New International Film Festival Founded in Arizona - The Zeitgeist Medien Fest, Presented by Arizona Center for Germanic Cultures - Nov. 22-23

Phoenix, AZ, May 23, 2013 --(PR.com)-- The Arizona Center for Germanic Cultures (AC4GC) announces the founding of its new film festival, in partnership with Weecks Productions, LLC. The Zeitgeist Medien Fest (ZMF) International Film Festival will be held November 22-23 at Harkins Arrowhead in Peoria and is actively seeking film submissions. The festival's official website is http://zfilmfest.org. The festival was created to celebrate Germanic influences on film and film-making techniques, as well as embracing the range of current technologies available to today’s filmmakers, as one might expect from a festival called Zeitgeist, a German term meaning “spirit of the times.”

Having a signature film festival was a project more than two years in the making for the Arizona Center for Germanic Cultures. “San Francisco and Los Angeles have had German film festivals for many years organized by the Goethe Institut,” says AC4GC President Dieter Bollmann. “But we don’t have a Goethe Institut in Arizona to partner with. Having our own film festival has been a strategic goal, because it fits with our mission to educate about and celebrate Germanic culture, and does so in a publicity-friendly and audience-driven way.”

Longtime family friend of Bollmann’s, Dan Weecks was chosen to serve as festival director, because of his long-standing connections in the local film and video production industries, and his passion to create a new kind of film festival. “Dan’s experience owning and managing a successful and well-known production business here in the Valley, along with his Germanic background and his energy and enthusiasm for the project made him a perfect choice to spearhead AC4GC’s inaugural Zeitgeist Medien International Film Festival,” says Bollmann.

The panel of festival judges includes Telly Award-winning screenwriter/director/producer Nitara Osbourne, SAE Institute Career Advisor for Vienna, Austria, Miriam Jonas, and Flicker Award-winner and iconic horror film actor Bill Oberst Jr. Zeitgeist Medien Fest Director and Co-Chairman Dan Weecks tapped Oberst, an American actor of German ancestry, to serve as a judge because of the actor's frequently-expressed admiration for German cinema.

Oberst recently commented in MatchFlick.com, "As a son of Germany, I am proud to be a part of the judge's panel for the Zeitgeist Medien Fest. While it is well-known that the cinematic genre I work in most often [horror] was virtually invented by German Expressionist filmmakers, the vast influence of Germanic culture and style on cinema in general has been less celebrated. I love working with German filmmakers, so Zeitgeist's emphasis of Germanic ancestry and culture is something I am very interested in."

The festival accepts entries in the following categories: Narrative, Short Film, Short Short Film (1-3 minutes), Music Video, Industrial, News Package, Commercial/PSA, TV Pilot, Film Trailer, Documentary, Animation, and Experimental. The submission deadline is September 13. The entry fee is $15, which was strategically set at a price point far lower than most film festivals to encourage broad participation, particularly by experimental and independent filmmakers.

“For independent filmmakers, entry fees have often been a barrier to entering festivals top-notch and gaining the crucial exposure that comes with it. We wanted to provide a platform that is open to filmmakers at the forefront of artistic experimentation,” says Weecks.

The Arizona Center for Germanic Cultures, Inc. is a not for profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to establishing a place for people of Germanic background to share their traditions, history, contributions, culture and celebrations with their fellow Americans from all backgrounds. More information on the Arizona Center for Germanic Cultures is available at www.ac4gc.org.