Annual celebration of Black History, arts, and culture held in Atlanta, Oakland, and Washington, DC.
PROJECT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
- Projects submitted must be by a writer, director, and/or producer who is a person of color (including but not limited to Black, African-American, Latinx, East Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander) AND/OR feature people of color in the cast/storyline. At a minimum, projects must highlight an inclusive cast that reflects the shifting demographics around the world.
- Programming emphasizes historical and new works in categories including narrative and documentary films, both features/shorts, as well as animation, and web series.
- Filmmaker is responsible for the costs of providing film on format identified in notification email, if selected.
- Virtual screenings will require a file upload with specs provided by the Festival.
- Projects in competition may not have had a commercial distribution or been broadcast in the United States. The programming committee reserves the right to waive this rule in the case of small non-commercial, non-publicized screenings.
- Projects receiving a theatrical or key festival screening in the Atlanta or Washington D.C. area prior to festival dates will not be considered. Exceptions will be made under special circumstances. Please contact our office if you agree to any other screenings directly before or after the festival, other than those listed on your submission.
- The Festival does not pay rental/screening fees. Instead, our limited resources are invested in the production and promotion of the best possible showcase for your work.
- Projects must have been completed AFTER January 1, 2022, but more recent work is preferred for premiere.
- Works-in-progress may be submitted, as long as the final version is shared prior to the festival and a DCP will be available for screening during the Festival.
PROJECT SUBMISSION PROCEDURE:
- All works must be submitted via ONLINE SCREENER via FilmFreeway. No other formats will be accepted.
- There is no limit to the number of submissions per submitter, provided they are separate submissions and the required submission fee is paid for each.
- All submissions must be uploaded as an online screener by the extended deadline.
- Content creators will be notified via email of submission status by notification deadline.
- You must have your festival acceptance and release paperwork completed by August 26, 2023, and your project information and assets (photos, trailer, etc.) must be submitted no later than September 2, 2023, if accepted as an official selection. Failure to do so may result in exclusion from screening at the festival.
SCREENPLAY ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
- No hard copy submissions will be considered; only electronic submissions via FilmFreeway.
- The screenwriter of the screenplay must consider himself/herself a person of color (including but not limited to Black, African-American, Latinx, East Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander), OR, the screenplay must feature people of color as prominent characters in the story. At a minimum, the screenplay must highlight an inclusive cast that reflects the shifting demographics around the world.
- Screenplays must be the standard feature film length (90-130 pages) and standard US format only. Treatments will not be accepted. Only English language screenplays will be accepted.
- If the applicant has participated in any previous Screenplay competition with a script, that script will not be accepted, irrespective of any and all revisions/changes the applicant may have made subsequent to participation.
- Screenplays may not have been produced, sold, or licensed for theatrical, television, or online production.
- Screenplays must be the original work of the applicant and registered with the Writers Guild of America East Script Registration at scriptregistration.org, with the WGA West, or copyrighted.
-All submittors hereby expressly waive any and/or all rights to sue the festival or the festival directors.
SCREENPLAY SUBMISSION PROCEDURE:
- The applicant's name, address, and phone number MUST appear on the cover of the screenplay's title page.
- There is no limit to the number of submissions per applicant, provided separate submissions and submission fee accompanies each submission.
- All screenplays must be uploaded as a PDF file by the extended deadline, June 10, 2023.
- Screenwriters will be notified via email of submission status by July 28 2023.
- You must have your festival acceptance and release paperwork completed by August 26, 2023, and your electronic press kit materials and Filmmaker Checklist must be submitted no later than September 2, 2023 if accepted as an official selection.
PROJECT SUBMISSION FEES:
- Your submission will not be considered until the submission fee is paid in full via credit card. No exceptions.
- Submission fees are non-refundable.
PROJECT SUBMISSION CHECKLIST:
The following must be included for each submission:
- Submission Form (Accepted online exclusively via FilmFreeway, 1 per submission)
- Preview Screener or Script (online screener or PDF file required, uploaded via FilmFreeway)
- Submission Fee (Accepted online via FilmFreeway)
- Film Festival History & Confirmed Future Film Festival Participation; Recommended materials include: Brief Synopsis; Filmmaker Bio; Press Kit; Stills
