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Bay Area Drone Film Festival

207 entries from 25 countries are now being judged for the inaugural Bay Area Drone Film Festival, which will take place on Sunday, February 28, 7 p.m., at the 500-seat AMC Mercado-20 at 3111 Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara

.The mission of the festival is to promote drone education and entertainment to the public, and increase safety awareness to drone videographers, photographers and enthusiasts, according to Festival Organizer and Director Clay M. Coleman.  The festival has partnered with the Know Before You Fly campaign.

The live show will screen 15-20 short videos on an 80′ movie screen. At least 50% of the footage in each entry must have been shot using a drone. Winners from 10 categories will be awarded prizes valued at more than $12,000 including professional drone kits, accessories, drone lessons and more.  Also, a “Best of the Bay” award will be presented for the top drone film by a San Francisco Bay Area resident.

The 10 award categories are:

• Landscape/Travel/Natural Wonders
• Narrative/Statement/Cause
• Technical Flying/First Person View
• Yuneec Drone Footage
• Comedy
• Best of the Bay (for Bay Area videographers)
• Action
• Helping People/Benefiting Humanity
• Still Photography
• Reel/Clips

All entries in the film festival will be disqualified if it’s clear that FAA unmanned aircraft safety guidelines were not followed in its creation. “The last thing the drone industry wants to see is people getting injured in an accident caused by irresponsible, careless drone operators who in many cases are unaware of the safety guidelines and rules that are in place,” said Coleman. “We also want to help change the negative public perception of drones, and highlight some of the amazing things they can do.”

According to Coleman, drones are becoming an integral part of society in many positive ways, including delivering first aid to remote locations, assessing damage after a natural disaster, search and rescue, 3D mapping, agricultural inspection, journalism, tower and bridge inspection, law enforcement, as well as creative photo and video applications.

Coleman is a 25-year veteran air traffic controller with the FAA, a life-long photographer and an avid drone enthusiast. He has participated in several forums and workshops aimed at the safe integration of drones into the national airspace system (NAS), which is governed by the FAA, and is a member of community-based groups that promote flight safety, such as the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), and Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA).

Major sponsors for the film festival include MultiCopter Warehouse, Yuneec Electric Aviation, AirVüz.com & KnowBeforeYouFly.org, and DARTdrones. 

Tickets are only available ($20/VIP $30) here.

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