Drone Focus Film Festival Flies Into Fargo (Video)

“The tricky thing … is to make great video that isn’t just great because it’s shot from the air,” a judge tells the AP

Move over, Cannes: a first-year film festival in Fargo, North Dakota that is part of an annual drone conference “aims to highlight the possibilities of art from above,” according to the Associated Press.

The Drone Focus Film Festival will take place from May 31 through June 1 and all films must be less than five minutes long with 50 percent or more shot using a drone or UAV. Over 600 people are expected to attend.

North Dakota has invested $40 million in the unmanned aircraft industry, according to the AP. The film festival attracted 42 entries from 21 countries with categories including narrative, landscape and architecture, showreel, lifestyle and work by students. There will also be a people’s choice award.

Professional photographer John Borge, who is among the judges, told the AP that the best films were the ones “where you felt you were involved with it and it took you somewhere.” He also said that in the drone industry, content creators often have to scrap nice shots that don’t fit the narrative.

“Sometimes there is such a cool shot but it doesn’t fit, but you can tell they just had to use it. It was so great, it was so stunning, it was so beautiful, but it didn’t tie together,” Borge told the AP. “The tricky thing, I think, is to make great video that isn’t just great because it’s shot from the air.”

According to the festival’s website, “The Drone Focus Film Festival is looking foster the growth of the drones and UAS industry by bringing together multiple mediums and industries.”

Check out the video above.

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