Editor

The MY HERO Project is a not-for-profit, educational organization that celebrates heroes from all walks of life.  Since 1995, MY HERO has focused an appreciative spotlight on everyday heroes who make the world a better place.  The MY HERO website (http://www.myhero.com/) hosts an ever-growing Internet archive of hero stories and allows children and adults to share stories of heroes from around the globe.  With MY HERO's user-friendly format, they can create a web page honoring their own hero. 

The MY HERO Short Film Festival, which is celebrating its third year, provides a state of the art digital venue for people to show video stories about the heroes who have helped shape their lives.  Videos are displayed on the MY HERO website (www.myhero.com/screeningroom) and shared with MY HERO's global audience.  Film festival prizes include cash awards, digital equipment and software. In addition, winners will receive a round trip ticket to Los Angeles to attend the awards ceremony in December. 

Below, are some examples of video stories that can be found on our website (http://www.myhero.com/).  They feature everyday heroes who make a positive difference in their communities.  The first story is about a 12-year-old New York City girl who, just three days after the World Trade Center tragedy, baked cookies and delivered them to workers coming and going from the site.

http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=skip_blumberg

The second video tells of the efforts of a young girl in Canada, who led a group of home schoolers to paint a global mural for peace.

http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=Painting_Peace_FF_06

The festival designates categories for students and professionals in DOCUMENTARY, NARRATIVE, ANIMATION MUSICAN and EXPERIMENTAL areas.  As an example of the high-quality stories that can be produced by young people, below you will find a link to a video story created by a young girl in Ontario, Canada.  The short video chronicles her trip to Catalina Island, California, where she met her hero Jean-Michele Cousteau, son of Jacques Cousteau, at his environmental camp for youth.

http://www.myhero.com/myhero/go/filmfestival/viewfilm.asp?film=Jean-Michel%20Cousteau&res=low

Thank you for helping us get the word out.  Please pass this information along to anyone affiliated with your festival who might be interested in the 2007 competition.  Videos are displayed on the MY HERO website

(www.myhero.com/filmfestival) and shared with MY HERO's global audience.

Attached is a flyer for the film festival. The deadline for entries is October 31.  For more information, and links to web pages that provide more instruction, please visit the MY HERO website (www.myhero.com/filmfestival). Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the MY HERO Project or the Short Film Festival.