Lights. Camera. Action this weekend!

For more films-for-a-cause action, check out Lights. Camera. Help. this weekend, the three-day non-profit festival I wrote about here.

It brings attention to the films-for-a-cause genre by showcasing the best PSAs, shorts and feature-length films that nonprofits use to help them spread the word about their cause. The top 20 films and videos out 140 will be screened Friday, July 31, at Southwest Key East Austin Community Center, and Saturday, Aug. 1, at Calhoun Hall at the University of Texas at Austin. The Judge’s Prize winner will receive all the proceeds and donations from the event.

Films include well-known groups like the Lance Armstrong Foundation United Way and Urban League. But film submissions were also selected from smaller organizations like Art from the Streets, an Austin nonprofit which provides resources for homeless artists and platforms for showing and selling their work, and the We Are Family Foundation in NYC, who promote the vision of a global family by creating and supporting programs that inspire and educate the next generation about respect, understanding and cultural diversity.

David Neff, co-founder of the festival and buddy of mine calls the range of videos “surprising” and expects the films to shock, inspire, and motivate viewers.

Schedule listing the films and nonprofits selected and the nights they will be screened:

Showing Friday, July 31 – 7pm at the Southwest Key East Austin Community Center.

“Aid to Artisans” – Aid to Artisans
“Survivors of Dating Abuse” – Break the Cycle
“Manifesto” – Lance Armstrong Foundation
“Family Portraits” – Jewish Family Service of Seattle
“Give 5” – United Way Capital Area
“Reality, Mobility, Independence” – Wheelchair Foundation
“Think Pink Lemonade” – Women Playing For T.I.M.E.
“Think B4YouSpeak” – Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
“Fowl Play” – Mercy For Animals
“From the Mills to Manhattan” – Best Friends Animal Society
“In A Place Like This” – Mobile Film School

Showing Saturday, Aug. 1 – 7pm at Calhoun Hall Room 100 at the University of Texas at Austin.

“Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars” – Texas Cities for Clean Air Coalition
“Red Ink” – We Are Family Foundation
“Perfect Match” – Michigan Humane Society
“Time Bomb” – charity: water
“Impacting the Future” – National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
“Tale of Two Brothers” – Los Angeles Urban League
“Thoughts in a Hijab” – Reel Grrls
“The Perfect Parent PSAs” – AdoptUSKids
“Art From The Streets” – Art From The Streets

Sunday’s wrap party and award announcement will be held at The New Movement Theatre at 8pm.

For more information about the festival and films, visit the Web site www.lightscamerahelp.org