Los Angeles - (October, 7, 2013) --The USC Shoah Foundation -The Institute for Visual History and Education, which houses around 52,000 testimonies from survivors and witnesses of genocide, announced today its annual Visions and Voices Short Film Contest. The contest is open to all undergraduate and graduate students at USC from all majors. The deadline for registration is Nov. 1, 2013 and the film is due on Jan. 17, 2014.

Students are asked to create a 7-10 minute film incorporating testimony from the Visual History Archive and focusing on one of the three themes chosen for 2013: Preserving Humanity, Renewing Rwanda or Risking Everything.

Two winners, 1st place and viewer's choice, will each receive a cash prize of $750.

Winners will be announced in March of 2014.  A special event will take place to announce the jury awards, screen the winning works, and present a moderator-led discussion with students, faculty, and special guests to discuss the role of eyewitness testimony.

Last year's winner's film was also accepted into the United Nations Association Film Festival.

The Shoah Foundation will host workshops to guide for interested students.

Students can register for the contest here and watch a video of previous submissions here.

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Contact: Kia Hays
Email: kiahays@usc.edu

ABOUT USC SHOAH FOUNDATION:
Inspired by his experience making Schindler’s List, Steven Spielberg established the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation in 1994 to gather video testimonies from survivors and other witnesses of the Holocaust. Last year, for the first time, the archive took in testimonies from survivors of the Rwandan Genocide, with plans of expanding with testimonies format the Cambodian as well as Armenian Genocides.

Last week, the Stephen D. Smith, executive director of the USC Shoah Foundation, was named the inaugural holder of the UNESCO Chair on Genocide Education. Through his leadership, USC has been established as the international leader for comparative genocide research and education.

Reach Executive Producer Syuzanna Petrosyan here. Follow her on Twitter.