The first Tube Action Sports Film Festival has extended its entry deadline to July 1, 2000 due to enthusiastic response from film and videomakers. ESPN and EXPN.com will present the festival, to be held August 20th and 21st, in conjunction with the 2000 X Games in San Francisco. The screening will take place both evenings in the state-of-the-art Theatre at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

TUBE hopes to reflect the culture of today's action sports community, capturing not only the creative and visual elements of these sports but the related emotional and human aspects as well. Filmed works will draw from a number of core sports including skateboarding, aggressive inline skating, surfing, snowboarding, skiing, BMX stunt biking, and snow mountain biking. Surfing filmmaker and consultant to the X Games Jon Kitamura hopes new forms will be discovered, "With their creative juices flowing action sports athletes continually invent variations and new concepts. In the same way we hope the films will reflect a new way of looking at sports and cinema."

"The Festival will allow athletes and aspiring filmmakers to become an active voice in film and video, by meshing their creative and athletic abilities," said co-program director Gary Meyer. " We aren't looking for just stunt videos but works that take us into the world of the women and men involved in action sports. The narrative, documentary, animation, and experimental films we have been screening promise a varied and exciting program."

The world of action sports and film culture are starting to blend. Director Spike Jonze's influences are rooted in action sports culture. An avid skateboarder, Jonze became a photographer for Freestylin', BMX Action, and Homeboy, magazines geared toward BMX and freestyle bikes. Eventually Jonze began directing skateboarding themed videos including 1995's Las Nueve Vidas de Paco, a skateboarding adventure with spaghetti western and kung-fun undertones. Critics and athletes alike have hailed his follow-up feature The Chocolate Tour. Jonze's participation in the action sports world has fueled his work with a quirky and cutting-edge style exemplified in his music videos for Bjork, Puff Daddy, the Chemical Brothers and in 1999's Oscar nominated feature Being John Malkovich.

Tube co-director Ken Karn noted, "Encouraged by the increasing quality and lowered costs of producing on miniDV and digital camcorders while being inspired by Jonze and other athletes like Mike Vallely, Stephen Berra and Tony Hawk getting behind the camera, we have seen some great entries from teens, as well as seasoned filmmakers. They are integrating the creativity found in these sports with interesting stories and adventurous techniques."

Filmmakers will be asked to submit a short trailer or clip, which may then be posted on online at www.EXPN.com, the sports network's website dedicated to action sports and lifestyle. Sports enthusiasts and film lovers will then be able to log on to view trailers/clips and vote for their favorite films. The online community's top selections will be featured at the Festival.

An Audience Award for favorite film and Jury awards for Best Animation and Best Overall Film will be presented. Winners will receive their awards at the X GAMES AWARD SHOW televised on ESPN2. The winning films will have an opportunity for a television premiere on ESPN2.

Film and video submissions must be no longer than 30 minutes and may be in the form of action, narrative, documentary, animation, or experimental. The works should be connected to the action sports world from which it originates. A separate trailer or clip, no longer than two-minutes in length, must be included for digital-upload posting to www.EXPN.com.

Application forms and information are available at www.EXPN.com or call the Tube Film Festival Hotline at 415-782-8504. Due to overwhelming demand, the deadline for submission is extended to July 1, 2000.

Tickets for the Tube 2000: Action Sports Film Festival, will be available the first week of August. The Sixth Annual X Games takes place August 15-22 in San Francisco, featuring the world-class talents of more than 400 alternative sport athletes. The X Games is owned, organized and televised by ESPN, Inc. Check out www.ESPN.com and www.EXPN.com for more information.

The inaugural Tube Film Festival, currently accepting submissions for their first ever action sports film/video festival, has decided to extend the deadline for submissions due to an overwhelming range of entries. Tube will be held on August 20th and 21st at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in conjunction with the 2000 X Games in San Francisco, California.

