Cosmic Rays Foundation

“Form 990, Part III, line 28, Statement of Program Service Accomplishments: The fifth edition of the Cosmic Rays Film Festival was held from March 30 - 31, 2023. Some 400 people and 15 visiting artists gathered over the two days of the event to celebrate 30 short experimental and artists' films at the Varsity Theatre in Chapel Hill, NC, as well as a program of live audiovisual performances at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC. The festival's selection of short films from over 400 submissions to our open call demonstrated a commitment to aesthetics and conceptual risks, catering to a non-mainstream audience. This focus on daring and unconventional filmmaking attracted a dedicated and engaged audience, surprising organizers with impressive attendance numbers. The festival's focus on films that employ innovative media technologies (3D animation, Virtual Reality, AI) finds an especially receptive audience in the Research Triangle area, where there is a genuine hunger for innovative and boundary-pushing artistic expression. The festival was also proud to present a program of live-cinema performances held at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC. This special evening featured performances by internationally-acclaimed media artists Jonas Bers, Tomonari Nishikawa, and Jon Satrom, who employed computers, analog projection, and vector synthesis to create mesmerizing audiovisual works. This unique and immersive experience added an extra layer of excitement to the festival, and represented a very rare opportunity for audiences in our region to have access to this underrepresented form of media art.”

“Support artistic filmmaking.; Educational; Various grants under $5,000: to many filmmaking artists, , , ; None, 16286.”

“Artist's air fare 824.”

“Venue rental 600.”

“Office expenses 557.”

“Advertising and marketing 500.”

“Liability insurance 200.”

“Supplies and materials 199.”

“Memberships and subscriptions 100.”