Our Voices Film Festival

OUR VOICES Short Film Festival is the brainchild of Aiden Cumming-Teicher a young actor and film-maker who feels that young people aren’t always heard, even though they have a lot to say. The hope is that the creation of this film festival allows other youth to find their voices too, to express their points of view and tell their stories.

The festival will culminate with a live screening of the finalists in their categories at the Cinematheque in Vancouver British Columbia on November 10th, 2018. Awards will be given out and announced at the end of the screening, so filmmakers and their families and friends are encouraged to attend!

This film festival is open to all youth who ages 5 - 19; at least one of the categories have to be filled by people in that age range. ( actors, director, writer, cinematographer). Drama, Comedy, Documentaries, PSAs , webseries- all are welcome.

Our festival has nominal entry fees; we wanted to give everyone the opportunity to enter and participate. We also accept experimental/smart phone films to be submitted!

All official selections will get official laurels via email.

We will be awarding the following categories at the live screening:

• Best International Production
• Best BC Production
• Best Canadian Production
• Best Microshort or PSA ( 1 min or less)
• Best Actor
• Best Actress
• Best Director
• Best Experimental /Web Content
• Wildcard award

All finalists will all be awarded certificates via email, but if you are attending the live screening please let us know and we will present you with one in person. Other awards/categories may be awarded at our discretion.

By submitting, you are assuring us that you have the rights to the material in your film, and have obtained any necessary permissions and talent releases. We do not take any ownership of your material at all, and make no warranties that we will be able to include your film.

By entering, you also grant us permission to share short clips of your film online as part of a compilation, if your film is selected.

This film festival is open to all youth who ages 5 - 19; at least one of the categories have to be filled by people in that age range. ( actors, director, writer, cinematographer).

We strive to be a green festival, so only accept digital entries ( no mailed DVDs)
Make sure your screener is available online, as well as accurate contact info and support material on your FilmFreeway project pages. For the live screening we make one single master film to include all the finalist films to streamline everything), so if we request a download of your film that is why. If you don’t respond on a timely fashion we may not be able to include it.

Because we will be having a live screening of the finalists, we have strict length requirements:
• Short films and Documentaries - Maximum of 10 mins
• Minute Films, PSAs - Maximum of 1 min

If your film is not in English, we ask that you please subtitle it in English so we can better appreciate it.

FAQ

Do you accept non-Canadian shorts?
Yes. We accept shorts from all over the world! However there is also a special category for Canadian and BC specific shorts

Will you post my short on-line for the public to see?
No. However, if you are one of the finalists and would like us to post your publicly available film on our FB page we are happy to.

My short has already screened at another festival or available online. Can I still enter?
Yes. We have no premiere eligibility requirements.

What short length eligibility requirements do you have?
10 mins MAX for short films and Documentaries, 1 min MAX for PSA and Micro-shorts.

Do you accept Works in progress?
No- it has to be a fully completed work.

Will my short be screened?
As we get more submissions than we have time to screen, only finalists will be screened live.

What about Web shows/ Web series?
Absolutely!

Exhibition format?
Please note that for judging we accept only digital submissions ( no physical DVDs). If your short is selected we will send you an email with specifications; we will need it provided as a downloadable file, and if you film has non-English dialogue it will need to have English subtitles.

When is your notification date and what is the notification process?
The notification date is by September 15th, and will be sent electronically via FilmFreeway.

Overall Rating

Quality

Value

Communication

Hospitality

Networking

Justin Castillo

Amazing film festival! Communication was spot on. Highly recommend submitting your films to this film festival!

November 2018

Helpful
Paige Bateman

This was my first Film Festival and it was a great experience! I loved that this festival was for youth and it was awesome to see other young filmmakers projects on the big screen! From start to finish, the festival was well organized and communication was quick & informative. The festival also used the money they raised to give to the BC Children's Hospital. <3 This experience has truly inspired me to keep pursing my passion and I look forward to submitting again next year! Thanks Our Voices Film Festival! ~Paige B.

November 2017

Helpful

Response from festival:

Thank you kindly for participating in our festival! Your talent and passion ( and wonderful sense of humour) were definitely standouts. We hope you'll submit again!
Rachel St. Pierre

Our Voices Film Festival was well worth the submission. They accepted a few of my student's work and did a great job of making them feel included and special despite the fact that we live in a different state. Will definitely submit again!

November 2017

Helpful

Response from festival:

Thank you kindly. Their films and perspectives were standouts. We're glad you enjoyed and hope to see new work from them.
Amy (Aidan) Wonderling

Loved this festival! One of the best for young filmmakers. Looking forward to submitting my future projects.

November 2017

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Response from festival:

Thank you kindly. We look forward to future Aiden films!
Ella Warner

What an incredible journey this has been , and we owe it all to the people who run OUR VOICES FILM FESTIVAL! There are many film festivals, all over the world - but, this one has heart. Lots of heart. They choose the films with so much meaning, and that is what our world needs. Thank you so much from the Warner Family in Los Angeles California for doing what you do!

November 2017

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Response from festival:

Thank you so much, Ella and family. The hope was really to spread a message of hope, and have youth be able to express themselves. Thank you for your wonderful films and your support!