(Lincoln, Neb.): Join us for the fourth annual Webby Award-nominated PBS Online Film Festival. This year's Festival features 25 short-form independent films from various station and producing partners.

Vision Maker Media is pleased to offer Jeffrey Palmer's uplifting short film, Isabelle's Garden--a story of a community coming together in reciprocity, through the hopes and dreams of a young, Choctaw girl and her garden. The short film was supported and launched through the Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge which aims to showcase stories that communicate how we can support one another to end poverty and hunger once and for all.


Stream the videos anytime from June 15 to July 17, and don't forget to vote for your favorite videos, including Isabelle's Garden. This week, ROKU users have an exclusive preview of the PBS Online Film Festival via the PBS ROKU app (http://www.pbs.org/roku/home). Beginning June 15, the Festival will be available via PBS digital platforms including PBS.org, YouTube, and PBS social media channels.

The PBS Online Film Festival showcases diverse films from the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), POV, StoryCorps, and Vision Maker Media, as well as PBS local member stations including Alaska Public Media, CET/ThinkTV (Cincinnati/Dayton), KLRU (Austin, Texas), KQED (San Francisco, California), Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Twin Cities Public Television, UNC-TV (North Carolina), and Vermont PBS. Promotional partners for the PBS Online Film Festival include ITVS and World Channel.


The Festival showcases powerful and engaging stories from filmmakers across the country, while also providing an opportunity for producers to reach and engage a digitally-savvy audience. The Festival has become a popular, annual online event--attracting more than 350,000 streams and 50,000 votes cast for the winner last year.


Viewers are encouraged to vote for their favorite film to win the "People's Choice" Award. For updates on the Festival, follow #PBSolff on Twitter.


"PBS prides itself as the home for independent film, whether on-air or online," said Ira Rubenstein, Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS Digital. "With the Online Film Festival, PBS and its member stations have the opportunity to bring unique, high-quality independent film to a highly engaged, digitally savvy audience."

About the Filmmaker: Jeffrey Palmer (Kiowa)

Jeffrey Palmer felt that this vignette, Isabelle's Garden, about a Choctaw girl would not just shed light on conditions in the area, but also provide some insight; old traditions, it turns out, can help us create a better present and future.