Students who dream of one day becoming the next Steven Spielberg can have a chance to share their work with the public at the upcoming Statesboro Film Festival on April 11th.

Filmmakers looking to participate must submit a data disc containing the film AVI along with a second disc in DVD format along with the $18 dollar entry fee by April 5th to the Statesboro Herald.

“The formation of the film festival was conceived on the idea that there was a lot of talent in the community with nowhere locally for that talent to get exposure. It also really brings the community awareness of this existing talent and provides them with a venue outside of Savannah or Macon to see some locally produced films,” Matthew Bankhead, video producer and festival coordinator of the Statesboro Herald, said

Films may not contain nudity, though language is permitted. The running time can be no longer than 8 minutes, but the film can be from any genre,” Bankhead said.

“Though we do accept submission from anyone who has the time and resources to make a quality film, we do put a lot of emphasis on the local film maker and encourage those who have made a film to submit one,” Bankhead said.

There are six awards given at the festival Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, a Rising Artist award and the Viewer’s Choice award, which are announced the night of the festival.

The festival will take place at the Averitt Center on April 11th. There will be a reception at 6:30 with food catered by the Millhouse and then the viewing will take place at 7.