Ebey’s Reserve the backdrop for FilmSlam

Ebey’s Reserve is looking for independent filmmakers of all abilities to participate in the May 6-8 competition that will showcase the Reserve and shine a spotlight on the National Park Service, which is celebrating its centennial.

You don’t have to be a polished professional to enter the Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve’s first 50-Hour FilmSlam.

Quite the contrary.

“You can do this with an iPhone if you want to,” said Holly Richards, who’s coordinating the event.

“You could probably do it in a series of snaps. That would be kind of awesome. I’d love to see a snap video submitted. That’d be the coolest thing ever.”

Ebey’s Reserve is looking for independent filmmakers of all abilities to participate in the May 6-8 competition that will showcase the Reserve and shine a spotlight on the National Park Service, which is celebrating its centennial.

Filmmaking teams of up to six people will have 50 hours to shoot, edit and produce a movie.

The kick-off event will take place at 5:30 p.m., May 6 at the Pacific Rim Institute of Environmental Stewardship.

The finished films will be shown at the FilmSlam Festival June 11 at Coupeville High School. The festival will be hosted by Friends of Ebey’s, a nonprofit group that supports the Reserve, which is a unit of the National Park Service.

The Friends of Ebey’s will announce winners and award cash prizes.

The filmmakers’ assignment is to tell their story of the Reserve. They are to shoot on public property only unless given permission otherwise.

The registration deadline is April 29.

For information and official rules, go to www.nps.gov/ebla or call 360-678-6084.

“We wanted to do something a little bit different,” Richards said. “We also wanted to engage some younger people.”