User:PhoebeKLewis/sandbox

The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival is located in Middlebury, VT and is dedicated to first and second-time filmmakers. In its four years, the Festival has welcomed the likes of Academy Award - Winning documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple, legendary actor Michael Murphy, actors Maggie Gylenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, and author Dick Lehr. Acclaimed author Jay Parini is on the Festival board, and the project is helmed by widely recognized New England filmmaker Jay Craven as Artistic Director, and Festival Producer Lloyd Komesar.

The Festival is set for every last weekend in August, and will celebrate its fourth event this August 23-26.

The Festival serves as a hub for networking amongst emerging filmmakers, and a space to promote and discuss their work. The 2017 MNFF presented a series of panels and discussions, featuring distinguished filmmakers, actors and writers, as well as daily happy hours, parties and social events. More than 3,200 moviegoers attended the 3rd Annual MNFF in August 2017, and the Festival welcomed 65 filmmakers from around the world.

MNFF presents the "VTeddy Awards" at the conclusion of the Festival; these awards are custom-crafted Vermont Teddy Bears mounted to carved pedestals.

Winning films - including Best Short, Feature, Narrative, Doc, Audience Favorites and specialty cash prizes - are packaged into a traveling festival, screening throughout the state of Vermont to a much wider audience.