The Fargo Film Festival’s popular 2-Minute Movie Contest returns tonight, March 5, 2010, beginning at 9:15pm at the Fargo Theatre. Admission is free.

More than forty very short movies will be screened and judged this year, and the winner will have the honor of being shown during the festival’s closing night session on Saturday, March 6, 2010.

From parodies to fantasies, the 2-Minute Movie Contest showcases a wide range of content in a program where anything can – and often does – show up on the screen. You might cringe, you may roll your eyes once or twice, and you’ll almost certainly laugh at some of the movie snapshots on parade. Remember our motto: if you don’t like the movie on the screen, just wait two minutes and there will be something else to see.

FAIR WARNING: The 2-Minute Movie Contest features adult material, including profanity and violent and sexual content that would typically be rated R and NC-17. Viewer discretion is advised.

The tenth annual Fargo Film Festival launches today, with fantastic movies, filmmakers from far and near, intriguing panels, awesome award-winners, and warm interactions awaiting each and everyone. Whether you plan to come for a single session or the whole festival, we welcome you.

Please take some time to explore the schedule, investigate some of the movies that will be showing, and prepare for the top-notch programming the Fargo Film Festival provides. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call the box office at 701-239-8385.

Events begin with a press conference at the Fargo Theatre at 12 noon on March 2. Information about the festival will be shared, along with the announcement of the Best of Festival award-winners. Some filmmakers will also be on hand to answer questions and talk about their projects.

The opening evening pre-party will be held at Monte’s (220 Broadway) from 5pm to 6:45pm, followed by a 7pm showing of Rob Nilsson’s feature “Imbued” and an 8:45pm showing of Patrick Coyle’s “Into Temptation.” Tickets for all events are available at the Fargo Theatre box office (701-239-8385). We look forward to seeing you at the festival.

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce its official program of animation for 2010. Congratulations to our outstanding group of moviemakers.

WINNER BEST ANIMATION:

* Lebensader (Angela Steffen)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* The Tourists (Malcolm Sutherland)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* The Terrible Thing of Alpha-9! (Jake Armstrong)

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

* The Astronomer’s Dream (Malcolm Sutherland)

* Botnik! (Jacqueline Smessaert)

* The Cat Piano (Eddie White and Ari Gibson)

* Great Ambition (Malcolm Sutherland)

* Inherent Obligations (Rao Heidmets)

* Juiced and Jazzed (Justin Weber)

* Pigeon: Impossible (Lucas Martell)

* Santa: The Fascist Years (Bill Plympton)

* The Secret of Kells (Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey)

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce its official program of documentary features for 2010. Congratulations to our outstanding group of moviemakers.

WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

* Under Our Skin (Andy Abrahams Wilson)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* A Cruel Wind Blows (Rob King)

* Rebuilding Hope (Jen Marlowe)

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

* A Message from the East (Jeremiah Hammerling)

* Revealing Hate (Mariah Wilson)

* Small Town Soldiers (Cody Shimek)

* Tales of the Road: Highway 61 (Cathy Wurzer)

* Thicker Than Water (Brad Rappa)

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce its official program of documentary shorts for 2010. Congratulations to our outstanding group of moviemakers.

WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT:

* Trip to Hell and Back (Stu Maddux)

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

* And What Remains (Marc Havener)

* Cold Mountain (Mike Hazard and Deb Wallwork)

* The Lost Girl (Elizabeth Chatelain)

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce its official program of experimental films for 2010. Congratulations to our outstanding group of moviemakers.

WINNER BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM:

* Anomie (Deenah Johnston)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* Artificial Paradise, Inc. (Jean-Paul Frenay)

* Float (Mackenzie Mathis)

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

* Parolé (Diane Bonder)

* You Are Not from Here (Diane Bonder)

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce its official program of Indigenous Voices for 2010. Congratulations to our outstanding group of moviemakers.

WINNER INDIGENOUS VOICES:

* American Outrage (Beth Gage and George Gage)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* Liminality (James Lujan)

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

* From the Spirit: Kevin Red Star (Bill Stewart and Raymond Yakaleya)

* From the Spirit: Preston Singletary (Bill Stewart and Raymond Yakaleya)

* The Migration (Sydney Freeland)

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce its official program of narrative features for 2010. Congratulations to our outstanding group of moviemakers.

WINNER BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE:

* Tahaan (Santosh Sivan)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* McCartney’s Genes (Jason Dennis)

* El regalo de la Pachamama (Toshifumi Matsushita)

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

* Irene in Time (Henry Jaglom)

* Sky in December (Hiroshi Toda)

* Taylor’s Way (René Brar)

* Wireless (Tiaraju Aronovich)

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce its official program of narrative shorts for 2010. Congratulations to our outstanding group of moviemakers.

WINNER BEST NARRATIVE SHORT:

* True Beauty This Night (Peter Besson)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* Love and Roadkill (John David Allen)

* Mildred Richards (Marc Kess)

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

* Ba Ne Jek Kemal (Sean Fahey)

* Danny (Jeremy Wanek)

* Deer Hill Road (Ann Prim)

* The Man with All the Marbles (Hans Montelius)

* Open Air (Shira-Lee Shalit)

* Our Neck of the Woods (Rob Connolly)

* This Is the Place (Jacob Strunk)

The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce its official program of student work for 2010. Congratulations to our outstanding group of moviemakers.

WINNER BEST STUDENT FILM:

* California King (Eli Akira Kaufman)

HONORABLE MENTION:

* May I Take Your Order? (Tony Grosz)

* Winning the Peace (Eli Akira Kaufman)

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:

* Basket Bronx (Martin Rosete)

* Birthdate (Jeremy Brunjes)

* Condoms (Andrew Neill)

* Desert Wedding (Alexandra Fisher)

* Facial Features (Scott Slade Wagner)

* Folie Simultanee (Ben Pimlott)

* Growing Up Vegas (Amber Beard)

* The Kayak Lady (Kit Cross and Patrick Joyner)

* The Metaphor (Joseph Kramer)

* Secret Circles, Hidden Prayers (Amber Beard)

* The Seventh Floor (Andrew Seely)

* Symptoms (Amber Johnson)

* The Upfront Gallery (Andrew Neill and Ashely Somphet)

* Welcome to the Cinema: Adrien Brody (Cody Brown)