City Voices, City Visions Video Festival Back for a Return Engagement

BUFFALO, N.Y -- The sequel to the University at Buffalo's City Voices, City Visions digital video awards festival returns to the Market Arcade Cinemas on June 4, the latest public premier showcasing the work of the best middle and high school videographers in Western New York.

This year's equivalent of the City Voices, City Vision project's Academy Awards will feature work from public and parochial schools throughout Western New York, including entries from the Buffalo Public Schools where the project began. A reception starts at 5 p.m. in the Market Arcade lobby, 639 Main St. The screening of winning films begins at 5:30 p.m.

"One of the judges said the work of these Western New York young people was 'thrilling.' That's true," says Suzanne Miller, director of the CVCV digital video composing project and chair of UB's Department of Learning and Instruction in UB's Graduate School of Education.

"Digital videos composed by 150 teens in the Buffalo region show their ingenuity, creativity and intelligence -- 21st century style."

Featured categories will include Most Effective Soundtrack, Best Narrative and Outstanding Editing. Other awards will be given in categories that address the curriculum-based focus of the program, including Best Literature-based Video and Best History-based Video.

"You have everything here -- from lively PSAs on the importance of adjectives and punctuality, to persuasive videos on protecting the forest, little known African Americans and how to dine 'cheap,'" says Miller, who created the program in 2000 after recognizing the onset of "clip culture" celebrated in a Web site called YouTube in 2005.

"There are revealing videos about students' beliefs about themselves, narratives of transforming themselves, tributes to Dad, comedies, tragedies, critiques of media, an entertaining treatise on trees," she says. "Best of all, the festival acknowledges students who are invited to bring their worlds into their classrooms as keys to learning."

Thursday's festival marks the second consecutive year students and educators have gathered at the Market Arcade to share and celebrate their work. This was the first year the contest was open to all schools in Western New York. The 53 video entries included work from suburban districts such as West Seneca East, outlying districts such as Olean and Maple Grove, and parochial schools such as Bishop Timon.

The awards will include two grand prize awards -- for Best Middle Grades Video and Best High School Video. Students with winning videos will receive engraved trophies. There will also be a drawing for a new digital video camera at the end of the evening.

The winning videos will be posted online at http://www.CityVoicesCityVisions.org on the night of the film festival.

The event is free and open to the public. A free Flip Camera raffle will be held at the end of the evening.

For more information, call Charles Anzalone in UB's Office of Communications, at 716-645-5000, ext. 1412, or Suzanne Miller at 553-6833 the night of the festival.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.