2011 Off-Centered Film Fest Submission Open

As a craft beer enthusiast, my favorite show on the Discovery Channel this season is Brew Masters, which follows innovative and always entertaining Dogfish Head Brewery founder Sam Calagione as he travels across America and around the globe, exploring new ingredients and techniques for the next great brews often based on ancient traditions.

Calagione is no stranger to Austin -- he annually teams up with the the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to host the Off-Centered Film Fest short film competition in Austin every April. This year is no exception and promises to be bigger than ever, with submissions for the festival currently being accepted. The early bird deadline is January 29, with a final deadline of March 1 to enter.

Rules and submission instructions can be found here. Aspiring filmmakers are encouraged to "let their own freak-flags fly" by making films that celebrate “off-centeredness." Filmmakers are encouraged to be as adventurous and innovative as they want, but must include a reference to Dogfish Head in the script or product placement in their film.

"The Off-Centered Film Fest is one of my favorite events of the year. There is a tremendous overlap in creativity spirit between the indie film and the indie beer communities and everyone at Dogfish enjoys getting our chocolate into the Alamo's peanut butter," Calagione said in the latest press release about the fest.

The submission process has changed this year, with online film community Withoutabox handling the film submissions. Cash prizes will be awarded for the top three finalists, determined by a panel of judges made of Dogfish Head and Alamo Drafthouse film enthusiasts. The finalists will be promoted online through the Alamo Drafthouse and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery websites and social media channels. Stay tuned for more details on this year's event schedule.

[Photo credit: Sam Calagione at 2009 Off-Centered Film Fest Beer Pairing, by Debbie Cerda on Flickr]