duly Noted, Inc.
• Patricia Lomax – film acquisition coordinator, HBO
• Lola Ogunnaike – entertainment correspondent, CNN’s American Morning
• Samantha Taylor Pickett – director of development, Focus Features
• Gail Huggins Porter – director, Ebony Jet Entertainment Group
• A. Doran Reed – casting director, Robi Reed & Associates
• Bryce Wilson – actor/music producer
• Billie Woodruff – director
Visit www.blackfilm.com/chasefilmchallenge for each panelist’s biography and photo.
For more information, visit www.chase.com.
