Joedance Film Festival is held annually, the first weekend of August, at the Charlotte Ballet’s Center for Dance in Uptown’s Historic Fourth Ward. Virtual and in person events will be hosted during the festival weekend August 5 - 7, 2021.
The event honors the late Joe Restaino who passed away at the age of 20 from osteosarcoma. Joedance Film Festival is committed to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer research and clinical trials at Charlotte’s Atrium Health Levine Children’s, by screening original films connected to North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Joedance Film Festival is recognized as one of the Queen City's hidden gems, where filmmakers, community leaders, and arts supporters gather to view and discuss films in an inviting environment, all proceeds are donated to Atrium Health Levine Children's. Held annually in Uptown Charlotte, a beautiful and vibrant city offering cultural experiences as well as outdoor activities.
Joedance Film Festival is committed to supporting directors, producers, writers and actors with North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia or Tennessee connections. All selected filmmakers will be invited to exclusive receptions, the Cultural Arts Evening, the Filmmakers' Dinner, and the Red Carpet Event, as well as receive support and recognition for their filmmaking progress following the 3-day Festival. Joedance accepts short films 1 - 30 minutes in length.
Joedance Film Festival is scheduled for August 5 - 7, 2021. All selected filmmakers participate in a lively Q&A immediately following their film screenings and receive 2 VIP passes to the Festival and surrounding events. Selected filmmakers will enjoy the cozy atmosphere, attentive audiences, and drinks and food provided by local vendors.
In the event of not being able to gather all three days Joedance will switch to a virtual festival.
ALL FILMS MUST HAVE A CONNECTION TO NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA OR TENNESSEE TO BE CONSIDERED. PLEASE READ THE ELIGIBILITY RULES BEFORE SUBMITTING. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT CHIP WHITE AT chip@joedance.org. (No refund will be issued to a submission failing the eligibility rules.) The 2021 Joedance Film Festival will be a hybrid of a virtual and in person gatherings. All selected films will have a 24 hour viewing period that is not Geo-Blocked.
A Judges Favorite Award will be given to one filmmaker at the student screenings and one filmmaker at the evening screening. This award will be determined by the Joedance judges during the selection process.
Selected filmmakers will receive two VIP passes to three nights of screenings, which also includes an invitation to the Cultural Arts Evening on Thursday, Filmmakers' Dinner on Friday, and Red Carpet Event on Saturday, prior to the screenings. All filmmakers will be featured on Joedance Film Festival's website and social media pages up to and following the Festival, and will receive exclusive access to network with community leaders, supporters of the arts, and fellow filmmakers.
Joedance Film Festival is a cultural arts event which promotes community-building through cinema and performing arts. All proceeds support pediatric cancer research at Atrium Health Levine Children's. To date, over $205,000 has been donated. As an organization, Joedance has created the Levine Children’s summer internship program, helped fund a clinical trial for recurrent osteosarcoma and will fund a Research Technician for three years in the Pediatric Cancer Research Lab at Levine Children’s. Thank you to the Joedance Film Festival artists and supporters who have made this possible.
Rules & Terms
IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ELIGIBILITY RULES BEFORE SUBMITTING: ALL FILMS MUST HAVE A CONNECTION TO NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA OR TENNESSEE TO BE CONSIDERED. (No refund will be issued to a submission failing the eligibility rules.) 2021 Joedance Film festival will be a hybrid of virtual and in person events. All selected films will have a 24 hour viewing period. This is not a Geo-Blocked virtual film festival.