Kodak Scholarship Program Open for Submissions
Film Schools Encouraged to Recommend Talented Students

(Rochester USA, April 20, 2009.) Kodak today announced it is accepting submissions from the United States, Canada, and - for the first time - participating countries in Latin America, for the 2009 EASTMAN Scholarship program. Accredited film schools are welcome to submit a maximum of two student candidates who will be judged on a combination of their past work, faculty recommendations, and academic achievement.

"As a company, we believe that one of the most important investments we can make is an investment in the talent of the next generation of filmmakers," said Wendy Elms, Kodak's worldwide Education Segment manager. "This is a unique program in that it rewards the winners with film prizes, so they can tell their next stories without creative compromise."

As part of the competition, sample reels submitted by the students will be judged by a panel including two noted cinematographers and a UFVA representative. "They will evaluate the student's ability to use moving images to tell their stories most effectively," said Elms. "And every year, the ability of those students gets better and better."

In the more than fifteen years that Kodak has supported this program in conjunction with the not-for-profit University Film and Video Foundation (UFVF), the company has found one constant aspiration among all winners: "Regardless of what they shot before," said Elms, "most students aspire to shoot film -- and this program makes that possible."

There are five prizes, ranging from the Gold prize of $5000 in Kodak motion picture film, with a $1000 cash award - through to two $2000 Kodak motion picture film grants for Honorable Mention. The 2009 winners will be announced and the awards presented at the 63rd University Film and Video Association (UFVA) Conference, held this year at the University of New Orleans from August 4th through 8th.

Kodak introduced its worldwide film school program in 1991. Through the years, that program has grown to include a wide range of initiatives to help both students and educators to enrich their knowledge and enhance their skills in the art and craft of filmmaking.

Today, the Kodak program includes scholarships, educational materials, product grants, workshops, awards, seminars and student showcases, as well as other incentives that raise the profile of emerging talent and enable them to tell their stories on film.

Deadline for submissions to the EASTMAN Scholarship Program must be postmarked is June 15.