Help Design Dam Short Film Festival's 2021 Poster
Would you like to help design the Dam Short Film Festival’s 2021 poster? The Dam Short Film Society board of directors will select a winning design from the entries. The first place winning poster design will also be used for other promotional materials such as tickets, passes, T-shirts, pins, magnets, stickers, hats, web banners, and printed advertisements. If you submit a design, you warrant that you own all rights to the design. First place winner will be asked to sign a release allowing the Dam Short Film Society to use the design in perpetuity. Submitters retain the copyright to their respective designs. All submitted designs will be featured in a poster art show in Boulder City (location and date to be announced - photos from last year's event: https://www.facebook.com/pg/damshortfilm/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2702472019840242).
To Submit: Between March 1st and June 1st, 2020, send a digital copy of the design to admin@damshortfilm.org. Include POSTER ENTRY in subject line. The copy can be a flattened PNG or JPG file. However, winner will be asked to submit an original PSD file with separate layers for text and background (the more layers, the better!). The original file must be 12×18″ at 300 DPI. To see past designs, check out last year’s entries: https://damshortfilm.org/2020-poster-contest/.
Prizes include:
1st Place: $500 Cash, 2 2021 VIP Passes, and Festival Swag
2nd Place: 2 2021 VIP Passes and Festival swag
3rd Place: 1 2021 VIP Pass
All Other Submitters: 2 2021 Program Tickets
More info: https://damshortfilm.org/2021-festival/
MORE CULTURE:
VIM: You’ve worn many hats as a model, actor, director, podcaster, and photographer. What has driven you to pursue such a wide variety of creative roles?
Ali The Gran Finali: Probably my ADHD. JK. Like most artists/creatives, it is something we start as a child. Being creative is in our blood. There is no life without creating.
VIM: Can you share how your journey in the entertainment industry began? Was there a pivotal moment that inspired you to dive into multiple creative outlets?
Ali The Gran Finali: My journey began when I decided to leave active duty in 2021. My mom thought I was crazy to leave the military during the COVID shutdown, but I could not be swayed from my decision. I was ready to pursue the life child me always wanted. As to what inspired me to dive into so many multiple creative outlets is the fact that it takes a while to build any stability in one creative field. So, to keep the creative juices flowing you pivot a little but stay in the field of creating.
VIM: What role do you feel most at home in—model, actor, director, podcaster, or photographer? Or is there a way they all complement each other for you?
Ali The Gran Finali: They all compliment each other. Acting came first as a kid who took drama classes and participated in local theater. But once I left for college that was all put away to pursue“adulthood.” Modeling came when I moved to Las Vegas and after COVID. Modeling helped me feel at ease in front of the camera. Then acting came back into my life, which helped me be a director because I understood what it takes to be on both sides of the camera at that point. Being a photographer helps me visualize shots, composition, and lighting which is helpful with filmmaking. Podcasting helps me be social and provides a way to build community. It also helps me network and find other creatives andfilmmakers to work with and make cool projects.
VIM: As someone with such a varied career, how do you balance all these creative pursuits? Do you find it challenging to switch from one to the other?
Ali The Gran Finali: I find it easy to switch from one to the other since they are all creative pursuits. I’d say juggling them all is more of a challenge.
VIM: You’re launching a film festival this fall—what inspired you to create this event, and what do you hope to bring to the Las Vegas arts scene?
Ali The Gran Finali: This is our second year running. We launched in 2024. We were inspired by the active indie film community here in Las Vegas. Our mission is to educate and elevate so we provide workshops and meetups to support our fellow filmmakers and provide more opportunities for their work to be screened in theaters.
VIM: What kind of films are you most excited to showcase at the festival? Will there be a particular focus on certain genres or themes?
Ali The Gran Finali: We really enjoy highlighting our local Las Vegas filmmakers and student filmmakers. We also have a filmmaker’s challenge wherein teams compete to make a film in 48 hours.
The challenge lets those who are curious about filmmaking get to try it out and see their work in a theater.
VIM: As a filmmaker yourself, how does being a creator inform your vision for the festival? Are you hoping to highlight new voices or innovative storytelling?
Ali The Gran Finali: As a creator, it is always a dream come true to see your vision come to life. I hope by providing these opportunities through our film festival, more people are inspired to make films and bring more stories to the forefront of our world. There are so many creative and talented people in this world that just need a chance to try and be seen.
VIM: What do you think is the most exciting thing about short films compared to feature-length films?
Ali The Gran FInali: Short films manage to tell interesting parts of a larger story in a concise way. You get snapshots with short films while full features take you on longer journeys. They each have their pros and cons.
VIM: How do you envision the festival evolving in the coming years? What are some of your long-term goals for it?
Ali The Gran Finali: One of our long-term goals is to become an Oscar qualifying film festival. We would love to bring speakers and top industry professionals to our events to help educate and elevate our filmmaker community.