“Starting a nonprofit in the middle of a pandemic is not something I would recommend,” laughed Lyric Burt, president and co-founder of Silver State Storytellers. “All the gears had come to a grinding halt!”
Nonetheless, Burt, along with Katrina Raenell, Alesa Hensen and Taylor Wilson, sought a way to pursue their artistic desires. Their solution was Silver State Storytellers, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting creative storytelling in a variety of mediums.
Despite the odds, the organization has flourished, thanks in large part to a series of annual short-film competitions, including the Moon Rocks Sci-fi Short Film Competition, now in its second year, which kicked off on May 21 and will conclude with a screening of the films and an awards ceremony on June 14.
Silver State Storytellers announced the dates of the competition and opened registration this spring. With nothing but three prompts to start with—a prop, a sound effect and a line of dialogue—registrants then have two weeks to create a five-to-nine-minute film and submit it by June 4. The public can view the films at two screenings, at 2 and 7 p.m., Saturday, June 14, at the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City. Following the second screening is an awards ceremony—a panel of judges selects its favorites in a handful of categories, and audience members even get the chance to weigh in on their favorites for the Best Film—Audience Choice award.
This year’s prompts? A flashlight, a roar (animal or mechanical) and: “I wish I had thought of that.”
Nevada-based filmmakers of all ages are welcome to enter, and there are no restrictions on experience level or production budget. As long as the film is made in that two-week period, which the prompts help ensure, and is somewhat family friendly (think PG-13), it’s a contender.
Silver State Storytellers’ short-film competitions—which also include Love Notes, a romantic film competition in February, and Carson Creepy, a horror film competition in October—sort of dropped in the founders’ laps in 2021.
“The Carson City short-film competitions were formerly housed under Wired Wednesdays,” Burt said, explaining that the Wired Wednesdays founder had decided to move and would be shuttering the nonprofit unless someone else was willing to take it on. Silver State Storytellers stepped up. “(Our mission) is to inspire Nevada artists to tell stories about Nevada, and we do feel like these film competitions fit into that mission. As Nevada artists, we really want to focus on shining a light on the diverse landscape and culture that makes up our wonderful community.”
Although the February and October competitions kept their themes, the summer event always had rotated themes, and nothing really stuck until Moon Rocks came along.
“Nevada has such a rich history and culture that is immersed in sci-fi lore,” Burt said. “You know, Area 51, all the (petroglyphs) in our area, and there have been a lot of strange sightings. So, we saw a good opportunity.”
The name was intended to be “very Nevada.” When someone threw out “Moon Rocks,” Burt recalled his own youth, sneaking off to party at the desert recreational area in Hungry Valley. It just fit.
“Last summer, we did our first annual Moon Rocks, and it was very well-received,” he said, adding that a number of fun awards given by the organization’s board were added to the competition—for example, Best Alien and the Blake Snyder Save the Cat Award (in honor of screenwriter/producer Blake Snyder’s book about the ideal film structure).
The 2025 competition launched with 38 teams in the race, although Burt said it’s typical for a few entrants to drop out during the two-week period. The judges are Emily Skyle-Golden, executive director of Cordillera International Film Festival; Sean Mick, a screenwriter who teaches the craft at Western Nevada College; Jessica Johnson, a film instructor at Truckee Meadows Community College; Tom Gordon, a sound engineer for the band Whitesnake and owner of Inspired Amateur Productions music studio; and Jamie Woodham, local actor, radio personality and podcaster. Thanks to several sponsors, winners will receive an assortment of gift cards and more; previous festivals have awarded quality lighting and green-screen kits.
“Of the teams we have registered, almost all of them are returning competitors,” Burt said. “I can’t wait to see them all go toe to toe again. They all just keep growing and getting better every time, which is what I love about these competitions.”
The Moon Rocks Sci-fi Short Film Competition screenings and awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 14, with screenings at 2 and 7 p.m. at the Brewery Arts Center, 449 W. King St., in Carson City. Tickets are $15-$25. For tickets and information, visit NVStorytellers.org.