The following is an explanation of rules and regulations (“Rules and Regulations”) governing the submission of individual projects (hereafter referred to as the “Project” or “Projects”) to Dreamscape International Institute (hereafter referred to as “Institute”) for consideration for the 2024 Dreamscape International Film Festival (hereafter referred to as “Festival”), an event that may take place live, digitally/online, or any combination thereof over a period of time in or at locations to be determined.
By agreeing to the Terms And Conditions (which will be located under the project submission), the entity submitting the project acknowledges that they have obtained consent from any and all other persons or entities who have any ownership rights, licenses or interests (including, without limitation, intellectual property rights or distribution licenses) and/or other authorized representatives of the Project (collectively and separately hereafter called the “Project’s Owners”) whose consent is required to submit the Project to the Festival, and has read and understood the submission rules and regulations set forth below:
CONTENTS:
I. GENERAL RULES FOR SUBMITTING TO THE DREAMSCAPE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
II. SUBMISSION CATEGORIES & ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
III. FESTIVAL PROGRAM & ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
I. GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF A FILM TO THE DREAMSCAPE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL:
NOTE: The submission categories and program categories that are referenced and identified as
capitalized terms in this Section I of these Rules and Regulations, and the eligibility requirements
for each, shall be understood as having the definitions and descriptions assigned to them in
Sections II and III of these Rules and Regulations below.
For film submissions, if 50% or more of the Project’s financing originated from sources within the United States, the Project may only be submitted in one of the following categories: U.S. Narrative Feature Films, U.S. Documentary Films, U.S. Episodic Content, Micro-Budget Feature Film, U.S. Fiction Short Films, Nonfiction Short Film, Animation Short Film, Young Talent Feature Film, Young Talent Short Film, and Flash from the Past Feature Film. Festival reserves the right to consider the Project for any Festival program, regardless of the submission category selected.
For film submissions, if more than 50% of the Project’s financing originated from sources outside of the United States, the Project may only be submitted in one of the following categories: International Narrative Feature Films, International Documentary Films, International Episodic Content, Micro-Budget Feature Film, International Fiction Short Films, Nonfiction Short Films, Animation Short Films, Young Talent Feature Film, Young Talent Short Film, or Flash from the Past Feature Film. Festival reserves the right to consider the Project for any Festival program, regardless of the submission category selected.
For film submissions, if the Project’s final running or exhibition time is projected to be 50 minutes or more, the Project may only be submitted in one of the following categories: U.S. Narrative Feature Films, U.S. Documentary Films, Micro-Budget Feature Film, Young Talent Feature Film, Flash from the Past Feature Film, International Narrative Feature Films, or International Documentary Films
If the Project’s final running time is projected to be anywhere from 5 to 49 minutes, the Project may only be submitted in one of the following categories: U.S. Fiction Short Films, International Fiction Short Films, Nonfiction Short Film, Young Talent Short Film.
If the Project’s final running time is projected to be anywhere from 25 to 59 minutes, the Project may only be submitted in one of the following categories: U.S. Episodic Content or International Episodic Content.
U.S. Narrative, U.S. Documentary Feature Films, International Narrative Feature Films, International Documentary Films, Micro-Budget Films, Young Talent Feature Films, and Flash from the Past Feature Films that have been or will be released to the general public in their current form, whether via theatrical exhibition, television broadcast, digital download or streaming, or release via any home video or other public distribution platform prior to July 31, 2024 are not eligible for open submission to the Festival.
U.S. Narrative, U.S. Documentary Feature Films, International Narrative Feature Films, International Documentary Films, Micro-Budget Films, Young Talent Feature Films, and Flash from the Past Feature Films that have been or will be exhibited theatrically at one or more private screenings for which tickets were or will not be made available to the general public retain eligibility for submission to the Festival in all categories.
U.S. Narrative, U.S. Documentary Feature Films, International Narrative Feature Films, International Documentary Films, Micro-Budget Films, Young Talent Feature Films, and Flash from the Past Feature Films that have been or will be released via any home video or public distribution platform (including, but not limited to, Bluray, DVD, digital download, streaming, or video on demand) or broadcast on television in any country prior to July 31, 2024 are not eligible for submission to the Festival unless the version submitted is significantly different from the version that was previously made available to the general public. The Festival shall have the sole authority and discretion to determine whether a Project that was previously released via any method described above has been changed significantly from the previously released or broadcast version. The Festival reserves the sole and exclusive right to determine a previously released or broadcast project’s eligibility, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, based on the content of the submitted version of the Project as compared with the previously released or broadcast version.
