When Marcus and Nancy Neundorf met with URBAN-15 directors in 2007, no one could have envisioned that a memorial screening of films by their recently deceased son, Josiah—a talented young media artist from San Antonio who succumbed to bone cancer in 2006—would evolve into an internationally-recognized and influential film festival. Since its founding, young filmmakers participating in the Josiah Media Festival have gone on to receive acclaim at other film festivals worldwide, garner attention from national and international media, and begin thriving professional careers.
This year, the Josiah Media Festival will celebrate its 10th consecutive year as one of the nation’s longest-running film festivals exclusively for young filmmakers. Each year, this festival has received increased international attention and participation. During the 2016 call for entries, we received a total of 248 films hailing from 57 countries, including Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lebanon, Macedonia, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States—including San Antonio, Texas!
During the two-day festival on October 7th and 8th, we will screen the 12 prize-winning films from four film categories (narrative, documentary, animation, and experimental), plus an additional 44 selected films spanning a variety of genres, from comedy to drama to thrillers and more. Local films from San Antonio and around Texas will screen during the matinee show at 2pm on Saturday. The 12 winners will screen during the Saturday evening show, followed by an awards ceremony featuring live Skype conversations with winning filmmakers from around the world.
For more information, email [email protected], call (210) 736-1500, or visit our websites, www.josiahmediafestival.com and www.urban15.org.