FALLS CHURCH, VA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 04/06/05 -- The 4th Annual MHz Shortz Student Film Festival has officially become a national and international festival. Begun in 2001 by the independent public broadcaster, MHz NETWORKS, the Shortz festival has grown to involve the work of over a thousand students and teachers across the United States and Canada. The MHz Shortz Student Film Festival celebrates and supports the work of student filmmakers, 2nd - 12th grades, and classroom teachers.

For the past three years, student entries came mostly from Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Yet it has always been the goal of the festival to include young filmmakers from around the world.

"There's still a sense of disbelief about how broad the Shortz Film Festival has become. We're completely blown away by the number of entries we've received -- even moreso by the distances these films have traveled to reach us! The stories these students are telling help make Shortie and his amazing festival one of the best examples of MHz's mission at work in our community," Ann Williams, Director of Mission-Driven Initiatives at MHz NETWORKS, said.

Shortie, the strange two-dimensional character created for the MHz Shortz Student Film Festival, is also the name of the award that student filmmakers hope to win at the festival. The coveted Shortie award is given out in the categories of live action (narrative, experimental and documentary films, public service announcements, and music videos) and animation (non-stop motion drawings and claymation). Students enter individually or as a group. There is also a category for teacher submissions.

The public celebrations will be held on Saturday, May 21, 2005. The MHz Shortz Student Film Festival will screen all of the films entered into the festival. This will be followed by the annual awards ceremony. This year the MHz Shortz Student Film Festival will be held at the NOAA auditorium (1301 East-West Highway) located in downtown Silver Spring, MD.

"The Shortz Festival lets people see what students can do," says a student filmmaker at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary in Alexandria, VA.

The film festival is part of MHz's Education Arts Technology (EAT) Program, a division of MHz NETWORKS. EAT uses the tools and strategies of theatre and scriptwriting, project planning and digital media to enhance and deepen student learning and teacher understanding.

MHz NETWORKS (MHz and MHz2) is an independent, noncommercial, television broadcaster delivering international, educational and arts programming. MHz provides diverse cultural perspectives for a globally minded audience. MHz has studio facilities in Falls Church, VA, and at Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. For more information, visit www.mhznetworks.org.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Stacey Wilson
MHz NETWORKS
(703) 770-7156
swilson@mhznetworks.org