U.S. Narrative, U.S. Documentary Feature Films, International Narrative Feature Films, International Documentary Films, Micro-Budget Films, Young Talent Feature Films, and Flash from the Past Feature Films that have been or will be exhibited theatrically, broadcast on television, or screened at other festivals within their country of origin prior to July 31, 2024 are eligible for open submission to the Festival in their respective categories of submission.
U.S. Narrative, U.S. Documentary Feature Films, International Narrative Feature Films, International Documentary Films, Micro-Budget Films, Young Talent Feature Films, and Flash from the Past Feature Films that have been or will be exhibited theatrically, screened at other festivals, broadcast or streamed on television or the Internet anywhere outside of their country of origin prior to July 31, 2024 are not eligible for open submission to the Festival.
Short Films do not need to retain any sort of premiere status. U.S. and International Short Films, Nonfiction Short Films, Animation Short Films, and Young Talent Short Films do not forfeit their eligibility for submission to the Festival if they were previously exhibited theatrically or via any home video platform, made available for digital download, broadcast or streamed on television or the internet, or screened at any number of festivals anywhere in the world.
Episodic Content Projects originating from within the United States are not eligible for the Festival if the entirety of the submitted content has been made available to the general public in any form, including theatrical exhibition, television broadcast, home video, internet streaming, or digital download prior to July 31, 2024.
Episodic Content Projects originating from outside of the United States remain eligible if any of the submitted content has been released only within their country of origin or not released at all via any platform (broadcast television, Blu-ray, DVD, streaming, VOD, etc.) prior to July 31, 2024.
U.S. Narrative, U.S. Documentary Feature Films, International Narrative Feature Films, International Documentary Films, Micro-Budget Films, Young Talent Feature Films, and Flash from the Past Feature Films that have previously been exhibited theatrically at a “work-in-progress” screening at which tickets were available to the general public are only eligible for submission to the Festival if the version submitted is significantly different from the version previously screened. The Festival reserves the right to determine a previously screened project’s eligibility, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, based on the content of the submitted version of the Project as compared with the previously screened version.
Projects completed prior to January 1, 2022, are not eligible for submission to the Festival for 2024 Dreamscape International Festival consideration for the following categories: U.S. Narrative, U.S. Documentary Feature Films, International Narrative Feature Films, International Documentary Films, Micro-Budget Films, Young Talent Feature Films, and Flash from the Past Feature Films, U.S. Episodic Content, International Episodic Content, U.S. Fiction Short Film, International Fiction Short Film, Nonfiction Short Film, Animation Short Film.
It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to secure authorization and permission from the copyright owner(s) of any and all copyrighted content or materials included within the submitted Project. The Festival expressly disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any unauthorized inclusion of any copyrighted content or materials within or relating to the submitted Project, including any content or materials that are or may become the basis for any third-party claims for copyright infringement. The Institute reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Project with any unauthorized inclusion of copyrighted content or materials. In the event that any claim, dispute, action or proceeding shall be brought or asserted by any person or entity that alleges that the Project makes unauthorized or unlawful use of any copyrighted content or material, Applicant shall fully indemnify and defend the Institute, the Festival, and each of their representatives and affiliates from any liability in connection therewith and from any fees and expenses, including but not limited to attorneys’ fees, that any of them may incur in connection therewith.
It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to secure authorization and permission from the owner(s) of any and all trademarked content or materials included within the submitted Project. The Festival expressly disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any unauthorized inclusion of any trademarked content or materials within or relating to the submitted Project, including any content or materials that are or may become the basis for any third party claims for trademark infringement, trademark dilution or unfair competition. The Institute reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Project with any unauthorized inclusion of trademarked content or materials. In the event that any claim, dispute, action or proceeding shall be brought or asserted by any person or entity that alleges that the Project makes unauthorized or unlawful use of any trademarked content or material, Applicant shall fully indemnify and defend the Institute, the Festival, and each of their representatives and affiliates from any liability in connection therewith and from any fees and expenses, including but not limited to attorneys’ fees, that any of them may incur in connection therewith.
