Western’s Richard Ivey School of Business will soon open its doors to creative students from all fields of study, as they prepare for the second annual Ivey Film Festival.

The festival showcases short films shot by Western students and offers them the opportunity to learn more about the industry. Screenings for the event are free of charge and will take place on Mar. 22^, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Room 1R40 of the Ivey Building.

All students currently enrolled at Western and its affiliate colleges are encouraged to submit a film. Festival co-chair Jason Melhuish hopes the wide range of submissions will help “bridge the gap between faculties, opting to bring students together who share a common interest — a love for film.”

In this artistic atmosphere, the festival’s planners hope to create a place for students to explore the economic, political and social issues they are faced with today.

Though only in its second year, those behind the event are extremely pleased with the results they’ve seen so far, as Ivey’s first annual Film Festival held last year was considered a success.

“We were extraordinarily pleased with the quality of submissions last year,” Melhuish says. “We received 40 plus submissions, spanning a variety of categories. We saw some phenomenal work from UWO’s MIT and MTP students and we hope the trend continues in the future.”

Sponsored by Western’s University Students’ Council and Cineplex Entertainment, the festival will be judged by industry experts who are eager to share their knowledge with young filmmakers. First, second and third in overall film excellence are the top prizes awarded by the festival.

Other awards include best action, best drama, best documentary, best comedy and people’s choice. The film I Remember by Kara MacLean was last year’s winner for overall film excellence, and through the festival MacLean was able to make numerous connections in the industry that ultimately led to a summer internship with a top Canadian distributor.

The festival will be accepting film submissions until Mar. 10. The films must be no longer than eight minutes, produced anytime after Jan. 1, 2007. Filmmakers can submit in the traditional CD/DVD format or by uploading their film onto YouTube. More details about how to submit a film can be found at http://www.iveyfilmfestival.com/about.html.