Qualifying submissions will be assessed by the quality of the story and cultural relevance. Non-stereotypical stories will have priority. Films must be made within the last 4 years as a student (i.e. released on, or after 2019). Films must be submitted by July 1st, 2023 at 12 midnight.
All applicants are responsible for obtaining all necessary rights to third-party materials included in their films, including but not limited to trademarks, copyrights and music. BIPOC Film Fest is not liable for any violations of permissions. Each selected filmmaker is given 2 free festival passes for the Director, Actors, Producers, etc.
QUALIFYING APPLICANTS:
1. Applicants can be of any cultural background, but the production team must include at least one producer, writer or director and one lead actor who identifies as Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/x, person of color or mixed ethnicity.
2. Films must be the original work of the applicants.
3. If your film isn't in English, please have your subtitles burned into your video file.
4. Short film entries must not exceed a running time of 15 minutes.
5. All submitted films and/or videos must pay the necessary entry fee. Student entries are eligible for discounted fees.
6. Entry fees are non-refundable in case of any submission withdrawal.
All submission deadlines and important dates regarding festival screenings, award ceremonies and venues/events are announced on the BIPOC Film Fest official website.
Any changes to the rules and schedule of the festival will be at BIPOC Film Fest's discretion.
HOW TO SUBMIT:
All entries must be submitted online via FilmFreeway.
1. Complete the submission form.
2. The films must be uploaded to the submission portal as required or direct BIPOC Film Fest to a link of your film or video preview upon submission.
3. Complete the outline press kit in the submission form. This includes a synopsis in English, the director’s statement and biography, a full list of lead cast/crew, and any additional publicity materials such as trailers, film posters and stills.
4. Pay the entry fee.
At the point of payment on your submission, you will be asked if you have read and agree with the Terms and Conditions laid out on this page. By agreeing to proceed with your submission, you are agreeing to these Terms and Conditions and your application can then be processed. The entry of a film is binding and implies the acceptance of these regulations.
In the event of disagreement concerning the interpretation of the regulations, the interpretation of the festival will take precedence and failure to comply with these Terms and Conditions may result in the submission being disqualified.
AFTER YOU SUBMIT:
Winners in each category will be announced at BIPOC Film Fest website and social media platforms after live event has occurred. Information that was submitted with the film (such as synopsis and poster) will be published on the BIPOC Film Fest website.
OTHER AGREEMENTS:
1. BIPOC Film Fest does not download or make your full preview screener available publicly online.
2. The BIPOC Film Fest is hereby granted the rights to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted for promotional purposes for the festival. The individual or production studio submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening, and understands and accepts federal requirements, rules and regulations.
3. In the event of any film being withdrawn from the festival screening for reasons beyond the festival’s control, for example copyright infringement, BIPOC Film Fest will not be held liable, and the applicant filmmakers, or production company, agree to accept such liabilities if they choose to submit their film.
4. The filmmakers and/or the production company allow the BIPOC Film Fest to use their film’s Press Kit for promotional purposes at any time before or after the festival.
5. Participants are not entitled to claim for rights or other fees for the screenings of their films at the festival.
6. The submission of any films to the festival means that the filmmakers and/ or the production company agree without any reservation to all the rules and regulations of BIPOC Film Fest.
IF YOUR FILM IS SELECTED:
You must provide a digital version of your video file no later than August 14th at 12 noon, and the file must be formatted as a 1920 x 1080, 2K (1998x1080) or 4K (3996x2160) Quicktime .MOV file. PRO RES codecs are preferable, but we will accept a high resolution H.264 files in some rare cases. Suitable aspect ratios for presentation are: Square Pixels 1.0, Flat, 16:9, 1.85:1 or 2.39:1
