Inaugural Humankindness Film Festival seeks submissions from filmmakers worldwide

Caitlin Albritton | Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Bridget Renzulli filming for Humankind Partnership at Campbell Soup company in New Jersey. Courtesy of Humankind Partnership

Shooting a TV pilot for The Giveback when working in Camden, NJ. Courtesy of Humankind Partnership

Humankind Partnership on set for a film/photography project in Chicago. Courtesy of Humankind Partnership

Humankind Partnership, a local content creation company, is hosting an inaugural, virtual film festival open to any type of filmmaker -- whether experienced or novice -- using the theme of “resilience” to guide their work.

The name of the festival? Humankindness Film Festival to reflect and model behavior during the pandemic.

“My team and I came up with this idea as an outgrowth of everything that we had seen and heard in 2020. We had heard such wonderful and amazing stories of resilience. One reason we wanted to do this film festival is to capture the things people have done, are doing, or plan to do in the face of the pandemic while it’s still fresh. Secondly, it’s almost like a time-capsule that can be kept as a historical marker of what it was like and what people did. The last idea was to just promote the whole documentary filmmaking. With technology now, people can use any mobile device or camera on their computer to make work,” says Eileen Sweeney of Tampa, Principal and Executive Producer of the Humankind Partnership.

Submissions are open through April 25, from anyone 15 and older worldwide. To make filmmaking more doable for people, films must be 5 minutes or less in any style from 1^st person to a more documentary style piece. Well-known filmmakers Joseph Kelly and Barry Allan Poltermann among other leaders in the film industry will be selecting 3 winners, with cash prizes and an hour Zoom session with an award-winning filmmaker as the award.

While this festival will be held virtually this year, they have plans of finding ways to convene people when things become safer and making plans for future film festivals.

“A college student overheard a meeting with a client of mine about this film festival. He was excited to hear he would have some place to show his work. That is what was so great about the organic process of this, and it showed we were on to something with this. There’s a lot of pent-up creativity looking for a platform and it made me feel great that we are able to provide that,” Sweeney says.

To learn more about the submission process, visit Humankind Partnership or follow them on your favorite social media platforms.

Read more articles by Caitlin Albritton.

Caitlin Albritton is a freelance writer based in Tampa with a BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design and a MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art. When she's not looking at art throughout town, she can be found making it. You can keep up with her visual art on Instagram @caitlinalbritton or on her website. Visit her recent line of inlay “wearable paintings.”