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The Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival founders, Todd Morris and Jocelyn O’Neil, announce that the festival will return for its fifth year at the Mauch Chunk Opera House on April 21-24. The Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival channels the rebellious spirit of the Molly Maguires, welcoming the boldest, most defiant filmmakers to present their work, shatter convention and incite spirited debate. Their credo is “eyes and minds wide open,” and they mean it. The film festival cares deeply about diversity and continuously strives to give the underrepresented filmmaker a fighting chance in this notoriously incestuous industry. So, they make a concerted effort to program and promote films by women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, and young student filmmakers. They welcome features and shorts of every genre and budget - from gritty underground and experimental films to traditional narratives and documentaries. The film festival experience is a unique one that welcomes everyone to attend and enjoy everything from short films to full length films and everything in between. In addition to celebrating the fifth anniversary year, organizers are inviting students to submit films as part of this year’s festival. Whether you love to create films on your smartphone or through animation, the festival is giving students (middle school, high school, college, etc.) an outlet to display their works of art. All submissions can be made online at https://filmfreeway.com/JimThorpeIndependentFilmFestival. The deadline to submit films is Feb. 13. There are 12 award and prize categories that can be found online. Sponsorships are available now at www.jimthorpeindiefilmfest.com. The fifth anniversary film schedule and ticket sales, VIP passes and more will be available in March.