ETSU, Local Groups Collaborating For Film Competition

From East Tennessee State University:

February 2, 2022

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Department of Media and Communication at East Tennessee State University, in conjunction with Wallace Theater and Action
VFX, will host a film competition from Friday, March 4 to Sunday, March 6. The competition
will take place at Wallace Theatre, located at 215 East Main Street in Johnson City.

The 52 Film Fest is a 52-hour film competition in Johnson City. Teams of filmmakers
will have 52 hours to complete a short film. The teams will work on their films from
8 a.m. on Friday to noon on Sunday. There will be two screenings for completed films
on Sunday night at the Wallace Theater, and an awards ceremony will follow the second
screening.

“Having participated in multiple weekend film festivals as an actor, I am thrilled
to facilitate this event so others can experience the joy and memories that are sure
to follow,” said Chris Maloney, the founder of Wallace Theater.

“It's been such a pleasure getting to partner with ETSU over the years,” said Luke
Thompson, the chief operating officer at ActionVFX. “One of our biggest local goals
as an organization is to support the talent we have coming out of ETSU, so that graduating
students don’t have to leave our area to get a job playing at a high level.”

Wallace Theater is an event venue in downtown Johnson City which hosts film screenings,
improv theater and standup comedy. ActionVFX is a digital special effects library
based in Johnson City which offers high-quality, professional grade digital effects
to artists and filmmakers across the film industry.

“It is really exciting to collaborate with the awesome folks at Action VFX as well
as the new leadership of the Wallace Theatre,” said Shara Lange, the head of the Radio/Television/Film
program of the Department of Media and Communication. “We are thrilled about creating
a forum for folks in the region to come together and create. There is a lot of talent
here and we want to create more opportunities to share that talent with the community.”

The deadline to register to participate in the 52 Film Festival competition is Sunday,
February 20. There is a $52 registration fee. All films that meet the competition
criteria and are delivered on time will be eligible for competition prizes. Sponsors
of the event include Dos Gatos, Crumb Bakery and Spark Plaza.

The first screening of films will take place at 5 p.m. at the Wallace Theater. A second
screening will take place later that evening, followed by the awards ceremony.

For more information, visit www.52filmfest.com or filmfreeway.com/52FilmFest or call 423-439-7572.

This press release was produced by East Tennessee State University. The views expressed are the author's own.