It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to clear all content of the Project from any and all actual or potential legal claims and issues, including, without limitation, claims based upon theories of libel, defamation, invasion of privacy, violation of rights of publicity, theft of trade secrets, breach of confidence, breach of confidential relationship, and breach of express or implied contract (“Third Party Claim(s)”). The Festival expressly disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any unauthorized inclusion of any content or materials within or relating to the submitted Project that are or may be the basis for any Third Party Claims based upon any of the foregoing legal theories or others. The Institute reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Project that is or may become the subject of any Third Party Claims. In the event that any Third Party Claim(s) shall be asserted by any person or entity, Applicant shall fully indemnify and defend the Institute, the Festival, and each of their representatives and affiliates from any liability in connection therewith and from any and all fees and expenses, including but not limited to attorneys’ fees, that each of any of them may incur in connection therewith.
Applicants submitting Projects that contain significant non-English spoken dialogue must provide on-screen English subtitles. The Institute reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Project that contains significant non-English spoken dialogue that does not include accompanying onscreen English subtitles. Applicants may submit Projects that contain some non-English spoken dialogue without on-screen subtitles as an artistic choice
All script submissions, whether from inside or outside the U.S., need to be submitted in English.
Video files for all Projects submitted to the Institute for Festival consideration must be via direct digital upload or by providing either a Vimeo or YouTube link entered directly on the Applicant’s FilmFreeway Project page. The Festival reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from Applicant, any Project that is not submitted to the Institute using one of the above-mentioned formats.
It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to ensure that any Project submitted to the Festival for Festival consideration is viewable in its entirety. The Festival reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Project that is not viewable due to any technical issue, whether the fault of the Applicant or any third-party system.
It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to ensure that any script Project submitted to the Festival is formatted according to industry standard. The Festival reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant.
It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to ensure that their project’s submission status on is listed as “In Consideration” on FilmFreeway.com no later than 11:59pm on the final day of the current deadline window. The Festival reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any and all submissions that are not complete at that time. Applicant may re-submit the same project another deadline window, if applicable.
In the event that the Applicant remits an updated version of the Project to the Festival after having submitted a previous version of the Project to the Festival during the same calendar year, the Institute is under no obligation to view any or all of the updated version of the Project.
In order to be considered by the Institute for The Festival, the Applicant must complete the submission at (link pending). The Festival reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Project that is not submitted or delivered via the above-mentioned links.
The Festival reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Project with a submission form that is considered to be delinquent due to the non-payment of any or all submission fees. The Festival may attempt, but is under no obligation, to contact the Applicant using the contact information provided on the submission form in an effort to bring the payment status of the account up-to-date. The Festival disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any failure to contact the Applicant and inform the Applicant of any payment delinquency or other deficiency of a submission form.
Upon completion of the Festival selection process, the Festival will attempt to contact the Applicant using the contact information provided on the submission form to notify the Applicant of the Project’s acceptance status. The Festival disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any failure to contact the Applicant using the contact information provided on the submission form. It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to ensure that the contact information provided on the submission form is correct throughout the entirety of The Festival selection period (September 2023 – July 2024).
The Festival is under no obligation to provide to the Applicant or any other representative of the Project any comments or feedback regarding the submitted Project, any information relating to the manner in which the Project is, will be, or was reviewed; any views that the Festival or any reviewers of the Project may hold concerning the Project; any reasons why the Project, should it not be accepted for exhibition at the Festival, was not accepted; or any other information relating to the Festival’s review, consideration and/or selection process regarding the Project specifically or submissions generally beyond the information set forth in these Rules and Regulations. The Festival disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible or liable for, the contents of any internal comments or feedback regarding any submitted Project that are or may be obtained by the Applicant or any other representative of the Project; any communications by any representative of the Festival relating to the Project or The Festival selection process; the manner in which the Project shall be, is or was considered and reviewed; the identity or identities of any specific reviewers of the Project; and/or any failure on the part of the Institute or the Festival to provide the Applicant or any other representative(s) of the Project with information concerning the Institute’s consideration and/or review of the Project.
