Moneyland Film Competition

Blending traditional and contemporary roots music, passion for democracy and social justice, and an appreciation for the power of grassroots creativity, IFC and McCoury Music have launched a competition aimed at inspiring music fans to create their own short film interpretations of the songs from McCoury Music's new album, Moneyland. Fans of the new album are invited to enter into the short-form film competition at www.LivinginMoneyLand.com. The winning film for each song will be awarded cash prizes. A grand prize winner chosen among each of the song finalists will be aired on IFC and IFC.com.

Featuring new music from bluegrass legend Del McCoury along with songs new and old by Country Music Hall of Famers Merle Haggard and Emmylou Harris, National Heritage Fellow and Bluegrass Hall of Famer Mac Wiseman, Grammy winner Tim O'Brien and more, Moneyland offers a hard-hitting look at issues of economic and social injustice through music. With songs ranging from the blistering title track to a grassy interpretation of the Beatles' "When I'm 64" to the Haggard classic "If We Make It Through December" to the gritty small-town tale of Chris Knight's "A Train Not Running," Moneyland serves up music that's both convincing and filled with vivid imagery ripe for translation on film-especially in the hands of everyday people.

"It just seemed like a natural connection," says Del McCoury, a Grand Ole Opry member who, together with his band, owns more International Bluegrass Music Association awards than any other artist and has taken his music to venues well beyond the bluegrass faithful. "The problems that Moneyland talks about are going to take a lot of work and creativity to solve, and creating short films to go along with each of the songs is a great way to get people thinking about these issues, and encourage them to get involved in creating solutions."

IFC News is also creating a segment on the issues addressed in the Moneyland album including an additional interview with Del McCoury scheduled to air later this month. For details on the film competition, including entry information, visit www.LivinginMoneyLand.com.