The inaugural Mount Gretna International Film Festival (MtGIFF) will take place on August 18, 2024, 12-3pm, as a platform to support and celebrate emerging and established filmmakers in their shared passion for cinema as an all-encompassing art form.
MtGIFF will coincide with Mount Gretna’s most celebrated event, the nationally ranked Outdoor Art Show. The county of Lebanon declared 2024 as the “Year of the Arts” for the 50th show. The festival will be held at the historic Mount Gretna Playhouse, an open-air theatre nestled in the wooded community that is Pennsylvania’s Chautauqua. The festival will include a screening of selected films and an awards ceremony.
MtGIFF celebrates the proud history and beauty of Mount Gretna, and honors “The Greatest Life” of Michael Evan Deitzler, who lived fully and passionately, loving family, friends, film and all things Mt. Gretna- which has raised artists, like Evan, for generations. MtGIFF hopes to cultivate and spread the creativity of filmmakers from all over the world by means of coming together and celebrating film “Under the Trees of Old Chautauqua.”
In our first year running, we are accepting shorts only: short films 5 minutes or under in total run time.

Awards & Prizes

Best Drama
1st : $1000
2nd: $500
3rd: $250

Best Comedy
1st : $1000
2nd: $500
3rd: $250

Best Horror
1st : $1000
2nd: $500
3rd: $250

Best Documentary/Video Essay
1st : $1000
2nd: $500
3rd: $250

Best High School Entry
1st : $1000
2nd: $500
3rd: $250

Hometown Spotlight for Lebanon, Pennsylvania Residents
$1000

Best of the Festival: "Vita Maxima"
The Greatest Life in honor of Michael Evan Deitzler
$1000

Craft Awards for Recognition (Irrespective of category):
-Best Direction
-Best Cinematography
-Best Writing
-Best Editing
-Best Sound Design
-Best Acting
-Audience Choice

Rules & Terms

Entries must have a maximum run time of 5 minutes. This includes title and credits, which are optional.

Creation Timeframe: films entered into the festival must have been produced during or after August 2022.

Entering Filmmakers must be 14 years of age or above.
Student rates are applicable to High School students. High School student category applies to the summer after graduation (2024). College students must apply as the Standard Fee.

To be considered for the High School entry awards, filmmakers must submit photo of a valid student ID within the submission process. To be considered for the High School film category, filmmakers must have produced the short film while they attended high school that was created during the creation timeframe. Students in the graduating class of 2024 who created short films in the spring of 2024 WILL be considered for the high school film category. It is important to note that films that are eligible for the High School category awards will still be in consideration for the overall Drama, Horror, Comedy, and High School Awards.

Films in competition for the Lebanon Spotlight Award must be made by filmmakers currently living in Lebanon County, Pa. Any film submitted to this category will be considered for other applicable categories.

There are no limits to the size of the crew.

Entries must have a genre designated by the filmmaker, (done within the entry process) and awards will be chosen with that designation in mind.
NOTE: It is ultimately up to the final discretion of the judges as to the specific genre that the short film will be judged.

Filmmakers have a maximum of TWO entries into the festival.

Copyright material is not permitted within short films. It is up to the individual filmmaker to ensure that all copyright guidelines are followed. Submitted films infringing on any creative rights will be disqualified.
Content Guidelines:
o For the most part, entered films should follow a PG-13 rating.
o Profanity is permitted as long as it is not gratuitous, hateful, or in poor taste.
o Violence is permitted as long as it is not gratuitous and overtly gruesome.
o Depiction of drugs and alcohol are permitted as long as it is not gratuitous.
o Sexually explicit content is not permitted.
The goal for the festival is to have a viewing experience that is not unnecessarily uncomfortable for the audience. We intend for the content guidelines to not overly restrict the creative freedom of the filmmakers, but if entered films are found to be blatantly offensive, they will not be considered for selection.