Unofficial Google+ Film Festival and SnagFilms Announce Partnership & Festival Launch

NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- SnagFilms Inc., a privately owned media and technology company with roots in the independent film industry, announced today the kick-off of the 3^rd annual Unofficial Google+ Film Festival, one of the world's fastest-growing festivals focusing on short films and web series. Using both simultaneous online and offline events, this free, live, interactive event welcomes viewers regardless of where they live. All you need to participate is a love of great content and access to Google+.

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The 2013 festival spans December 13^th thru 29^th, and features filmmakers from 23 countries.  Exclusive offline screening events will be held in conjunction with the festival in London, Los Angeles, Singapore, New York City, Toronto, New Zealand, Atlanta and Kansas.  To view and participate, simply visit the official website: http://www.ugpff.com (content not available for stream until Monday, Dec. 16, 2013).

The core of festival events will be streamed online Friday, December 13^th through Sunday, December 15^th.  Immediately following the events, the festival films and web series will be available to stream for free via SnagFilms online viewing platform: www.snagfilms.com/ugpff.

"SnagFilms believes in the power of film festivals as a platform for exciting new creators.  The Unofficial Google Plus Film Festival takes it up another level with its innovative global format.  We are proud to continue our own tradition of supporting emerging artists by partnering our social viewing platform with an interactive online festival," said Damian Benders, SVP of Programming & Marketing at SnagFilms.

UGPFF Festival Schedule
Day One is web series day at the UGPFF.  The festival will screen 22 web series in three blocks over the course of the day.  Web series genres range from comedy to dramedy, and will include a host of characters from zombies and cannibals to lost lesbian Kardashian sisters.

Day Two & Three place the spotlight on a powerful selection of short films.  UGPFF will host seven blocks of films which will premiere online along with a companion offline event in various cities across the globe including: New Zealand Premiere, Singapore Premiere, London Premiere, East Coast Premiere, West Coast Premiere, India Premiere and Australia Premiere.   Festival viewers will be treated to a range of subject matters and genres from French Clay animation about a lost goldfish to graphic, post-apocalyptic Hong Kong sci-fi.

Two All-Day 'Virtual Lobby' hangouts will also be available to all participants in the UGPFF Film Festival Lounge.  These are public Google+ hangouts open to anyone with a Google+ account who wants to meet other filmmakers and talk about film.  The 'virtual lobby' offers an innovative networking opportunity for creatives from all over the world.

Expert Panel Discussions will also be available for online participation and will cover a range of topics including: web series, strategies for the Asian market, screenwriting, cinematography, legal, women in film, mobile filmmaking, YouTube Space Creators and distribution.

About SnagFilms
SnagFilms is a premier, ad-supported, social video-viewing platform offering entertainment lovers an extensive library of free movies on demand.  The platform features world class discovery tools empowering members to discover, watch and recommend a wide range of professional online video content.  The SnagFilms viewing experience is available everywhere, enabling audiences to watch professional, award-winning video, including on over 110,000 affiliate sites and its sector-leading applications on  mobile, set-top box and home entertainment devices.

Co-founded in 2008 by Ted Leonsis and Rick Allen, SnagFilms, Inc. was honored as one of Red Herring's 2013 Top 100 Technology Companies in North America.  The company also counts Indiewire and SnagReleasing among its integrated business units.  The Indiewire Blog Network is the independent film industry's leading news, information, and networking service.  SnagReleasing is a full-service film distribution company bringing a selection of distinctive films to audiences worldwide through every release window, including theatrical, pay digital, TV and physical media.  SnagFilms, Inc. is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has offices in New York and Los Angeles.

SnagFilms and its respective logos are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of SnagFilms. Other products and company names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE SnagFilms