Wildwood Will Offer 'Film Racing' Chance

It's time to start thinking about how to rev creative, mental motors.

Wildwood city representatives are set to host the municipality's first-ever art fair next year. To get into an artistic spirit, city organizers have planned a film racing event for this fall. Film racing is a competition in which short films are created within 24 hours.

Wildwood may be hosting the only film racing event in the St. Louis metropolitan area this year.

Joe Vujnich, Wildwood director of planning and parks, said the film racing event will be based at the B&B Theatres Wildwood 10 at 16820 Main St.

Vujnich presented an update of the event at the March 11 city council meeting. He said the eventual art fair also will incorporate a film-based event, which is why committee members believed the competition this year would be a nice tie-in.

He also said he and organizers hoped local college students would participate. Council member Ron James, Ward 6, asked if middle schoolers could compete in the event, because he knew some sixth graders who he believed would be good at it.

Vujnich said although they wanted school students to participate, the age currently set for the competition was 18 years and older, due to concerns about appropriate topics and language. Although he promised to revisit the age requirements to determine if younger, aspiring filmmakers could be included somehow.

The concept of film racing began as a competition called NYC Midnight Movie Making Madness in 2002, Vujnich said, during which U.S. filmmakers were challenged to create an original, short film within 24 hours. Since then, he said the concept has expanded to 20 cities nationwide, and more than 2,000 films have been created as part of those competitions.

Wildwood's competition will begin Sept. 20 when participants will have up to 24 hours to finish a 4-minute film that must be submitted to a team of judges Sept. 21. Judges will spend several weeks viewing submitted films and select the top 10, which then will be aired at the theater.

The top five, as determined by the judges, and a people's choice award winner will receive cash prizes. The viewing of the winners by the public is set for Oct. 12.

Hopes are the event will bring hundreds of people to the city's Town Center commercial area, Vujnich told city council members and attendees at the March 11 meeting. "We also hope to incorporate restaurants into the event."

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