Los Angeles, Ca. (April 29, 2008) — A record-breaking 500 film submissions were entered in the 4th annual FYI–Film Your Issue competition, (www.filmyourissue.com), an unprecedented global forum about local and international social issues, inviting global youth 14 to 24 to address contemporary issues with 2-minute short films on issues that impact their generation. Winners will be selected by an illustrious VIP Jury, by the public online, and by participating cause organizations. Voting begins April 29, 2008 at noon and ends at 11:59a.m. on Tuesday, May 13. Winners will be announced on May 15. The public can vote at www.myspace.com/filmyourissue and for Think TV on http://think.mtv.com/groups/FilmYourIssue.

USA TODAY, MySpace, The United Nations, The Associated Press, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The NAACP, Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Humane Society of the United States, MTV, Starz, The American Film Institute and others, and a roster of American leaders led by Walter Cronkite and Tom Brokaw, have joined forces to encourage young adults to add their voices to the public dialogue, using the power of the internet and User Generated Content.

“The internet has become one of the most potent platforms of social change, social activism and raising consciousness -- and with the rapidly evolving technology which puts filmmaking capabilities into the hands of young people, this competition spotlights the results,” says HeathCliff Rothman, founder and president of FYI-Film Your Issue. “We and our partners are thrilled at stimulating the public dialogue on issues relevant to all of us, including young adults who participated in record numbers.”

Submissions have poured in from 46 U.S. states and 27 countries across the globe, including Spain, Pakistan, Russia, The Ukraine, England, Australia, Vietnam, The Czech Republic and Romania. Topics ranged from education arts cuts in U.S. schools to an under-funded leper colony in Vietnam; the dirty New York subway to bad bus transportation for Pakistani students; illegal immigration and post-Katrina New Orleans in the U.S. to homophobia and Islamophobia globally. Genetic modification, global warming, police taser abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder on Iraq war veterans are some additional issues tackled in the submissions.

Prizes include film presentations at the Democratic and Republican 2008 National Conventions, internships at USA TODAY, The United Nations, PBS’s Award-winning P.O.V. and The Humane Society of the United States, a $5,000 college scholarship from Strong American Schools and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and film presentation and VIP Pass at SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival.

Winning films or excerpts will also be broadcast on Starz, and Link TV, presented at the annual NAACP Conference, featured throughout MySpace, and receive featured placement on AOL True Stories and AFI ScreenNation websites. The MTV winner will be featured on Think.mtv.com, MTV's multi-media community focused on youth activism, and the winning filmmaker profiled on MTV News. Select winning entries will be highlighted on MySpaceTV and Think.MTV.com, and will be distributed by The Associated Press to its media network of 1,800 online video outlets. The U.N. will feature the winning Global/UN issues film on its website.

Online, visitors to the MySpace Impact - FYI site will select the 2008 FYI-MySpace Impact Audience Favorite Award. Similarly, visitors to http://think.mtv.com/groups/FilmYourIssue will help select the 2008 FYI- Think MTV Audience Favorite AwardThe 2008 FYI VIP Jury of illustrious leaders will select a single Jury Award. Additionally, awards will be given in conjunction with the FYI partners in such categories as Global Issues, Animal Welfare, The Environment, Presidential Election Campaign 2008, The Education Crisis and others.

FYI 2008’s VIP Jury is headed by legendary news anchors and authors Walter Cronkite and Tom Brokaw, and includes MySpace Founder Tom Anderson, CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer, NBC Anchor Brian Williams, United Nations DPI Under-Secretary-General Kiyotaka Akasaka, Best Buy Vice-Chairman Brad Anderson, HBO Host Bill Maher, USA TODAY Publisher Craig Moon and Founder Al Neuharth, Weinstein Company Co-founder Harvey Weinstein and others.

The Awards will be presented at a reception hosted by Sony Pictures Entertainment at its fabled studio lot on June 6, 2008, co-hosted by USA TODAY, The United Nations, Best Buy, MySpace Impact, Associated Press and and Think MTV. FYI will also present two additional annual awards: The Walter Cronkite Civic Engagement Leadership Award, with approval of Mr. Cronkite; and The Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award, selected with the Roosevelt family

Past judges include George Clooney and Presidential candidate Barack Obama. Winners from past competitions have gone on to work in major Hollywood production companies, been invited to present their films on Capitol Hill, and one recently co-produced a film that was the 2008 Sundance Grand Jury Award winner. Through the global reach of the internet and The United Nations Department of Public Information, entries from past rounds have come not only from the U.S., but from all points across the globe, including Iran, The Philippines, Brazil, Russia, Hong Kong, Israel, the U.K., Argentina and elsewhere.

Partners for the 2008 FYI competition are USA TODAY, The United Nations, The Associated Press, Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, MySpace Impact, MTV, NAACP, The Humane Society of the United States, SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival and AFI Screen Nation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, PBS’ award-winning documentary series P.O.V., Starz, AOL True Stories, Link TV, The Human Rights Campaign, ASCAP, PBS Engage and The International Documentary Association. Academic partners are The Association of American Colleges and Universities, The National Association of Student Councils, The American Association of University Professors and The University Film and Video Association.