HISTORY IN THE FILM-MAKING >>>  

The Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) in Seattle has brought back its History Is ____ Film Competition for a second time since beginning in 2011.

Then I suppose what they say about history is true...

(I take off my shades and peer seductively into my readers' eyes)

...It has a way of repeating itself. (We kiss. End scene.)

As MOHAI's Manager of Programs and Community Engagement Helen Divjak remembers, "(The competition) last year really went beyond what we'd expected... We were really overwhelmed with not only the number, but the quality of the entries."

Now you can do your part to make the new batch of films bigger and even better. But first, the rules: Each work has between one and five minutes to creatively fill in the above blank with any word or phrase of one's choosing. For example, History is HUGE.

So how to cover a topic as old as the Big Bang (and getting older) in the span of minutes?

Don't, Divjak says. "Don't try to tell the history of the world. Don't try to tell a story that you don't find inherently fascinating. History is a very personal thing...and we want to encourage a personal interpretation."

But do get a mov(i)e on soon - MOHAI needs filmed submissions by Saturday, March 31. Prizes ranging from $500 to $1,500 should help as an incentive. For a full rundown of guidelines, visit mohai.indieflix.com or email film@seattlehistory.org.

Learn from history and take a look at the 2011 submissions here.