The MetroWest Student Film Festival will take place in Natick, MA at The Center for Arts in Natick, 14 Summer Street, Natick, MA 01760. Official public screening date and awards ceremony for finalists is scheduled for May 7, 2023
The following rules govern all film submissions to the MetroWest Student Film Festival (“MWSFF” or the “Festival”).
SUBMISSION DEADLINE - Friday April 7, 2023
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY
All filmmakers must be between 14 - 19 years of age at time of submission and be a resident of MetroWest residing or attending high school in one of the following 32 cities and towns of Massachusetts. See event description for eligible towns and cities.
- Submitted films must be original works and filmmakers must be able to provide proof of permission or licensing for any copyrighted materials, music, and/or actors featured in the project to be eligible. Proper on-screen credit for licensed work is also required.
- Your film must have been produced within the last two years at the time of submission.
- Filmmakers may submit a maximum of two film entries.
- The film must utilize only non-professional, unpaid actors and production crew.
- Film entries will only be accepted using the platform filmfreeway.com.
- A parent or guardian name and email address must be provided on each entry form. Parent or guardian will receive correspondence regarding the Student Showcase and Awards Night information.
- Filmmakers must be available to attend the Showcase and Awards event held at the The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN) on Sunday May 7, 2023
SUBMISSION FORMAT
All films must be submitted electronically through filmfreeway.com. Other means of submission will not be accepted. Incomplete applications or submitting materials that do not adhere to our specifications (see below) will disqualify your entry. NO EXCEPTIONS.
- All entries must fit into what is considered a G, PG, or PG-13 category as outlined by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and be produced within good taste! Excessive violence or other excessive and/or gratuitous content may disqualify your entry from competition based solely upon MWSFF’s discretion.
- All entries must credit the whole production team individually and be clear about the role each team member played in the film making process.
FILM/VIDEO SPECIFICATIONS
- Films must not exceed 8 minutes in length, including credits.
- Submitted films must be headed and followed by an appropriate amount of black screen (at least 5 seconds).
- All non-English language films must have English subtitles.
- FilmFreeway.com accepts all major video formats in full quality HD up to 10 GB. Videos are transcoded for playback compatibility and performance. FilmFreeway.com recommends using settings close to these output settings:
Video Spec: 2200 Kbps, H.264, mp4, Pro Res
Audio: 128 Kbps, AAC, 2 channel stereo
Aspect ratio preserved; maximum video height of 720 pixels
- 3D stereoscopic films will not be accepted.
- For more technical information please visit the FilmFreeway Help Center https://filmfreeway.com/help
REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS:
- A Film Committee shall be convened of filmmakers, film enthusiasts and film critics from the Massachusetts area. No Film Committee representative shall be affiliated with an educational institution represented by an entry.
- All entries will be reviewed in their entirety by members of the Film Committee.
- Films will be reviewed and judged by the individual members of the Film Committee using a standard scorecard. After the final deadline the Committee will review the total scores of all the films in competition and select final films from a group of the top scorers.
- The film committee reserves the right to change a submission’s entry category when appropriate to do so.
NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE:
- Filmmakers will be notified of the selection of their film as a finalist in the competition digitally by email using the email address provided on the entry form so please ensure that your email address is accurate on your application.
-Notification that your film has been chosen as a finalist and thus will be taking part in the festival itself, will be emailed to you.
- Accepted filmmakers will receive complimentary tickets to attend the public screening of their entry in the film festival and the final Festival Showcase on May 7 2023.
- In the event that an in-person festival is not deemed possible due to State restrictions, MWSFF will endeavor to create an alternative, online festival.
THEATRICAL SCREENINGS & PUBLICITY AND MARKETING:
- By accepting inclusion in MWSFF, the filmmaker grants non-exclusive rights to showcase their film in as many screenings as required. This includes the competition screenings and the festival showcase.
- In addition, MWSFF has non-exclusive rights to repeat the showcases for fundraising purposes. All gross proceeds from ticket sales and concession sales are exclusive property of MWSFF/TCAN.
- By submitting your film, you permit MWSFF to use your film in whole or in excerpts for publicity purposes. MWSFF reserves the right to promote any film or script to print, broadcast or internet media as required to market the Festival or TCAN.
- Submission of 2-3 publicity/production photos and filmmaker headshot are highly recommended.
- MWSFF is not responsible for incorrect wording in publications or on awards if the entry form is incorrect or illegible.
COMPETITION CERTIFICATION
I/We have read all of the rules, understand, and have complied with these rules.
I/We warrant the submission of my/our original work and that there are no disputes regarding the ownership of the submission.
I/We also warrant the submitted material does not defame or invade the rights of any person living or dead.
To the best of my/our knowledge, all the statements herein are true and correct.
I/We understand that failure to adhere to the competition rules and regulations will result in disqualification and forfeiture of entry fee.
I/We acknowledge that once an entry payment has been processed, MWSFF will not provide a refund. No revisions of materials will be accepted once entry has been submitted.
BY SUBMITTING THE MATERIAL, I/WE HEREBY AGREES TO INDEMNIFY, HOLD HARMLESS, AND DEFEND THE FESTIVAL, ITS EMPLOYEES, DIRECTORS, REPRESENTATIVES, AND AFFILIATES FROM ALL LIABILITY, CLAIMS, AND DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH THE SUBMISSION AND FROM ANY FEES AND EXPENSES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO REASONABLE ATTORNEYS’ FEES THAT ANY OF THEM MAY INCUR IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.
