Meet the Winners of the LMN Student Filmmaker Competition

Discover the next generation of talented women who make movies.

LMN (Lifetime Movie Network), The Hollywood Reporter, New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT), the William Morris Agency and Women In Film Los Angeles today announced the winners of the first ever LMN Student Filmmaker Competition, a national competition designed to encourage and discover the next generation of female filmmakers.

The first prize winner, Liliana Greenfield-Sanders of New York City, and the second prize winner, Jessica Marie Sutherland of Berea, Ohio, will have their films screened during a reception honoring them and other women filmmakers at the 2007 Hamptons International Film Festival on Saturday, October 20, from 2-4PM. Their films will premiere on LMN, the second most popular women's network on basic cable, and will also be shown on LMN's website, www.lmn.tv. They will also receive cash prizes (first prize: $5,000; second prize: $2,500) and have the opportunity to meet with representatives of the William Morris Agency.

The honorable mentions are Merilay Fernandez, New York City, Tess Ortbals, Los Angeles, and Lauren M. Wolkstein, New York City. They will each receive $1,000.

Greenfield-Sanders' winning film "Anna" is about a peculiar young woman who struggles to connect with the people she encounters in the East Village of New York City. Her first film, "Ghosts of Grey Gardens," premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2005, has screened at the Museum of Modern Art and made its television debut on PBS in 2006.

Sutherland is a Master's student at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. "Seven Turn," her first-ever film, is based on Jessica's memory of her own seventh birthday party, the same day her father died.

"All of us, from LMN, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Women in Film & Television, the William Morris Agency and Women In Film Los Angeles, are thrilled to honor these two gifted young women who have produced such outstanding and thoughtful films," says Louise Henry Bryson, Executive Vice President/General Manager, LMN. "Women's love for movies is what has made LMN the #2 women's network on basic cable television, second only to Lifetime, and we have such a great opportunity and responsibility to leverage that position and platform to help open more doors for women behind the camera. Through the LMN Student Filmmaker Competition, we want to develop other filmmakers like Liliana and Jessica who will make significant contributions to the creative community."

An elite panel of producers, directors, executives and actors from the Hollywood community, including Lauren Shuler Donner, prolific producer of hits such as the "X-Men" movies and "You've Got Mail"; Gale Anne Hurd, producer of box office favorites like "The Terminator" movies; Mimi Leder, veteran director of television series like "ER" and "L.A. Law"; actress and producer Jennifer Lopez; and Catherine Olim, Managing Director of PMKHBH Public Relations, assessed nearly 70 short films produced by female film students from across the country. The contest was open to all female film students, including executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers and editors.

In 2005, women comprised 17% of all directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers and editors working on the top 250 domestic grossing films. This is the same percentage of women employed in these roles in 1998 (Source: "Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women in the Top 250 Films of 2005" Martha M. Lauzen, Ph.D., School of Communication, San Diego State University).

The 15th annual Hamptons International Film Festival ran October 17th through 21st, in East Hampton, New York, with additional venues in Southampton, Sag Harbor and Montauk. The Festival was founded to celebrate independent film and to introduce a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to audiences.

Greenfield-Sanders and Sutherland will also attend the 2007 Women in Entertainment Power 100 Breakfast hosted by The Hollywood Reporter and Lifetime Networks on December 4.