Welcome to Lonely Seal, the home of "stories aching to be told." Our 2023 festival is on October 4-8 in Arlington, MA (Boston).
Our roots are growing more robust in 2024, as in addition to the October 10-13 Arlington dates, we produce events in New York, Southern California, Atlanta, and Paris, France. We are also scheduling events at The Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA (Boston), throughout 2024, including helping to curate mid-week music-based gems.
We program fantastic features, shorts, documentaries, music-related and International content, LBGTQIA, and films on disabilities. We also champion women and Indigenous filmmakers and love great dramas, horrors, comedies, animation, and cause-based cinema.
Screenwriters, Playwrights, and Composers are also parts of our family, so if you have a story "aching to be told," we want to experience it.
Our events include screenings, panel discussions, live music, stage readings, screenwriting seminars, mixers, workshops, and career strategy sessions.
We are a multiple-time "Top 100 Festival" on FilmFreeway. We have 146 Five-Star Reviews from our first five festivals, with our sixth edition coming up on October 4-8, 2023. Our 146 Five-Star Reviews from creators like you, already plant us in the top 1% of festivals with the most Five-Star Reviews in the world.
We are also a sister company to Hourglass24.com, a new crowdfunding platform that laser-targets 24-hour crowdfunding campaigns, so let us know if we can help there.
Everyone here at Lonely Seal aims to help you blossom and continue to thrive in your career, so check out our reviews and send us your best stuff! Thank you for stopping by.
Prizes & Key Dates
We look forward to experiencing your awesomeness!
GRAND PRIZE AWARD
Grand Prize – A showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, one year of development advice, and one year of strategic financing and distribution advice. The Grand Prize includes a prominent placement on Hourglass24, our new crowdfunding platform.
* Our Grand Prize may be awarded to ANY FILMED PROJECT in our festival.
FILM & DOCUMENTARY AWARDS:
Best Feature - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
Best Short Film - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
Best Documentary Feature - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
Best Documentary Feature - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
Best LBGTQIA Film (Feature or Short ) - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
Best Indigenous Film (Feature or Short) - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
Best Film Accessible Film - Stories About Disabilities - (Feature or Short) - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
Best International Film (Feature or Short) - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
SCREENPLAY AWARDS
Grand Prize Screenplay Winner - A showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, one year of development advice, and one year of strategic financing and distribution advice. Prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
Best Feature Film Screenplay - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
Best Short Screenplay - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
Best Teleplay - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
MUSIC AWARDS
Best Music Video - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
Best Song - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
Best Composition - Showcase for cinema buyers at Cannes, strategic advice, and prominent placement for one project on Hourglass24.
KEY DATES
Submissions open on July 28, 2023.
The early bird submission deadline is November 30, 2023.
The regular submission deadline is April 30, 2024.
The late submission deadline is May 31, 2024.
The extended deadline is June 21, 2024.
All selections for our Arlington, MA (Boston) festival will be notified by June 30, 2024.
Our festival is from October 10-13, 2024, at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA, and our festival dates for New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Paris will be posted here soon.
Winners will be announced on Sunday, October 13, 2024, at our awards ceremony.
Good Luck!