Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS) brings back the regional short film competition Borders | No Borders for the fifth year to celebrate the rich narratives of the South. Borders | No Borders is open to short narrative and documentary films with strong ties to Texas, the states bordering Texas, and Mexico. The competition opens on March 22nd with a submission deadline of September 2nd. Finalist films will be announced with the Houston Cinema Arts Festival 2024 lineup in mid-October and will be screened at the festival. This event is sponsored by the Foundation for Independent Media Arts.
Cultural exchange is often thought of as happening between countries, but it can also take place between cities, states, and even neighborhoods — anywhere a border is perceived or imposed. Houston is the most diverse city in the United States, and Texas, in addition to being the largest state in the continental U.S., shares borders with Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Mexico, which each have their own distinct cultures and identities. These regions inform Houston’s past, present, and future with their cultures, histories, cuisines, ancestral and contemporary sacrifices, injustices, unceded lands, art, music, dance, theater, film, and storytellers. Borders | No Borders celebrates the complexity of Houston and its neighboring communities, all of which contribute to H-Town’s je ne sais quoi.
Borders | No Borders invites residents of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Mexico as well as filmmakers with meaningful ties to these areas to submit narrative and documentary short films. Films in all languages are welcomed and encouraged, but we request that films that are not in English be submitted with English subtitles to ensure that the translations best represent the filmmaker’s vision. The winners for Best Narrative Short Film and Best Documentary Short Film will each be awarded a prize of $1,000. There will be two additional Jury Prizes of $500 selected by a panel of six jurors. Past jurors include: Damon Davis, Kimberly Rivers Roberts, Sergio Lira, Casey Baron, Giorgio Angelini, Keisha Knight, Regina Agu, Francis Almendarez, Kolby Webster, Liz Purchell, David Lee Huynh, and Jasmine Amussen.
Best Documentary Short - $1000
Documentary Jury Prize - $500
Best Narrative Short - $1000
Narrative Jury Prize - $500