The Fargo Film Festival is thrilled to announce that actor Rich Sommer will attend this year’s event as a special guest.

Rich is best known for his role as Harry Crane on AMC’s multiple Emmy and Golden Globe-winning Mad Men.

Rich’s stage credits include Todd in Far Away; Mike in A Lie of the Mind; and William Gibbs in Off the Map. Rich has appeared on The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, CSI, Law & Order, Without a Trace, Ugly Betty, Nikita, Burn Notice, and in several national commercials. His feature film debut was as Anne Hathaway’s drinking buddy Doug in The Devil Wears Prada.

A student, performer and teacher of improvisation, Rich received his training and experience with The Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis and the Upright Citizens Brigade in NYC.

He received a BA in Theatre Arts from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and an MFA in Acting from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Rich and his Mad Men castmates have twice won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

If you plan to attend the Fargo Film Festival and are traveling from out of town, one excellent and affordable option is the Howard Johnson Inn, located at 301 3rd Avenue North in Fargo, just a short walk from the Fargo Theatre.

The festival has arranged for a discounted rate of $63 dollars per night at the Howard Johnson Inn. Be sure to mention the Fargo Film Festival when you make your reservation. Reservations must be made by February 27, 2012.

You can contact the Howard Johnson Inn by phone at either 888.407.4656 or 701.232.8850 or online here with direct link to their website which is also available under the CONTACT tab above.

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce the

1st Annual Bunny Lebowski Pro-Am Invitational

We know you are supposed to say “inaugural” instead of “first annual,” but it’s our preferred nomenclature. On Thursday, March 8, 2012, join the Fargo Film Festival at Moorhead, Minnesota’s All-Star Bowl to celebrate all things Dude. From 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., enjoy the company of your fellow movie lovers in solidarity with the power of the Coen Brothers’ indispensable little achievement.

A limited number of tickets are available for $10 per person and may be purchased in advance at the Fargo Theatre. Ticket price includes shoe rental and bowling. The 1st Annual Bunny Lebowski Pro-Am Invitational is an all-ages event.

Additionally, the event will include a Big Lebowski-themed costume contest, a Lebowski/Coen-focused trivia contest, and a Lebowski edition of the Fargo Film Festival’s popular 2-Minute Movie Contest, with prizes guaranteed to tie your room together. The Lebowski edition of the 2-Minute Movie Contest follows the same rules and deadlines as the standard 2-Minute Movie Contest. The only difference is that entries are made in tribute and homage to The Big Lebowski (whether re-mixed, re-imagined, or sweded). More details to follow.

Mark it, Dudes.

1 Make a movie no longer than 2 minutes.

2 Fill out an entry form.

3 Submit the form and a copy of your movie on a flash drive (as a .mov) or Mini-DV tape to the Fargo Theatre by Saturday, February 11th, 2012.

4 Show up on Friday, March 9, 2012 at 9:30pm at the Fargo Theatre and enjoy the show. Admission is 2 dollars.

Submission Deadline: Movies must be received by Saturday, February 11th, 2012 at the Fargo Theatre along with a completed entry form.

All movies must be entered by the official entry deadline. Submitted movies must have a title. There is no fee to enter and contestants may enter up to two movies per moviemaker.

Moviemakers must hold copyright clearance to all images and music.

Movies must be submitted on flash drive as a .mov file or on Mini-DV tape. The contest does not accept movies on any other format. Entries on DVD will not be accepted. Do not under any circumstances submit your original or master copy. If possible, drives and tapes will be returned to moviemakers at the public showing.

The final program will be selected from the pool of entries and a panel of at least five festival judges will choose the winning movies. Filmmakers will be notified by email if their work will not be screened. The 2-Minute Movie Contest is competitive and not all submissions will be selected for public screening.

Download the entry form here.

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce its official program of animation for 2012. Congratulations to our outstanding group of moviemakers.

WINNER BEST ANIMATION:

* It’s Such a Beautiful Day (Don Hertzfeldt)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* Mound (Allison Schulnik)

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

* Belly (Julia Pott)

* Bertie Crisp (Francesca Adams)

* Birdboy (Pedro Rivero)

* Daisy Cutter (Enrique Garcia & Ruben Salazar)

* Don’t Be Nervous (Peter Gulsvig)

* The External World (David O’Reilly)

* The Gloaming (Nobrain)

* Grandpa Looked Like William Powell (David Levy)

* Guard Dog Global Jam (Bill Plympton)

* Hamster Heaven (Paul Bolger)

* Heliotropes (Michael Langan)

* The Monster of Nix (Rosto)

* A Morning Stroll (Grant Orchard)

* My Hometown (Jerry Levitan & Terry Tompkins)

* Papa’s Boy (Leevi Lemmetty)

* A Shadow of Blue (Carlos Loscano)

* The Tannery (Iain Gardner)

* Vicenta (Sam)

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce its official program of documentary features for 2012. Congratulations to our outstanding group of moviemakers.

WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

* Age of Champions (Christopher Rufo)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* The Power of Two (Marc Smolowitz)

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

* Beatles Stories (Seth Swirsky)

* Blazing the Trail: The O’Kalems in Ireland (Peter Flynn)

* Fast Talk (Debra Kahn Tolchinsky)

* A Good Day to Die (David Mueller & Lynn Salt)

* Top Secret Rosies: The Female Computers of WWII (LeAnn Erickson)

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce its official program of documentary shorts for 2011. Congratulations to our outstanding group of moviemakers.

WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT:

* Incident in New Baghdad (James Spione)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* TXT (Josiah Bultemat & Kyle Gilbertson)

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

* Crooked Beauty (Ken Paul Rosenthal)

* Drumbeats (Brad Barber)

* Language of the Unheard (Matt Litwiller & Jacqueline Reyno)

* Madtown (Michael Pickering & Mike Scholtz)

* Performance Anxiety (Charles Merzbacher)

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce its official program of experimental films for 2012. Congratulations to our outstanding group of moviemakers.

WINNER BEST EXPERIMENTAL:

* Melt (Noemie Lafrance)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* Somewhere Only We Know (Jesse McLean)

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

* Achante (Emily McMehen)

* The Beast Pageant (Albert Birney & John Moses)

* Blue Mantle (Rebecca Meyers)

* Cuddle Group (Erica Eyres)

* Devil’s Gate (Laura Kraning)

* Falling (Karim Azimi)

* In the Absence of Light, Darkness Prevails (Fern Silva)

* Together: Dancing with Spinner Dolphins (Chisa Hidaka)

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce its official program of narrative features for 2012. Congratulations to our outstanding group of moviemakers.

WINNER BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE:

* The Importance of Tying Your Own Shoes (Lena Koppel)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* Jess + Moss (Clay Jeter)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* Silver Tongues (Simon Arthur)

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

* Among Us (Johan Brisinger)

* Currency (Brad Rosier)

* Fred and Vinnie (Steve Skrovan)

* High Road (Matt Walsh)

* Small, Beautifully Moving Parts (Annie Howell & Lisa Robinson)

* A Windigo Tale (Armand Garnet Ruffo)