The Joedance Film Festival, now in its 10th year, is partnering with Arts+ to provide youth in Charlotte an opportunity to showcase films.
Joedance, which is riding a wave of expansion in Year 10, will add a third night (Thursday) of film showings. Thursday, Aug. 1 will be the Cultural Arts Evening Showcasing Arts+, a non-profit organization that serves 4,500 students in the region through music and visual art programs, half of whom receive free or reduced programming.
The Arts+ and Joedance Film Festival partnership will be officially announced at a reception on Tuesday, March 26, 6-8 p.m., at WeWork, 615 South College Street, 9th Floor, in Uptown Charlotte. There is no charge, but donations are accepted. Beverages will be provided by Assorted Table Wine Shoppe (located in the Uptown 7th Street Public Market), food will be provided by The Hunter’s Wife.
Showcased at the announcement event will be the Arts+ Chamber Ensemble, made up of middle and high school strings students and directed by Judy Meister.
The 10th annual Joedance Film Festival, which raises money for pediatric cancer research, will run Thursday-Saturday nights, August 1-3, 2019 at Charlotte Ballet, which will host the event for the second consecutive year. The move to Charlotte Ballet positions Joedance to participate in the North Tryon Street renaissance and contribute to the northern tier of Uptown Charlotte’s continued growth.
Starting this year, Joedance is expanding its film eligibility footprint by accepting films throughout North Carolina and South Carolina. The territory expansion is designed as a first step to position Joedance as a major film festival in the Mid-Atlantic region, and to mirror the service footprint of the organization it benefits, Atrium Health and Levine Children’s.
“A partnership between Arts+ and Joedance has been in the works for quite some time,” said Devlin McNeil, Executive Director at Arts+. “We are thrilled to see it come to fruition. Our student performers will benefit greatly from performing at the upcoming events. We look forward to kicking it all off March 26.”
“Our partnership with Arts+ allows us to expand on our promise of promoting local and regional artists by providing a platform for their student performers to be recognized for their hard work and talent,” said Diane Restaino, President, Joedance Film Festival. “We look forward to kicking off our new partnership on March 26th as Joedance continues to grow.”
Joedance Film Festival, including related events year-round, honors the late Joe Restaino by raising funds and awareness for pediatric cancer research at Atrium Health Levine Children’s through an annual film festival featuring directors, producers, writers and actors who share a North Carolina or South Carolina connection. Joedance supports research and clinical trials for pediatric sarcomas, blastomas and brain tumors.
Joedance is also committed to raising awareness of the regional film industry by showcasing films from North and South Carolina. The family chose a film festival to honor their son because of his love of movies.
To date, Joedance has donated more than $170,000 for Atrium Health Levine Children’s in nine years, including $20,000 in 2018.
Joedance Film Festival Submissions
Joedance Film Festival annually showcases short and feature-length films. Eligible filmmakers have to:
*reside in North Carolina or South Carolina;
*be originally from North or South Carolina
or
*be connected to North or South Carolina (films, cast or crew)
To submit a film, follow the link, https://joedance.org/film-submissions/.