All Projects accepted into the Festival are subject to our Festival programming guidelines. Applicant agrees that any Project may be included in both our in-person and online Festival programs. The selection and scheduling of Project exhibition is at the sole discretion of the Institute. Should Applicant decline to present the Project or Projects in any manner deemed necessary by the Festival, Festival reserves the right to rescind any or all acceptance invitations previously given to the Applicant, either verbally or in-writing, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant.
II. SUBMISSION CATEGORIES & ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
IIA. SCREENPLAYS
Feature Film Screenplay: A narrative script ranging from 50 pages to 120 pages. All scripts must be formatted according to industry standard. The cover page should include the title, but can remove any contact information (name, email address, etc.). Your entry won't be disqualified if you submit a cover page that includes contact info. Co-writers are allowed. PDF strongly preferred. All software should have a convert to PDF function, including Final Draft, Celtx, and others.
1 Hour Episodic Script: A narrative script ranging from 49 pages to 58 pages. All scripts must be formatted according to industry standard. The cover page should include the title, but can remove any contact information (name, email address, etc.). Your entry won't be disqualified if you submit a cover page that includes contact info. Co-writers are allowed. PDF strongly preferred. All software should have a convert to PDF function, including Final Draft, Celtx, and others.
1/2 Hour Episodic Script: A narrative script ranging from 25 pages to 33 pages. All scripts must be formatted according to industry standard. The cover page should include the title, but can remove any contact information (name, email address, etc.). Your entry won't be disqualified if you submit a cover page that includes contact info. Co-writers are allowed. PDF strongly preferred. All software should have a convert to PDF function, including Final Draft, Celtx, and others.
Short Film Screenplay: Please submit to one of the two categories: 1) A narrative script ranging from 16 pages to 49 pages. or 2) a narrative script ranging from 5 to 15 pages. All scripts must be formatted according to industry standard. The cover page should include the title, but can remove any contact information (name, email address, etc.). Your entry won't be disqualified if you submit a cover page that includes contact info. Co-writers are allowed. PDF strongly preferred. All software should have a convert to PDF function, including Final Draft, Celtx, and others.
IIB. FILMS
U.S. Narrative Feature Films:
Any narrative or non-scripted work of fiction originating from within the United States with a running time of 50 minutes to 130 minutes. In order to qualify as a U.S. Narrative Feature Film, the submitted project must be either scripted or improvisational fiction, or a fictionalization of actual events, and at least half of the project's financing must originate from within the United States.
Only films retaining world premiere status are eligible for open submission to this category. Completed films that have been or will have been exhibited theatrically or otherwise made available to the general public, either for free or for purchase, prior to July 31, 2024 are not eligible to submit to this category. This includes, but is not limited to, public theatrical exhibition (festival or otherwise), television broadcast, home video, or any digital or online platform.
U.S. Documentary Films:
Any nonfiction film originating from within the United States with a running time of 50 minutes to 130 minutes. If your documentary contains re-enactments or other fictionalized depictions of actual events, you may submit it to this category, but we will ultimately decide which of our Festival programs is best suited for your project, if accepted. In order to qualify as a U.S. Documentary Feature Film, at least half of the submitted project's financing must originate from within the United States. Only films retaining world premiere status are eligible for open submission to this category. Completed films that have been or will have been exhibited theatrically or otherwise made available to the general public, either for free or for purchase, prior to July 31, 2024 are not eligible to submit to this category. This includes, but is not limited to, public theatrical exhibition (festival or otherwise), television broadcast, home video, or any digital or online platform.
International Narrative Feature Films:
Any narrative or non-scripted work of fiction originating from outside of the United States with a running time of 50 minutes to 130 minutes. In order to qualify as an International Narrative Feature Film, the submitted project must be either scripted or improvisational fiction, or a fictionalization of actual events, and at least half of the project's financing must originate from outside of the United States.
Only films retaining international premiere status are eligible for open submission to this category. Completed films that have been or will have been exhibited theatrically (festival or otherwise) outside of the film’s country or countries of origin prior to July 31, 2024 are not eligible for open submission to this category. Films that have been or will have been made available to the general public in a non-theatrical form, either for free or for purchase, prior to July 31, 2024 are not eligible to submit to this category. This includes, but is not limited to, television broadcast, home video, or any digital or online platform in any country or countries.
