ANNOUNCEMENT:
Submissions are now open for our 24th festival!

We are a student-run organization hosting an annual festival that exhibits films created by UC Davis students. Aside from the Festival, we also host a number of workshops, screenings, and performances leading up to our flagship event in Spring. Our goal is to share and cultivate the joy of cinema and filmmaking. We hope to enrich cultural participation across our campus and the larger community.

Awards are awarded by a faculty jury. Awards from previous years include: Best Documentary, Best Animation, and Best Screenplay among others. There is also an Audience Choice Award and a Student Team Award each year.

NOTE: WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOUR WORK TO THE FESTIVAL, YOU'RE AGREEING TO HAVE YOUR FOOTAGE POTENTIALLY BE SHOWN IN ANY PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL CREATED FOR FUTURE FESTIVALS AND EVENTS.

Must be a student at UC Davis or recent (within last year) graduate. Please view this document to determine your eligibility and requirements for submission. IF YOU ARE NOT A UC DAVIS STUDENT OR RECENT GRADUATE YOUR FILM WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.

Submit your film from an @ucdavis.edu email address in order to be considered eligible for the film festival. Make sure to check the box that your film is a student film. Our code for submission is: FFUCD2024. ENTRY IS FREE FOR QUALIFIED FILMMAKERS WITH THE CODE. Entry fees cannot be refunded.

PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THIS FESTIVAL IF YOU DO NOT MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS.

Short Film Eligibility:
• Only films made by a UC Davis student within the past 24 months (since May 2022), including all production stages, are eligible. We will accept films from students who have graduated and whose films were made while at UC Davis.
• Films may be no longer than 8 minutes,59 seconds including credits. ENTRIES THAT EXCEED THIS RUNTIME WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

If you have any questions about whether your film qualifies for the festival, please email filmfestatucd@gmail.com

Screenplay Eligibility:
Only Screenplays written by a UC Davis student within the past 24 months (since March 2021) are eligible. Screenplays can be produced or un-produced, including the screenplays of films submitted this year or last year. We will accept Screenplays from students who have graduated and whose work was written while at UC Davis.
• Screenplays may be no longer than 10 pages, including coverpage.
• Screenplays should be correctly formatted.
• A maximum of 3 screenplays may be submitted per writer.

If you have any questions about whether your screenplay qualifies, please email filmfestatucd@gmail.com

Format for Short Film Submissions:
• Please submit your film on filmfreeway.com before 11:59 P.M., May 1, 2023
• Only .mov or .mp4 files accepted.
• Filmmakers are required to submit their work in HD with the following specifications:
o Resolution: 1920x1080
o Codec: Apple ProRes 422 or .H264
o Aspect ratio: 16:9/ widescreen
o Frame rate: 24 (23.976) or 30 (29.97) frames per second - consistent with acquisition format
o MAKE YOUR FILM ENTRY DOWNLOADABLE - Entering with "download by request" may delay our ability to consider or include your film in our program.
o INCLUDE CREDITS on your film AND IN YOUR FilmFreeway LISTING. Please make it obvious to our jury who is responsible for major roles that are part of your film, such as featured actors and on-screen participants, cinematography; sound recording, mixing and design; original score; art direction/ production design; costume design, animation, etc - as is appropriate to your film.
o Provide a still/image that represents your film.
o Do not submit a Youtube, Vimeo, or Online Link. In your submission, please allow for
submissions to be downloaded.
Required for Submission:
SYNOPSIS (1-3 sentences describing your film story) and
ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT MATERIALS
Your entry MUST include the following three elements:
* Production Photos (1-3 images from the film that can be used for promotion)
* Director / Writer Headshot (image of director)
* Director / Writer Biography (paragraph description of director)

*****
Q: Can I submit a FINE CUT rather than a FINAL CUT of my film? (I can have the final cut ready in time for the festival but not the April 22nd deadline).

A: You may submit a Fine Cut that is close to FINAL IF YOU CAN GUARANTEE A FINAL COPY OF YOUR FILM WILL BE UPLOADED BY MAY 8 TO FilmFreeway. Please note that selection and jury awards will use your April 22 submission for consideration for the festival program and awards, ie we may not be able to review your final cut for award consideration, but will attempt to include it in our screening program if your film is selected.
PLEASE NOTE YOUR FILM'S STATUS (FINE CUT AND COMMITMENT TO SUBMIT FINAL CUT BY 4/22 IN YOUR FILM SYNOPSIS.

Deadline for Submission: Monday, April 22, 2024
• Submissions will be online through filmfreeway.com
• On FilmFreeway, create an account with your UC Davis email address. Upload your film directly to FilmFreeway, and submit to the Film Festival at UC Davis.
• It is mandatory to fill out all the credits options for your film on FilmFreeway. If they are not filled out, you will be contacted to update that information.
* it is also mandatory to include your EPK materials as specified above.

Information on Copyrights, Performer Agreements and Other legal Permissions
Copyright and permissions relating to filmmaking is complicated and should be something you think about from pre- to post-production. The UC Davis Film Festival is a 'public performance' under US copyright law, and you must have copyright licenses and other permissions in place before you submit your film for consideration. While UC Davis can provide some general information, by submitting your film you are promising that you have obtained all necessary copyright licenses and other permissions from participants in the film and for all music or third party content (such as clips from other films), as well as location permits and other required documents, and that you are financially responsible for any legal problems that might result from not having done so or not doing it properly.

First, you need a written agreement(s) with the scriptwriter(s), songwriter(s), producer(s), director(s), camera operator(s), editor(s) and anyone else who is making a creative contribution, as they could own part of the copyright if you don’t and therefore control what you can do with it.

Second, make sure you have written permission from the property owner of any location you use to film.

Third, you should obtain a performer agreement from every actor or musician who performs. (Sample: http://media.breakdownexpress.com/attachment/2011/9/1046333230108.pdf)

Fourth, if there is any pre-existing content in the film such as film clips, artwork on the walls, or preexisting music, you may need written permission of the copyright owner to that.

Music in films is extremely complicated. One easy solution is to use original music written and performed for the film using the performer agreement above. There are also some online resources for music which the copyright owners are willing to share at no fee if you don’t have original music. One resource you might consider is SmartSound. http://www.smartsound.com/

Note: You can find sample agreements on the web, and NoloPress publishes “The Copyright Handbook” which has forms. Also, as a member of ASUCD you are entitled to a free legal consult with an attorney, and you may want to take advantage of that for your film. To make an appointment, contact ASUCD.