Welcome to the movie festival for the no-budget oddballs, the dorks, the creators self-exiled from the halls of High Art. Celebrating the modern spirit of guerilla filmmaking: creators armed with iPhones and 25-year-old handicams, using ketchup for blood and trawling yard sales for props.

We're looking for short and weird, for a six-hour sprint of the best of the no-budget world.

We don't charge a high fee* to submit films; we don't require mailed screeners. Low budget, low barriers.

We aren't supported by grants or other funding; we're just two guys renting a cinema for an afternoon to screen cool shorts. So we're not beholden to grant organizations, funders, or anyone. It's just six-hour goof-around for people who love making fun stuff for no money.

Videos from anywhere are welcome, but we're going to lean slightly toward people who can make it to Kingston, Ontario to join us for screenings on September 26. We'll still be screening movies from everywhere, but the hope is to have a lot of filmmakers in attendance.

*in fact, you CAN submit films for free via the website. We've instituted a modest fee on Film Freeway to help curb the overwhelmling number of submissions we're receiving when we allow them for free.

Awards & Prizes

We'll be awarding prizes in four categories: Sweet Trash, Straight Scares, Animation, and Experimental. No monetary value, but bragging rights and a really cool (we think) trophy.

Rules & Terms

Copyright:

Any videos created for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, etc., may have music in them that has been licensed on that platform for use on that platform. It's important to ensure that any music in videos submitted is cleared for all performance; either your own compositions, music in the public domain, or appropriately licensed.

Similarly, submitters attest that they have not used any other copyrighted material (film clips, photos, etc.)

Filmmakers assume all responsibility for any copyright violations and indemnify the festival organizers of any responsibility for overt or inadvertant copyright violation.
Performance and performers

Filmmakers affirm that for any submitted work, all performers have consented to the public presentation of that video, and in the case of minors, that their parents or guardians have consented.

Consent to present:

Anyone submitting a piece confirms that they give permission for it to be shown at this festival, and affirms they are aware that it might be presented in conjunction with some really weird stuff.

Use of materials:

You give Attack of the $5 Film Festival the right to use any stills, excerpts, titles and any other info related to the films for promotional purposes.

Arbitrary and ridiculous decisions:

You understand that this is just two people trying this out; we're not a panel of highfaultin' film pros, we'll be making decisions on the fly, and we won't be able to provide long explanations as to what made it in or why. Probably even to ourselves. We welcome all submissions but may not be able to get into protacted conversations with folks about the process.

Again - max two submissions per person, please, we'll disregard anything after the _first two_ submitted.