OASIS LGBTQ Student Film Festival is the first-ever of its-kind citywide, all-inclusive filmmaking event and is inviting participation from students from the public, private, parochial, and charter schools in the City of Philadelphia. OASIS is a new educational initiative of qFLIX Philadelphia, producers of the city’s annual LGBTQ Film festival, marking its 23th edition in 2017, in cooperation with the School District of Philadelphia, and PSTV, the Educational Channel of the School District of Philadelphia.
Accepted submission will be shown on in October 2017 (date to be Determined), at the Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center for the Preforming Arts!
Why produce this festival?
The purpose is to celebrate the new, diverse, and young voices, especially those who are LGBTQ, and have been undiscovered and underserved for at least the past two decades in addition to their allies. Using film as the medium which allows for the telling and sharing of their stories, combining visual images, with words, music, production values from set design to costuming, the casting of non-professional actors, all in an environment of collective and passionate effort, the individuals involved will learn to work as a team or as sole producers in the production of their entry. These young voices have the opportunity to express themselves through film, their view of the world around them, sharing their perspectives, emotions, thoughts, secrets and viewpoints.
Who is the festival open to?
It’s open exclusively to ALL registered high school students in the City of Philadelphia, and beyond, currently attending either public, private, parochial, or charter schools, grades 9-12.
Who can participate?
Short films can be produced by either a single student, an informal group, or class of students of LGBTQ and allies, working in tandem to produce a short film so long as they are currently high school students. Any registered high school student in a high school can participate in OASIS, whether LGBTQ or allies.
What should the short films be about?
The short films should be for, by, or about aspects of LGBTQ life, on a wide range of subject matters, themes, issues or topics, in our contemporary life such as bullying to transgender to something historic or totally imagined.
What category of films can be submitted?
There are four categories of films which can be explored. They are narratives, documentaries, animation, and music video.
The narrative film category can be the telling of a story, in a dramatic, comedic, or other manner, usually life-action, but is not limited to realism and can be presented in a fantastical, thriller, horror, mystery or criminal style.
The documentary film category can be the retelling of a real person, group, event or incident that captures the essence of the subject matter in a true, historical and/or contemporary style.
The animation film category can be the telling of a stylistic form but with the employment of any style of animation from paper cut-outs to puppetry to claymation to digital imagery, and including any and all forms of animation.
The music video film category can be telling of a story, poem, song, manifest, event through the use of music, dance, word, movement, and visual imagery. (The use of any and all copyrighted music is prohibited.)
All films can be no shorter than 2 minutes and no longer than 10 minutes.
Will there be awards?
Yes, there will be five juried prizes, which are as follows:
Best Narrative Short Film - $250
Best Documentary Short Film - $250
Best Animation Short Film - $250
Best Music Video Short Film - $250
Best Overall Short - $500
Winners of the awards will be determined by a distinguished panel of jurors from industries, including filmmaking, screenwriting, media, business, music, higher education and the visual arts.
The awards will be presented before a live audience on the evening of the screening of the films.
In addition, all winners may have their films shown on PSTV, Educational Channel of the School District of Philadelphia, for non-commercial, educational purposes only.
*Actual Prizes Subject To Change