**MUST BE CALIFORNIA RESIDENT TO PARTICIPATE. VIDEOS MUST BE 5 MINUTES OR LESS TO BE ELIGIBLE.

Please visit our website cleartheairfilmfest.org for our full rules and further information.

The fifth annual Clear the Air Film Fest will be on March 5, 2016 and is presented by local non-profit Breathe California. The festival is a great way for young and upcoming filmmakers, who are currently residents of California, to win cash prizes for making innovative, message-based films.

The Clear the Air Film Fest showcases student-produced short films that address topics on air quality, environmental health and lung health in California, with a goal of encouraging local young people to use film as a medium to interpret and change the world around them. Each year, Breathe California awards $3,000 in prizes to the winning filmmakers and past judges have included academy award nominated actor Mark Ruffalo, executive director of Greenpeace Annie Leonard and actress and activist Q’orianka Kilcher. The festival is only open to California residents.

The festival’s mission is to inspire and empower students in California to become advocates for change in their own communities. The Clean the Air Film Fest showcases young people’s voice and perspectives and supports extraordinary young people who have a powerful voice through monetary awards and ongoing support. The festival connects young filmmakers with the larger film-making community to ensure that they can continue their work long after the festival is over.

Awards & Prizes

A panel of esteemed judges will review and score each film submitted. The films with the highest scores will be selected as finalists and eligible for the following awards:

STUDENT PRIZES:
Youth First Prize (Under Age 14): $500
High School First Prize: $1,000
College First Prize: $1,000
Overall Festival Winner: Entry to the SF Green Film Festival

GENERAL PUBLIC PRIZES:
First Place: Screening of Film and $500
Second Place: Screening of Film

Rules & Terms

Competition begins on September 1, 2015 and ends on February 8, 2016 at 9:00 am PDT. All submission forms, permission slips, and films must be received by the end of the Competition Period.

1. The competition is open ONLY to current residents of California. All finalists must attend the screening on March 5, 2016 in San Francisco to win. Winners of the General Public category must be present at the screening.
2. All films must be 5 minutes or less in length.
3. Student films must be produced in the 2015-2016 school year. General Public films must not have been previously submitted to this festival and the filmmakers must own all rights to the film.
4. For all student films, adult (non-student) involvement in the project is limited to on-screen talent and/or behind the scenes in a faculty advisor capacity only. This includes all pre-production and post-production work (scripting, shooting, editing).
5. Films may only use authorized content including music, images, film clips, and other intellectual property. Entrant confirms and warrants required legal authority to submit the entry into the Festival and to use all music, images, and content in the entry. You must submit this copyright permission at the same time you submit your film entry.
6. Youth actors (18 and under) cannot portray any underage alcohol, drug or tobacco use in their film. Royalty-free stock photo, illustration and/or film footage may be used if the purpose of the material is to portray drug or tobacco use in a negative light.
6. Films must be appropriate for viewing by the general public (No profanity or vulgarity).