"Ask Not" Filmmaker Contest

**DEADLINE EXTENDED**
WHYY and ITVS invite you to share your views in a short film on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the first ever WHYY Filmmaker Contest. The winner will receive a 20" iMac computer. Film submissions must be less than 10:00 minutes and have an underlying theme and relevancy to the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy currently in practice and mandated by federal law Pub.L. 103-160.

The film submission period will run from May 1 to July 31, 2009. Please refer to the film guidelines, rules and regulations below for information on the content and format of film submissions.

Short films may be of any genre (music video, interviews, etc) as long as they show a relevancy to an aspect of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. While WHYY and ITVS encourage artistic expression and originality, all films must abide by the WHYY and ITVS "Ask Not" Filmmaker Contest Terms and Conditions.

All submissions must be accompanied by a signed "Ask Not" Filmmaker Contest Entry Form.

Click here to review the Terms and Conditions and print a contest entry form.

For further information, contact Laurie Valora at (215) 928-2403.

About the Film "Ask Not": Coming to PBS on Independent Lens

Tune in to "Ask Not" on WHYY TV12: Thursday, June 18th at 9pm and again on Sunday, June 21st at 3pm.

"Ask Not" exposes the tangled political battles that led to the discriminatory law, and profiles charismatic activists determined to abolish it. As the war rages on, "Ask Not" reveals personal stories of gay Americans who serve in combat under a veil of secrecy.

Click Here to listen to a Radio Times interview with Film Subjects Jarrod Chlapowski and Alex Nicholson, and Nathaniel Frank-author of 'Unfriendly Fire.'

To learn more, and for educational resources about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," visit the "Ask Not" interactive website, the site also features a talkback section for viewers to share ideas and opinions, preview clips of the film, and more.

To learn more about the film, visit the "Ask Not" interactive companion website (pbs.org/asknot), which features detailed information on the film, including an interview with the filmmakers and links and resources pertaining to the film's subject matter. The site also features a Talkback section for viewers to share their ideas and opinions, preview clips of the film, and more.

About Johnny Symons, Director/Producer

Johnny Symons is an award-winning Bay Area-based documentary film and videomaker. His film Daddy & Papa (2002), about the personal, cultural, and political impact of gay men raising kids, premiered at Sundance, won more than 15 major festival awards, aired nationally on PBS' Independent Lens and received a national Emmy nomination for Best Documentary. Beyond Conception (2006), his feature documentary about the relationship between a lesbian surrogate and a gay male couple as they conceive and bear a child, premiered at the Florida Film Festival and aired on Discovery Health Channel. Symons is the co-producer of the Academy Award-nominated Long Night's Journey Into Day (2000), which won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. A documentary filmmaker since 1991, Symons graduated with honors from Brown University and has a Master's degree in documentary production from Stanford University. He currently teaches documentary film at both Stanford and the Art Institute of California-San Francisco.

About Independent Lens

Independent Lens is an Emmy® Award-winning weekly series airing Tuesday nights at 10 PM on PBS. The acclaimed anthology series features documentaries and a limited number of fiction films united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement and unflinching visions of their independent producers. Independent Lens features unforgettable stories about unique individuals, communities and moments in history. Presented by ITVS, the series is supported by interactive companion websites and national publicity and community engagement campaigns. Further information about the series is available at pbs.org/independentlens. Independent Lens is jointly curated by ITVS and PBS and is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding provided by PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts. The series producer is Lois Vossen.

About ITVS

Independent Television Service funds and presents award-winning documentaries and dramas on public television, innovative new media projects on the Web and the Emmy Award-winning weekly series Independent Lens on Tuesday nights at 10 PM on PBS. ITVS is a miracle of public policy created by media activists, citizens and politicians seeking to foster plurality and diversity in public television. ITVS was established by a historic mandate of Congress to champion independently produced programs that take creative risks, spark public dialogue and serve underserved audiences. Since its inception in 1991, ITVS programs have revitalized the relationship between the public and public television, bringing television audiences face-to-face with the lives and concerns of their fellow Americans. ITVS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people. For more information about ITVS, visit www.itvs.org.