GENREBLAST

TL:DR?
No waivers ever, generative AI is banned from this fest, and no works in progress!

IF YOU USE GENERATIVE AI IN ANY PART OF YOUR PROJECT YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!

We do not support the use of generative AI in any part of your project. Please do not submit your project to this fest if your film contains generative AI or features promotional material made from generative AI. This includes movie posters. Yes, even for unproduced screenplays. That means no Chat GPT or Midjourney or any of that lifeless garbage.

Now, onto waivers: Ask yourself this question: would you ask Sundance or Fantasia for a submission waiver?

So, with that answer in mind, please know that it's insulting when you ask us for one. We get plenty of awesome films through straight-up submission fees and we prioritize them above all else.

No works in progress! Do not submit your film until it is finished!

We DO NOT provide feedback for projects not selected. Please do not ask.

We are NOT looking for:
- Faith-based/inspirational films
- Troma films (films already acquired by Troma)
- Fan films of any kind
- Straight-up porn
- Gen AI/Artificial Intelligence created or assisted films and scripts. This includes Midourney, ChatGPT, etc... If you write a screenplay with ChatGPT you are not a real screenwriter.
- Submissions from third parties (Festival Formula, etc...)

If you have submitted a film to us during a previous submission period and it was not accepted, your chances of getting accepted with the same film in a current submission period are very slim. As in zero.

Please do not submit your film to multiple genre categories. You're wasting your money. It doesn't give you an extra chance to get accepted. That's just silly. Pick the one that you feel best suits your film and let us do the rest. If we like your film, it won't matter what category it gets submitted under. Ya dig?

We are a physical, in-person theatrical experience festival above all else. We have no plans to ever go virtual unless a physical venue is unavailable to us. There are no plans for a hybrid fest, either.

Email us if you have any questions about anything before you submit.

Again, no waiver requests. Please don't ask. We want to make it an even playing field for anyone who submits via FilmFreeway. We don't play favorites, we don't pander to anyone and we don't kiss up to the big festivals or follow trends. We program what we think will play well over the weekend. It's that simple.

We can't stress enough that if you email us with a waiver request, it will be completely ignored. You'd be surprised how many people don't read these rules and ask us for a waiver. Or they read these rules, think they don't apply to them, and still ask for a waiver. It boggles the mind.

If your film is already available online prior to the fest, there's a slim-to-none chance we will select your film. By that, we mean if you put it on YouTube or Vimeo or you already have a straiming deal or whatever for the public to view. Virtual screenings for other fests are okay. Space is limited and we prioritize the theatrical experience with films unavailable online to the public. Films with distribution deals that release prior to the fest will most likely not be selected. However, if you have a deal that doesn't happen until after the fest, we have no problem programming you then.

We do not pay screening fees. Ever.

Feature films must be at least a Virginia premiere. If you've already played somewhere else in Virginia, we congratulate you and wish you well in your future festival endeavors.

PLEASE FILL OUT YOUR PROJECT INFO ON YOUR FILMFREEWAY PAGE. It is extremely frustrating when we filter projects by running time or try to see where your film was made and your film page has no info. It doesn't make you mysterious or interesting. Take the time to fill out your project page properly, please.

Feature films and scripts qualify as at least 60 mins/pgs and up. Short films qualify as 40 mins. and under. Short scripts qualify as 30 pages and under. TV/Webisode scripts qualify as 60 pgs and under. Pretty simple.

We are not interested in watching short films longer than 40 mins. or reading short screenplays longer than 30 pgs.

All screenplays submitted MUST be in standard screenplay format as a PDF from a program such as Celtx, Movie Magic, Final Draft, etc... Word docs with improper formatting will be disqualified without a refund. Your cover page should just have the title of your script and nothing else.

By submitting, you agree that you own all copyrights and intellectual properties to your work. Any violations of that agreement will result in immediate disqualification from the festival and a cheerfully vulgar rejection letter.

GenreBlast reserves the right to use any part of your submission for promotional purposes regarding the festival itself. This includes Facebook, Twitter, local advertising, promo trailers and other related venues. Don't freak out, this stuff is pretty routine. We just might use a clip or still from your work to help promote the festival so we can sell tickets for people to see your awesome flick. That means we like you.

Submitting to GenreBlast Film Festival does not guarantee selection. Neither does liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter or Instagram. Cash bribes might work, but why risk it? We reserve the right to disqualify anyone based on violation of rules & regulations, objectionable content (although we can handle a lot) rude behavior via email or social media, poor sound and/or video quality (as in unwatchable) or due to a love of Kevin James films.

International films not in English MUST be subtitled or dubbed in English. We Americans are stupid. We need subtitles because we're too lazy and arrogant to learn a second language. Do us a favor and make sure your awesome foreign film has those lovely ENGLISH subtitles. Thanks! Seriously though, dubbing blows. Don't do it.

Pretty much anything is fair game as far as content is concerned. We love violence, raunch, gore, and outrageous situations; just make sure it all comes with some kind of actual story.

Again, If you're not sure about something, please email us before you submit. We'll answer your queries as quickly as possible. Except for waiver requests. Those go right in the trash.

Happy submitting!