RISMEDIA, July 29, 2008-Chase, one of the nation’s leading residential housing lenders, announced Crystle ‘Clear’ Roberson from Atlanta and Vincent Singleton from Chicago as the winners of The Chase Legacy of Homeownership Film Challenge, a competition for aspiring filmmakers launched at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Chase worked with Home Box Office (HBO®) and Blackfilm.com to discover emerging filmmakers in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and New York to share their vision of legacy preservation through homeownership within the African-American community.
One finalist from each city received $5,000 and products from Kodak Motion Picture Film to produce and direct their original five-minute film. All four films received an exclusive screening in New York at HBO headquarters. Roberson’s film, “Next Door’s Next,” won the People’s Choice Award; and Singleton’s film, “The Porter,” won the Judge’s Choice Award. Each received a $2,500 film stock certificate from Kodak Motion Picture Film and an opportunity for their films to air on HBO Properties.
“We congratulate Crystle and Vincent, and all the filmmakers,” said Veronica Seale, marketing manager, Emerging Markets and Affordable Lending at Chase. “Each highlighted the importance of homeownership, and how central it is to building and sustaining legacies and communities.”
“It was an honor to compete with such great competitors,” said Roberson. “I am so thankful to Blackfilm.com, Chase, HBO and Kodak Motion Picture Film for giving us the opportunity to highlight the importance of legacy through homeownership in the African-American community.”
Roberson’s “Next Door’s Next” causes viewers to consider the questions, “What will we leave behind?,” or “Will we just be left behind?” while Singleton’s “The Porter” shows viewers three generations of a family struggling to become homeowners.
“Being part of the Chase Film Challenge has been a great opportunity to create work that is socially relevant and has deep meaning,” said Singleton. “Winning the contest means a great deal to me because it allows me to get my work in front of a national audience and creates opportunities for me to continue making quality films that are entertaining, of substance, and hopefully commercially viable. I’d like to thank everyone involved in bringing this contest together for providing a platform for up-and-coming directors to demonstrate their filmmaking abilities.”
The other finalists were Adetoro Makinde from New York and Marc Newsome from Houston. Kodak presented each finalist with a digital camera and printer during the awards ceremony.
“All the Chase legacy filmmakers, using Kodak Motion Picture film, have captured the essence and fervor of legacy,” said Mary Manard Reed, market director, El Americas Region at Kodak. “Kodak is proud to partner with Chase, HBO and Blackfilm.com to support the story of legacy through film.”
“We congratulate the efforts of all the filmmakers, and especially this year’s winners,” said Lucinda Martinez-Desir, vice president, Acquisition and Multicultural Marketing at HBO. “It has been our pleasure to host the screening and to provide a unique opportunity for these filmmakers to showcase their talent.”
“We are extremely proud of not only the winners, but all of the finalists,” said Valerie Moore, founder of Blackfilm.com. “Not only did the films positively portray the value of home ownership, but are an excellent example of the talent available in the film community.”
The Legacy of Homeownership Film Challenge is an extension of the Legacy of Homeownership Tour presented by Chase, which is a one-day informational seminar designed to show African Americans how to establish and preserve their legacies through homeownership. The tour was held in four cities this summer.
For more information, visit www.blackfilm.com/chasefilmchallenge and www.chase.com/legacy or call 1-800-541-0368.
