NEW YORK, Oct. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- To kick off a
new national effort to raise awareness for the issue of
cyberbullying, AT&T* and Fullscreen** will harness the talent
of more than 250 high school student filmmakers. Students from all
over the country participated in the first ever Cyberbullying Film
Invitational.
"An astounding 8-in-10 teenagers admit to being cyberbullied, or
know someone who has been bullied through social media or text. We
know this issue is very real for students, schools and families,"
said Marissa Shorenstein,
New York State President,
AT&T. "And AT&T wants to help.
"AT&T congratulates the student participants of our first
Cyberbullying Film Invitational. We look forward to incorporating
their powerful short films into our national film. This is a
concentrated effort to help educate their peers and end this
crisis," Shorenstein said.
Nearly 30 schools and student organizations from across the U.S.
participated in the Cyberbullying Film Invitational. The festival
is part of this year's All American High School Film Festival.
The winning films, which will appear in the AT&T film for
high schools, were announced last evening at the Teen Indie Awards
in New York City. All of films can
be viewed in full here.
In February 2017, schools and
youth organizations across the country can see the 20-minute
cyberbullying film – free. AT&T is already collaborating with
the New York City Department of Education to show this film in
NYC schools. This film will also
include excerpts from a winning film produced by an NYC-based team.
The following teams' schools or organizations were selected as
the winners of the Cyberbullying Film Invitational:
- Steilacoom High School (Steilacoom,
WA) received the award for Best In Contest and a cash prize
of $5,000
- Mythic Bridge (Brooklyn, NY)
received the award for Runner-Up and a cash prize of $3,500
- Canyon Crest Academy (San Diego,
CA) received the award for Second Runner-Up and a cash prize
of $2,500
The following five teams' schools or organizations were selected
as additional finalists and will each receive a cash prize of
$1,000 awarded by the All American
High School Film Festival:
- Cedar Crest High School (Lebanon,
PA)
- Rye Country Day School (Rye,
NY)
- Digital Arts and Cinema Technology High School (Brooklyn, NY)
- Pine Crest School (Fort Lauderdale,
FL)
- Science and Leadership Academy (Philadelphia, PA)
Three teams' schools or organizations were also selected as
Superlative Award winners, and won a cash prize of $2,500:
- Grace Church School
(New York, NY) received the Made
In New York Award, given to a New York
City-based filmmaking team
- Communications High School (Wall,
NJ) received the Maverick Award for a film with the most
"outside the box" creative direction and execution
- Nature Coast Technical High School (Brooksville, FL) received the Heart Award for
creating a film embodying the most heartfelt story
Public voters will determine the winner of the Public Choice
Award starting October 11. They will
have until October 28 to vote. The
winning team receives an additional $5,000 for its school or organization. Head here
to vote for your favorite film.
"The All American High School Film Festival is thrilled with the
momentum created through the 2016 Film Invitational and the
powerful and diverse films submitted by participating teams. When
students use their collective voice to address important issues,
change is possible. We hope that this will be the first step toward
ending the epidemic of cyberbullying," said Andrew Jenks, Founder of the All American High
School Film Festival.
Judges also selected the team from Pine Crest School
(Fort Lauderdale, FL) to receive a
$25,000 deal to create a series on
cyberbullying exclusively for Fullscreen. All of the winning films
will also be available on Fullscreen and AT&T Digital You.
Working with the Tyler Clementi Foundation, AT&T has made
addressing the rise of cyberbullying a priority. This support of
the All-American High School Film Festival follows a
first-of-its-kind poll commissioned with the Tyler Clementi
Foundation this past March on cyberbullying.
"This was an amazing weekend with lots of energy, interest and
positive messaging around how we can all work together to amplify
our voices to end all online and off line bullying. It was so
difficult to choose our winners, as every film was terrific and
produced with great skill, care and heart. Congratulations to
everyone who participated!" said Jane
Clementi, Founder and Board Member of the Tyler Clementi
Foundation.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by
subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T
brand and not by AT&T Inc.
**Launched internationally on April 26,
2016, Fullscreen is an ad-free subscription service that
speaks directly to the social-first generation. A division of
Fullscreen Media, the service features a dynamic slate of
programming that includes scripted and unscripted original shows,
TV and film content licensed from studio partners, as well as
exclusive content from today's top creators and personalities. The
service is home to exclusive originals "Electra Woman & Dyna
Girl," "Filthy Preppy Teen$," "Jack & Dean of All Trades,"
"Keeping Score," the daily sketch and pop culture series "Party in
the Back," breakthrough talk formats like "Shane & Friends,"
"Zall Good with Alexis G. Zall," "Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig" as well as acquired movies and TV
series.
About The Tyler Clementi Foundation
The Tyler Clementi Foundation, guided by the life and story of
Tyler Clementi, works to end online
and offline bullying in schools, workplaces and faith communities.
We promote safe, inclusive and respectful social environments in
homes, schools, campuses, churches and the digital world for
vulnerable youth, LGBT youth and their allies.
Through educational partnerships, research, public dialogues and
awareness programs, the Tyler Clementi Foundation fosters
empathetic, constructive discussions of respect and dignity for
youth and families, at all levels of society.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) helps millions around the globe connect
with leading entertainment, mobile, high-speed internet and voice
services. We're the world's largest provider of pay TV. We have TV
customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. We offer the
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Additional information about AT&T products and services is
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