Flatwater Film Festival

The Flatwater Film Festival will take place in Seward, NE from September 27th to the 29th, 2024.

1. Submission Deadline
As the FFF is a submission-free festival, there currently is only one submission deadline, July 21, 2024. Early entry is encouraged but in no way guarantees acceptance.

2. Submission Format
Films must be submitted online only, via a link with password (Vimeo or YouTube) or the FilmFreeway online screener only.

3. Submission Eligibility
- All submissions must have been created by a Nebraska (USA) filmmaker or filmed in the state of Nebraska (USA). Please provide information regarding how your film relates to Nebraska. Without it, your film will be disqualified.
- The film must not be pornographic in nature nor promote hatred, violence, or intolerance.
- The Flatwater Film Festival reserves the right to determine whether a film fails to meet this standard or not.

4. Premiere Status
- While FFF would love to be the premiere setting for your film, there is no premiere policy for submission.

5. Submission Fee/Tickets
There are no submission fees for the Flatwater Film Festival. As there are no submission fees, directors of selected films will not be provided complimentary admission.

6. Delivery and Shipping
If selected, it is the submitting party’s responsibility to provide FFF with a high-quality version of the film.

If submitting the film online, you will need to provide FFF with a download link. FFF will notify you when it has been downloaded.

If submitting the film on disk or drive, it must be received no later than August 25, 2024.

All shipping and postage costs will be covered by the submitting party. The Flatwater Film Festival will not accept submissions if customs and delivery fees have not been paid by the submitting party.

Submission packages from outside the US must be labeled 'Trade Sample' on any customs label and, for customs purposes, must be given a value of no more than US$10.

Mailed submissions should be sent to:

FFF Festival Submissions
5330 S. 80th Street
Lincoln, NE 68516

7. Selection of Films
Submissions are reviewed and selected under the following criteria:
- The film must be made by a Nebraska Filmmaker or filmed in the state of Nebraska
- Strength of story
- Quality of narrative and production values
- Independent nature of the production

The Flatwater Film Festival endeavors to complete all selection procedures by August 11, 2024 and inform all submitting parties, via email, if their film has been successful or not after that time. Successful submissions will receive further instruction on providing us movie files and festival information.

8. Festival Screenings and Scheduling
Currently, the preferred format of the film is .MP4 files. The is the possibility that you will need to supply the project in DCP format.

FFF aspires to provide the best quality projection possible but will not be held liable for any failure in the technical quality of the projection, nor will fees be refunded in any such case.

Screenings are scheduled during the Festival at the discretion of Flatwater Film Festival. While every effort will be made to adhere to the published schedule, the FFF reserves the right to make changes at any time for any reason. The FFF will not be liable for any costs claimed as a result of a change in scheduling.

No film may be withdrawn from the festival program after its selection.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

1. I, the representative of the project being submitted (the "Film"), acknowledge and agree as follows in connection with the Film's submittal to the Flatwater Film Festival for consideration for the Flatwater Film Festival (the "Festival"):
2. I hereby represent and warrant to the Festival that (a) I am duly authorized, on my own behalf and on behalf of all other persons or entities who have any ownership rights in the Film, to exhibit this Film at the Festival, (b) this exhibition will not violate any law or any right or consent of any person or entity and (c) the Film is not subject to litigation nor is it threatened by any litigation.
3. I further represent and warrant that, to the best of my knowledge, the exhibition of the Film at the Festival will not violate or infringe any copyright, patent, privacy right, publicity right, trademark, service mark, or any other personal or property right of any person or entity and that my Film does not constitute a defamation of any person or entity. I have paid and will pay in full all license fees, clearance fees, and other obligations, of any kind, arising from the exhibition of the Film in connection with the Festival.
4. If accepted, I acknowledge that the Festival's presentation of the Film does not create any confidential or fiduciary relationship between the Festival and I. I acknowledge that no obligation of any kind is assumed by or may be implied against the Festival because of the Festival's selection of the Film. I understand and acknowledge that the selection of my Film by the Festival does not in any way constitute an express or implied endorsement or approval by the Festival of the content of the Film or any opinion expressed therein.
5. I agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Festival, the affiliate, subsidiary and parent entities of each, and the officers, directors, employees, attorneys, advisors and agents of each of the foregoing from and against any and all claims, losses, or liabilities (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that may be asserted against any of the foregoing or incurred by any of the foregoing at any time in connection with the Film or the Festival's use thereof, and/or arising from any breach or alleged breach of any representation made by me to the Institute or the Festival.
6. In the event that the Film is accepted into the official Festival program, myself and all other parties involved with the Film agree that the Film will not associate with nor receive support from corporations during or related to the Film's participation in the Festival that are not Official sponsors or supporters of the Festival without prior written consent of the Institute. Methods of support include: hosting a dinner, party or junket for or in conjunction with the Film, providing media space for roundtable or one-on-one interviews, etc. The Festival relies on the funding of our official sponsors and supporters to produce the Festival. For an official list of sponsors and supporters, please refer to the contributors list at http://www.flatwaterfilmfestival.com. If you have been approached by a company or corporation that does not appear on this list, they are NOT officially aligned with the Flatwater Film Festival.
7. If accepted, I hereby grant without reservations, to the Festival, and their related entities (a) the right to use footage, stills and/or titles, and information from the Film for promotional purposes and (b) the right to issue and authorize publicity concerning the filmmakers and the Film and to use all associated names, likenesses and biographical information. I also agree to provide contact information for the director and producer(s) of the Film and grant the Festival the right to provide this information to film industry organizations sponsoring Festival events at its discretion.
8. I represent that I am 18 years of age or older, or that if I am younger than the legal age to enter into contracts in my state, I have provided a written consent from my parent or legal guardian. I agree that any controversy arising out of or in connection with my Film and the Festival will be governed by the internal laws of the State of Nebraska and conclusively determined by arbitration in the City of Seward in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association before a single arbitrator mutually agreed by the parties. I hereby waive any and all rights and benefits which I might otherwise have or be entitled to litigate any such dispute in court, including without limitation a trial by jury.
9. I acknowledge that I have read and understood the rules and regulations for submitting a film to the Festival.
10. By clicking "I Agree" below, or by submitting a film or screenplay to FFF, I constitute my full and complete acceptance of the terms hereof. I acknowledge that no oral representations of any kind have been made by the Festival.