Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm) and Catalyst Story Institute are teaming up for the inaugural Catalyst Content Festival showcase that will take place during the 54th Nashville Film Festival (September 28- October 4, 2023). A curated selection of episodic video and pitches will be chosen by the Catalyst team to screen and participate in Pitch World during the Nashville Film Festival this Fall. This competition, in partnership with Catalyst Content Festival, will be accepting episodic work, not feature length films.

About Catalyst Story Institute: Official mentorship partner of the National Academy of TV Arts & Sciences. Catalyst champions narrative and episodic storytellers of all career levels. Our year-round institute program and festival events support artists as they develop their stories and advance their careers. Catalyst lowers the barriers between creators, producers, and the industry.

The festival accepts narrative/episodic/serialized content of comedy, drama, thriller, scripted, unscripted, documentary, limited series, and animation. Projects can have any number of episodes and be in any stage of development: pitch, script, in-production, post-production, or completed produced video.

About Nashville Film Festival: The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm) is a globally recognized nonprofit organization and cultural event presenting the best in world cinema, American independent films and documentaries by veteran masters, up-and-coming directors, and first-time filmmakers. With Academy Award® qualifying status, the Nashville Film Festival celebrates innovation, music and the many voices of the human spirit through the art of film. Originally founded in 1969, the Nashville Film Festival is one of the first film festivals in the United States and will host its 53rd festival from September 28-October 4, 2023.

Rules & Terms

-Entries must be at least 15 minutes in length and no more than 60 minutes per episode.
-Entry fee (must be paid online via FilmFreeway).
-3-Line Synopsis (may be used for Festival Program and website)
-250 Word Synopsis (may be used for Festival Program and website)
- VIDEO entries: only allowed to submit 1 video file (for example, if you’re submitting 3 episodes, they have to be strung together in one playable video file). Credits do not need to be present between each episode. Credits all at the very end is preferable.
-PITCH entries: please submit a PDF document only. No exceptions.
-PITCH entries IMPORTANT: There is no virtual option, you be present in-person to participate. Pitch World will take place on September 30, 2023 in Nashville, TN.
-VIDEO entries: in-person attendance given priority screening times.

LIABILITY
Every possible care will be taken with DCPs while in our possession, however, we cannot accept responsibility for loss, damage or additional charges incurred en route, or due to normal wear and tear, or due to equipment failure. Do NOT send original prints or master copies.
Additionally, NashFilm is held harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity or screening of any film.

SHIPPING
The cost of shipping an entry to the Festival must be paid by the entrant or preceding festival. All international entries must be sent with all transportation charges, duties, and taxes prepaid by the shipper. For films accepted into the Festival, the entrant is responsible for inbound shipping. In most cases, NashFilm will pay the cost of outbound shipping of the print to its next destination. However, the Festival will not be responsible for unnecessary expedited or overnight shipping charges to other destinations

WAIVER POLICY
As a nonprofit organization, our annual operations and the process of viewing the volume of submissions we receive are very costly, therefore we do not offer full or discounted waivers in most cases. We aim to keep our fees reasonable, and encourage all applicants to take advantage of our early and official deadlines to save on submission fees. Please do not email about student discounts as our student competition section is already priced at a discounted rate. If you have any questions, please contact us at office@catalystories.com.