BESLA Film Festival

Rules & Terms – BESLA’s 2025 Annual Conference Film Festival
1. Eligibility

Open to filmmakers worldwide.

Films must be 10 minutes or under, including credits.

Submissions must be the entrant’s original work and must not infringe upon any third-party rights.

Entrants must have all necessary rights and clearances for the submitted film, including music, images, and other intellectual property.

Films must either:

Tell stories about the African-American experience, or

Be created by African-American filmmakers (director or producer).

2. Submission Guidelines

All entries must be submitted through FilmFreeway.

Submission deadline: September 19, 2025.

Films must be in English or have English subtitles.

Multiple entries are allowed, but each entry must be submitted separately.

Works-in-progress are accepted, but final versions must be delivered by the screening deadline.

Only new films are eligible—films previously submitted to the BESLA Film Festival will not be considered.

3. Screening Format

If selected, filmmakers must provide a high-resolution digital file (ProRes or H.264) for screening.

DCP is not accepted as the primary screening format.

4. Selection Process

All submissions are reviewed by the festival programming team.

Selection decisions are final and at the sole discretion of the festival.

Selected films may be used for promotional purposes, including festival trailers, marketing materials, and social media.

5. Awards & Prizes

The top 4 films will screen at BESLA’s 2025 Annual Conference in Puerto Rico, October 29 – November 2, 2025, before top entertainment and sports industry professionals.

The 1st Place Winner’s film and filmmaker will be profiled and may be featured on BET.com and potentially other BET media platforms (subject to BET’s approval and delivery requirements).

6. Rights & Permissions

By submitting, entrants grant the festival the right to screen their film during the festival and to use excerpts, stills, and press materials for promotional purposes.

All rights and ownership remain with the filmmaker.

7. Liability

The festival will not be held responsible for any lost, damaged, or ineligible entries.

Entrants agree to indemnify and hold harmless the festival, its staff, affiliates, and partners from any claims related to the submission or screening of their film.

8. Year of Production

Eligible films must have been completed after January 1, 2023.

9. Agreement

By submitting to the festival, filmmakers agree to all the rules and terms outlined above.