The Tube Film Festival is being presented by ESPN and EXPN.com, - the sports network's new Web site dedicated to action sports enthusiasts, lifestyles and events. Visitors to EXPN.com will be able to view trailers or clips of the entries and vote online for their favorite films beginning June 15th, with the top selections being screened at the Tube Film Festival.

The Tube Film Festival is open to filmmakers around the world and will reflect the culture of today's action sports community, the creative soul of its contributors, and the originality that surrounds them. In keeping with the vision and spirit of the activities included in the X Games, the Tube Film Festival also seeks to expand the artistic component beyond the athletes themselves to include film and video work that captures not only the visual elements of these sports, but related emotional and human aspects as well.

Film and video submissions must be no longer than 60 minutes, and may be in the form of action, narrative, documentary, animation, or experimental. The work should somehow be connected to the action sports world from which it originates. Filmmakers must also submit a separate trailer or clip, no longer than two-minutes in length, which will be digitally uploaded onto EXPN.com for review by site visitors. There is no entry fee.

Jury Awards will be presented for the Best Overall Film and Best Animation, with the winner of the Best Overall Film award to be honored during the X Games Awards Show. The entry chosen as the Best Overall Film will receive a national airing as part of a special show on ESPN2, televised during the week of the 2000 X Games and the Tube Film Festival. An Audience Award will be presented for the favorite film as voted by the attendees of the festival.

Application forms and more information are available at www.EXPN.com, or by calling the Tube Film Festival Hotline at 415-782-8504. Tickets to TFF will go on sale the first week of August - further information will be posted on EXPN.com.

The 2000 X Games will take place August 17th - 22nd on Embarcadero, Piers 30/32 in San Francisco, California. The Tube Film Festival will take place on the evenings of August 20th and 21st after each day's X Games competitions are completed.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (February 14, 2000) - ESPN and the inaugural Tube Film Festival have announced a worldwide call for submissions for the first annual action sports film/video festival to be held on August 20th and 21st in conjunction with the 2000 X Games in San Francisco. The Tube Film Festival is being presented by ESPN and EXPN.com - the sports network's new Web site dedicated to action sports and lifestyle.

The Sixth Annual X Games will play host to this two-day film and video festival, drawing on entries presented from filmmakers around the globe. Filmmakers will be asked to submit a short trailer for their film, which may then be posted on EXPN.com. Web site visitors will be able to view the trailers and vote for their favorite films - the top selections being among those screened at the Tube Film Festival.

In keeping with the vision and spirit of the activities included in the X Games, the Tube Film Festival will reflect the culture of today's action sports community, the creative soul of its contributors, and the originality that surrounds them. Tube also seeks to expand the artistic component beyond the athletes themselves to include film and video work that captures not only the visual elements of these sports, but related emotional and human aspects as well.

The Tube Film Festival will take place on the evenings of August 20th and 21st after each day's X Games competitions are completed. An Audience Award will be presented for the favorite film as voted by the attendees. Jury Awards will also be presented to the Best Animation and Best Overall Film.

The winner of the Best Overall Film will receive the award at the X Games Award Show to be televised that week on ESPN2. In addition, the winning film will receive a national airing as part of a special show on ESPN2.

Film and video submissions must be no longer than 60 minutes, and may be in the form of action, narrative, documentary, animation, or experimental. The work should somehow be connected to the action sports world from which it originates. A separate trailer or clip, no longer than two-minutes in length, must also be included for digital-upload posting to EXPN.com. There is no entry fee.

Application forms and more information are available at www.EXPN.com, or by calling the Tube Film Festival Hotline at 415-782-8504. The deadline for submissions is July 1, 2000. Tickets to the Tube will go on sale the first week of August - further information to be posted on EXPN.com.

The Sixth Annual X Games will take place August 15-22 in downtown San Francisco, and will feature the world-class athletic talents of more than 400 alternative sport athletes. The X Games is owned, organized and televised by ESPN, Inc.