ACX1 Studios presents WHO?MAG Distro Fest 3 Film Festival, Music Festival, and Conference, taking place Veteran's Day Weekend (Nov 8-11, 2024) in Atlantic City, NJ inside the beautiful ACX1 Studios - the Entertainment Pier at Caesars (formerly Ocean One Mall).

The Film Festival features 30 awards geared towards music and film/TV and will be the main event to close out a 4-day music event over the ocean in the legendary Atlantic City. The full weekend will also feature over 70 live performances, 10 panels with over 50 major music film speakers from all over the world, and 4 different afterpartys.

Distro Fest was created by music exec Robert Schwartz, owner of WHO?MAG Distribution, WHO?MAG TV, PLAY Music Conference, DMTV, and is currently the Governor of the Recording Academy (Grammys) Philadelphia Chapter and member of the Guild of Music Supervisors. Rob is also the Co-Founder and Chief Music Officer of ACX1 Studios, a 550,000 sq ft former mall converted in a movie production lot, music incubator, eSports community, and host of many festivals and conferences.

Distro Fest 1 initially started as a music festival in South New Jersey with over 80 artists on one stage in Smithville Park in Eastampton, NJ. Distro Fest 2 was a music festival + conference held at ACX1 Studios in Atlantic City, NJ. Distro Fest 3 returns to ACX1 Studios to their atrium which holds up to 3,000 people and located directly over the Atlantic Ocean.

We are looking for the top filmmakers, artists, and musicians to submit and be a part of our 3 year running Music Festival which will be judged by very impactful people in the film industry.

Awards & Prizes

We are offering awards for the following categories. We will also be watching selected videos/clips in our beautiful Atlantic One 4th floor venue completely over the Atlantic Ocean. Selected performers will also perform.

Best Music Video
Best Video Director
Best Student Video
Best Male Artist
Best Female Artist
Best Group or Duo
Best Short Music Film or Doc (under 40 mins)
Best Feature Music Film or Doc (40+ mins)
Best Song for Film/TV/Commercial/Video Game
Best Film Soundtrack
Best Cinematography
Best Country or Folk Music Video
Best Rock/Metal Music Video
Best Pop Music Video
Best Hip-Hop/Rap Music Video
Best R&B Music Video
Best EDM/Dance Video
Best Live or Studio Performance
Best Lyric Video
Best Originality
Best Tiktok video
Best Podcast
Best Location/Set Design
Best Producer
Best Choreography
Best Editing
Best Music Video Actor/Actress
Best Music Supervisor
Lifetime Achievement Awards for Most influential People in the Music Film World

Rules & Terms


1. Submission copies must be submitted online via streaming or delivery service. No physical screeners including DVDs, Blu-rays, DCPs, thumb drives, or others will be considered
2. All entries selected for our 2024 festival grants Distro Fest the right to use film stills and portions of accepted films for promotional purposes.
3. If accepted, final screening copies must arrive no later than October 27th, 2024, or the entry will not be included in the festival.
4. Non-English entries must be submitted with English subtitles.
5. Entry fees are nonrefundable.
6. Only films and videos completed after January 1, 2023 will be considered for Official Selection unless otherwise approved.
7. By submitting your project, you acknowledge that:
-Your film is not subject to any litigation, nor is it threatened by any litigation.
-You are duly authorized to have this film be screened at the festival.
-You have secured the rights to any and all music and/or footage used in the film.
-You fully indemnify and hold Distro Fest and ACX1 Studios completely harmless from any and all claims whatsoever that may arise as a result of usage of submitted materials.