International Documentary Films:
Any nonfiction film originating from outside of the United States with a running time of 50 minutes to 130 minutes. If your documentary contains re-enactments or other fictionalized depictions of actual events, you may submit it to this category, but we will ultimately decide which of our Festival programs is best suited for your project, if accepted. In order to qualify as an International Documentary Feature Film, at least half of the submitted project's financing must originate from outside of the United States. Only films retaining international premiere status are eligible for open submission to this category. Completed films that have been or will have been exhibited theatrically (festival or otherwise) outside of the film’s country or countries of origin prior to July 31, 2024 are not eligible for open submission to this category. Films that have been or will have been made available to the general public in a non-theatrical form, either for free or for purchase, prior to July 31, 2024 are not eligible to submit to this category. This includes, but is not limited to, television broadcast, home video, or any digital or online platform in any country or countries.
U.S. Episodic Content:
Any live-action, documentary/nonfiction, or animation project presented in or intended to be
presented in a multi-episode format. This includes pilots, pilot presentations, webseries, docuseries, limited series, anthologies, or any other film or video project that was created to unfold over multiple episodes. In order to qualify as a U.S. Short Film, at least half of the submitted project's financing must originate from within the United States. You may submit single or multiple episodes of the same project, as long as all episodes play continuously in one single video file for digital upload and do not exceed 10GB in size. We accept both short-form and long-form content, with length requirements of 25 to 59 minutes.
Projects originating from within the United States are not eligible to submit to this category if the submitted content has been or will be made available in its entirety to the general public via any public theatrical exhibition or any broadcast, home video, or digital platform prior to July 31, 2024.
International Episodic Content:
Any live-action, documentary/nonfiction, or animation project presented in or intended to be
presented in a multi-episode format. This includes pilots, pilot presentations, webseries, docuseries, limited series, anthologies, or any other film or video project that was created to unfold over multiple episodes. At least half of the project's financing must originate from outside of the United States.You may submit single or multiple episodes of the same project, as long as all episodes play continuously in one single video file for digital upload and do not exceed 10GB in size. We accept both short-form and long-form content, with length requirements of 25 to 59 minutes.
Projects originating from outside of the United States remain eligible if any or all of the submitted content has been released only within the project’s country or countries of origin or not released at all. If some but not all of the episodes have been exhibited theatrically or made available via any other public platform, you may only submit episodes that have not been exhibited theatrically or otherwise released to the public. For example, if the first season of your series is available online, you may only
submit episodes from a subsequent season that have not been released in any form.
U.S. Short Films:
Any film or video project originating from within the United States with a running time of 5 minutes to 49 minutes, including credits. This includes scripted or improvisational fiction, animation, music video, or any other short-form film or video project. In order to qualify as a U.S. Short Film, at least half of the submitted project's financing must originate from within the United States. Short films have no premiere requirements or prior screening restrictions that impact Festival eligibility and may have been screened at any number of festivals or other public theatrical exhibitions, broadcast or streamed on television or the Internet, and/or released via any home video or other public distribution platform anywhere in the world.
International Short Films:
Any film or video project originating from outside of the United States with a running time of 5 minutes to 49 minutes, including credits. This includes scripted or improvisational fiction, animation, music video, or any other short-form film or video project. In order to qualify as an International Short Film, at least half of the submitted project's financing must originate from outside of the United States. Short films have no premiere requirements or prior screening restrictions that impact Festival eligibility and may have been screened at any number of festivals or other public theatrical exhibitions, broadcast or streamed on television or the Internet, and/or released via any home video or other public distribution platform anywhere in the world.
Nonfiction Short Film
Any film or video project originating from outside of the United States with a running time of 5 minutes to 49 minutes, including credits. This category specifically includes nonfiction or documentary projects. Projects may originate from anywhere in the world.Short films have no premiere requirements or prior screening restrictions that impact Festival eligibility and may have been screened at any number of festivals or other public theatrical exhibitions, broadcast or streamed on television or the Internet, and/or released via any home video or other public distribution platform anywhere in the world.
Animation Short Film
Any film or video project originating from outside of the United States with a running time of 5 minutes to 49 minutes, including credits. This category specifically includes animation projects. Projects may originate from anywhere in the world. Short films have no premiere requirements or prior screening restrictions that impact Festival eligibility and may have been screened at any number of festivals or other public theatrical exhibitions, broadcast or streamed on television or the Internet, and/or released via any home video or other public distribution platform anywhere in the world.
