Echelon Studios is proud to announce the first annual Echelon Studios International Film Festival (ESIFF), launching in January 2023.

Echelon has twenty-plus years of experience in acquiring, promoting, and licensing films in both domestic and worldwide markets. Some of our most popular titles include The Policeman’s Lineage, Shockwave 2, and The Gods 2.

Our goal as a festival is to be a distribution pipeline for independent filmmakers, provide them with educational resources for navigating distribution, and sell their projects on the film festival circuit.

The Festival supports the creation and advancement of innovative and artistic cinematic works from emerging filmmakers and proudly embraces the passion, vision, and independent spirit of these talented artists. Through the integration of the local community and educational institutions, the Festival stimulates an interest in the study and appreciation of film and encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to participate.

Virtual Panels
During the week before our screening, our panel of guests will talk about today’s subjects and matters relevant to independent film distribution and the industry, as well as encourage emerging talents such as actors, cinematographers, directors, producers, and writers to participate. Attendees will gain knowledge about how to prepare, package, and get their films distributed across the world. The panels will also educate filmmakers about navigating the film festival circuit, and gain insight to prepare for their next projects as well.

Awards & Prizes

We are seeking films in six categories to compete for prizes and distribution deals.

Awards and Prizes
Submitted films will compete in the following six divisions:
- Best US Feature Film
- Best US Short
- Best International Feature Film
- Best International Short Film
- Best Doc
- Best Series

Prizes:
Winners: $1,000 USD Minimum Guarantee cash prize towards the Winner of the category (recoupable) + Distribution deals x 9 Categories
Nominees: Distribution Deals with Echelon + Sponsor’s prizes (if available)
General submission: At Festival organizer’s discretion.

There’s also a prize for a free-round trip airline ticket anywhere in the U.S.

Rules & Terms

ENTRY FEES

• Official Entry - Shorts: $25 USD; Features: $50 USD

Note: Entry fees are in U.S. Dollars, per film and are non-refundable. The Festival reserves the right to disqualify a submission, without refund of any kind, if eligibility requirements are not met including if eligibility status changes post-submission.

Rules & Terms
- Films must have been completed in the past 3 years.
- We consider films regardless of their premiere status. Even if your film has already premiered at another festival, whether it screened at a physical venue or online, it’s still eligible for consideration.
- The applicant holds the sole responsibility for copyright clearance of any copyrighted material in the film.
- The festival has the right to use a trailer, stills, pictures, and posters for promotional purposes in various film magazines, social media, websites, etc.
- All films should be in the English language or subtitled in English.
- Shorts must be less than 50 minutes. All projects over 50 minutes should be submitted to the feature category.

The festival will only communicate with the submitter of the film project.

Festival Screenings
Nominated films will be available for virtual screenings at the ESIFF Village hosted by Filmocracy for a duration of time after the in-person festival.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for consideration:

1. You must fully comply with these Entry Rules and regulations, including all deadlines, film length, entry material and other requirements.

2. You can only submit a feature/short/documentary once, in any category.

3. If music or additional film material used in your film is not original, then permission from the source must be obtained. The responsibility for this rests entirely with the filmmaker. Failure to obtain clearance could result in your film being withdrawn from the Festival. In this event, ESIFF will not be liable to refund the fee.

4. Entrants should UPLOAD their film to FilmFreeway on the day that the entry form is completed. Please include your press kit including still photos. Please write a 10-15 word (ONLY) synopsis for use in our festival program – should your film be selected. We would like to ensure that the judges view your film in the highest quality possible so we will only accept final cuts. Please make sure that your film is ready at the time of entry.

5. Please do not send DVDs or copies of your film directly to us unless requested to do so. At the time of submission, we will only accept your entry if your film is uploaded to FilmFreeway.

**Please note that by submitting your film and being accepted - you are confirming that the Echelon Studios International Film Festival can screen your film, regardless of another festival's acceptance, and are bound by these terms and conditions.**

REQUIREMENTS

- No nudity
- No religious content
- No political content
- Only features/shorts produced in the last 3 years