ImageOut is a premier LGBTQ+ film festival in Rochester, NY. We present LGBTQ+ arts and cultural experiences showcasing films, other creative works and artists to promote awareness, foster dialogue and build community. ImageOut is recognized and respected as a major arts and cultural organization in New York State, celebrating and bringing visibility to LGBTQ+ artists and themed work.

For 2023, we are hosting our third ImageOut First Cut Spring Film Festival from April 27 to May 2 and it will be mostly films that will be releasing before fall. This submission page will still be mainly for our Fall Film Festival which is scheduled for October 5-15, 2023.

ImageOut is an Iris Prize partner and is one of the few select LGBTQ+ film festivals from around the world who can outrightly nominate a film for the Iris Prize Shorts Film Competition in Cardiff, Wales. It is one of the richest shorts film competition in the world.

Awards & Prizes

The festival awards Jury Prizes for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and Best Short. The audiences also vote for their favorites and Audience Prizes are given for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and Best Short. All feature-length films receive a $500 cash prize along with a commemorative certificate. Short films receive $250 cash prize and certificate.

FLOWER CITY FLICKS: Short films by local and area filmmakers can also compete in a juried competition with the winner receiving $500 cash prize and certificate. This is to encourage LGBTQ+ filmmaking in Western New York. The annual awarding of this prize is subject to festival discretion and contingent upon number of submissions.

Short film submissions will also be considered for possible nomination to the Iris Prize competition in Cardiff, Wales.

Rules & Terms

- All films submitted for consideration must contain LGBTQ+ content/themes or be from an LGBTQ+ identifying filmmaker. Submission fees are non-refundable.

- We strongly encourage filmmakers to provide captioning for their films in order to make them more accessible to a larger audience. If your film includes captions (as opposed to subtitles), please contact us for a fee waiver code.

- Films selected for the lineup are all eligible for the Jury and Audience awards.

- A screening committee determines which films shall be exhibited; submissions are not guaranteed to be shown. All decisions of the committee are final.

- Foreign-language films are welcome and encouraged to apply, but must include English subtitles. (Subtitles must be "burned-in" as part of the on-screen image, not a separate SRT file.)

- Selected films must be made available as a downloadable Quicktime file. DCP plus a Quicktime backup is preferred.

- ImageOut reserves the right to use film stills, posters, and/or excerpts of accepted films for promotional purposes.

- Films are scheduled at the discretion of ImageOut, which retains the right to make changes to the published schedule at any time and for any reason.

LEGAL / RIGHTS / CLEARANCES
It is the responsibility of the filmmaker to clear all rights before your film screens at the festival. By submitting a film, the filmmaker acknowledges that they have secured all applicable licenses and waivers of copyrights, moral rights, trademarks and any intellectual property rights.

The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.

The submitter shall indemnify and hold harmless ImageOut from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.
11 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
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Networking
  • El Delirio Cine

    Everything OK! Great LGBT film festival

    November 2022
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  • Andrew Blogg

    Thank you for including us in your short film showcase!

    November 2022
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  • Debra Markowitz

    I was excited to screen my series pilot, Couple of Guys, at ImageOut. Michael Gamila, Michelle Thornton and Stephen Weisenreder went out of their way to be hospitable and welcoming, and really made us feel at home with a great Q & A and rapid responsivity. The town itself is a lovely arts community, with plenty to see if you visit. We loved the theater and the screenings and we had a nice sized audience, which we worried about with Covid, but it was nicely attended. We enjoyed the other films we screened with and were proud to be part of the line-up. Highly recommend!

    November 2021
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  • Kelly Walker

    Thank you so much for screening our film! We are grateful for the experience.

    October 2021
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  • Christopher McNeany

    Wonderful festival. Michael really puts his heart and soul into making this festival a great experience for both filmmakers and audiences. Highly recommended!

    October 2021
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