Young Talent Feature Film
Any narrative or non-scripted work of fiction originating from within the United States with a running time of 50 minutes to 130 minutes. In order to qualify as a U.S. Young Talent Feature Film, the submitted project must be either scripted or improvisational fiction, or a fictionalization of actual events and the filmmaker submitting must be between the ages of 17 and 22. Projects may originate from anywhere in the world.
Projects originating from within the United States are not eligible to submit to this category if the submitted content has been or will be made available in its entirety to the general public via any public theatrical exhibition or any broadcast, home video, or digital platform prior to July 31, 2024.
Projects originating from outside of the United States remain eligible if any or all of the submitted content has been released only within the project’s country or countries of origin or not released at all.
Young Talent Short Film
Any film or video project originating from within the United States with a running time of 5 minutes to 49 minutes, including credits. This includes scripted or improvisational fiction, animation, music video, or any other short-form film or video project. The filmmaker submitting must be between the ages of 17 and 22. Projects may originate from anywhere in the world.
Short films have no premiere requirements or prior screening restrictions that impact Festival eligibility and may have been screened at any number of festivals or other public theatrical exhibitions, broadcast or streamed on television or the Internet, and/or released via any home video or other public distribution platform anywhere in the world.
Micro-Budget Feature Film
Any narrative or non-scripted work of fiction originating from anywhere in the world with a running time of 50 minutes to 130 minutes. In order to qualify for the Micro-Budget Feature Film, the submitted project must be either scripted or improvisational fiction, or a fictionalization of actual events, and at least half of the project's financing must originate from within the United States. Furthermore, the film's final budget MUST be USD $200K or less.
Only films retaining world premiere status are eligible for open submission to this category. Completed films that have been or will have been exhibited theatrically or otherwise made available to the general public, either for free or for purchase, prior to July 31, 2024 are not eligible to submit to this category. This includes, but is not limited to, public theatrical exhibition (festival or otherwise), television broadcast, home video, or any digital or online platform.
Flash from the Past Feature Film
Any narrative or non-scripted work of fiction originating from anywhere in the world with a running time of 50 minutes to 130 minutes. In order to qualify as a Flash from the Past Feature Film, the submitted project must be either scripted or improvisational fiction, or a fictionalization of actual events, and at least half of the project's financing must originate from within the United States. Furthermore, the project's final budget Must have been USD $200K or less and the film MUST have been completed no earlier than January 1, 2010 and no later than December 31, 2021.
To qualify for this category, films must not have received distribution through a traditional distributor or sales agent. However, films that have been self-distributed or released through an aggregator do meet eligibility criteria.
III. FESTIVAL PROGRAMS & ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Please be advised that the information listed below is subject to change at any time, as our Festival programs may vary from year to year. Projects accepted for inclusion in the Festival will be placed, at the sole and absolute discretion of The Festival Programming department.
Open submissions to our U.S. Feature Film categories must be world premieres, while open submissions to our International Feature Films categories must be international premieres. However, we reserve the right to select Projects for some out-of-competition programs that do not meet these requirements. The following is a description of each of our Festival programs:
IIIA. SCRIPTS
Feature Film Script Competition
This competition program consists of scripts submitted to the Festival in the Feature Films Screenplay category, which are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Scripts selected for this program will be presented both in-person and online (with geographical restrictions), and will compete against one another for jury prizes.
Episodic Content Script Competition
This competition program consists of scripts submitted to the Festival in the 1 Hour Episodic Content and 1/2 Hour Episodic Content categories, which are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Scripts selected for this program will be presented both in-person and online (with geographical restrictions), and will compete against one another for jury prizes.
Short Film Script Competition
This competition program consists of scripts submitted to the Festival in the Short Film Script categories, which are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Scripts selected for this program will be presented both in-person and online (with geographical restrictions), and will compete against one another for jury prizes.
IIIB. FILMS
U.S. Narrative Competition:
This competition program consists of films submitted to the Festival in the U.S. Narrative Feature Films category, which are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Films selected for this program will be presented in-person and will compete against one another for jury prizes and an audience award.
U.S. Documentary Competition:
This competition program is made up of films submitted to the Festival in the U.S. Documentary Feature Films category, which are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Films selected for this program will be presented in-person and will compete against one another for jury prizes and an audience award.
World Cinema Dramatic Competition:
This competition program is comprised of films submitted to the Festival in the International
Narrative Feature Films category, which are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Films selected for this program will be presented in-person and will compete against one another for jury prizes and an audience award.
World Cinema Documentary Competition:
This competition program is made up of films submitted to the Festival under the International
Documentary Feature Film category and are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Films selected for this program will be presented in-person and will compete against one another for jury prizes and an audience award.
Short Film Competition:
All short films are selected from the U.S. International, Nonfiction, and Animation Short Film submission categories and are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Short films may play before features or in one of our Short Film Programs, and all accepted short films are eligible for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize. Films selected for this program will be presented in-person and will also compete against one another for jury prizes within their respective categories and genres (U.S. Fiction, International Fiction, Nonfiction, and Animation).
Young Talent Competition:
All feature and short films are selected from the Young Talent Feature Film and Young Talent Short Film categories and are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Films selected for this program will be presented in-person and will compete against one another for the Young Talent Feature Film Award and Young Talent Short Film Award.
Micro-Budget Film Competition:
This competition program is made up of films submitted to the Festival under the Micro-Budget Feature Film category and are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Films selected for this program will be presented in-person and will compete against one another for prizes and audience award.
BIPOC Film Competition:
This competition program is made up of films submitted to the Festival under the BIPOC Feature Film category and are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Films selected for this program will be presented in-person and will compete against one another for prizes and audience award.
Flash from the Past Competition:
This competition program is made up of films submitted to the Festival under the Flash from the Past Feature Film category and are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Films selected for this program will be presented in-person.
U.S. Episodic Content Competition:
This competition program is made up of episodic content submitted to the Festival under the U.S. Episodic Content category and are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Content selected for this program will be presented in-person.
International Episodic Content Competition:
This competition program is made up of episodic content submitted to the Festival under the International Episodic Content category and are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Content selected for this program will be presented in-person.
Special Jury Competition:
This competition program is made up of feature films, short films, and episodic content submitted to the Festival under the all categories and are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Content selected for this program will be presented in-person.
Audience Award Competition:
This competition program is made up of feature films, short films, and episodic content submitted to the Festival under the U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic Competition, World Cinema Documentary Competition, and Young Talent categories and are subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in Section II. Content selected for this program will be presented in-person. All participating individuals are allowed one vote per film. Voting more than once for a particular film may lead to disqualification at the discretion of the Festival.
Partial Refunds and Discretionary Refund Policy
Submission and Ticket Fee Refund Policy:
All submission and ticket fees paid by filmmakers, producers, or representatives ("Applicants") for the Dreamscape International Film Festival ("Festival") are non-refundable, except as explicitly provided herein.
Festival Date Changes:
In the event that the Festival is rescheduled or postponed for any reason, including but not limited to acts of nature, force majeure events, public health emergencies, or unforeseen circumstances ("Event Causes"), Applicants shall not be entitled to a full refund of their submission fees.
Partial Refund Exception:
In the event of a rescheduled or postponed Festival due to Event Causes, Applicants may be eligible for a partial refund of their submission fees at the sole discretion of the Festival organizers. The amount of any partial refund, if granted, shall be determined by the Festival organizers on a case-by-case basis.
Discretionary Refunds:
All refund determinations, including partial refunds, are made at the sole discretion of the Festival organizers. The Festival organizers reserve the right to consider the unique circumstances of each request and to grant or deny refunds accordingly.
No Liability for Other Expenses:
The Festival organizers shall not be liable for any other costs, expenses, or damages incurred by Applicants, including but not limited to travel, accommodation, or any other related expenses.
Force Majeure Clause:
The Festival organizers shall not be responsible or liable for any delays, cancellations, or alterations to the Festival schedule resulting from Event Causes or circumstances beyond their control.
Notification of Decision:
The Festival organizers will notify Applicants of their refund decision via the contact information provided in the refund request. The decision of the Festival organizers shall be final and binding.
By submitting their film(s) to the Festival, Applicants acknowledge and agree to abide by this refund policy, including the non-refundable nature of submission and ticket fees, the discretionary nature of refunds, and the impact of Event Causes on the Festival schedule.
