Out On Film, Atlanta's LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) Film Festival, is one of the leading LGBTQ film festivals in the United States, as well as an Oscar qualifying one. Short films that win the festival’s Best Drama Short award will now be eligible to enter the Academy’s Live Action Short film competition for the concurrent season, provided their films otherwise comply with the Academy rules. In 2023, we will hold our 36th annual film festival. Each year, we showcase approximately 150 narratives, documentaries, short films. We show everything from international fare to local programming to retrospectives. We also place a big premium on working with filmmakers. Our visiting filmmaker series is one of the most respected in the industry.

Important - films that are accepted for Out On Film need to be local premieres.

Awards & Prizes

We offer Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary, Best Drama Short, and Best International Film

We offer Jury Awards for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best International Film, Best Performance, Best Director, Best First Film, Best Ensemble and Best Drama Short.

We are an Oscar® qualifying film festival. Short films that win the festival’s Best Drama Short award will now be eligible to enter the Academy’s Live Action Short film competition for the concurrent season, provided their films otherwise comply with the Academy rules

We are offering two Screenplay Competitions - a Short Film Screenplay Competition and a Feature Film Screenplay Competition. Winners in the Short Film category receive $250 and the Feature Film category receive $500. Both winners receive a staged reading at the 2023 Out On Film festival.

Rules & Terms

Out on Film (OOF) is now accepting film entries for our 2023 Festival. We are seeking films catered to the interest of, and inclusive to the LGBTQ+ community. We wish to showcase the trials and triumphs of life using the moving image. This is mandatory for consideration. This is a necessary step towards inclusion for many who have not had their stories told and is an integral part of our mission to expand who and what is seen by our patrons and Atlanta’s. Works in progress are not allowed.

Online submissions MUST include the fully completed submission form, entry fee, JPEG publicity photo(s), a two-sentence synopsis, downloadable trailer URL, URL link to preview the film (Vimeo preferred) and password to access the film (if protected). The URL link and password for selected films must be available until August 29, 2023. Film’s submissions must have been completed in 2022 or later. Foreign language films must have English subtitles.

More than one entry can be submitted; however, each entry must be accompanied by separate online submission forms. Submissions containing multiple films will be disqualified from consideration. Shipment of exhibition asset(s) to the festival must be paid by the applicant.

If shipping preview screeners, please note that Out on Film will not be able to return the materials provided. Completion of the entry form certifies that you are the rightful owner of the submitted work and own all rights and releases necessary for public screening(s).By submitting your work to Out on Film, you grant a non-exclusive license to use an excerpt of your submission of up to two minutes in length for promotional purposes only.

Out on Film request Georgia premiere status for any and all official selections. Out on Film has the exclusive right to determine how, when, and the duration that submitted and selected films are screened for the festival (in-person, virtually, or both) as well as to determine appropriate geo-blocking measures for films that screen virtually. Films that we screen virtually need to be available for a minimum of one week throughout the U.S and may be subject to special encore opportunities during the month of October.

Our relationships with filmmakers are very valuable to us and we always strive to have as many filmmakers present as we can at our event. For those filmmakers we are able to invite to our festival, we offer airfare, lodging and transportation. For filmmakers who come on their own, we make every attempt to assist with housing and lodging.

IMPORTANT NOTE: IF SELECTED, WE WILL HAVE VERY IMPORTANT TIME-SENSITIVE CORRESPONDENCE SO BE SURE TO WHITELIST COMMUNICATIONS FROM TRAFFIC@OUTONFILM.ORG. BE SURE TO INCLUDE A PHONE NUMBER WE CAN REACH YOU AT IN YOUR SUBMISSION.
76 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Michelle Ehlen

    I've screened three of my features at Out On Film and it's always a pleasure to be a part of it. Jim and the team are very professional, communicative, and it's such a fun and supportive event for queer films and filmmakers.

    May 2023
    Helpful
  • Kimya Motley

    I absolutely LOVED screening our film, Intentionally Erased, at the Out on Film Festival! This was my first screening, and I did not know what to expect. Farrington, Jim, and the whole team at Out on Film went above and beyond to educate me about the process. Their customer service, attention to detail, and publicity around the film and the festival were phenomenal. There were several events for filmmakers throughout the week that provided an excellent opportunity for networking as well. It was a wonderful experience I will hold in my heart forever. Thank you so much!

    February 2023
    Helpful
  • S.E. King

    We loved our time in Atlanta with these beautiful folks so much! A great mix of some of the best LGBTQ+ work there is to offer and such friendly staff running things with their charming southern hospitality. We, unfortunately, had some unforeseen technical issues on our end with our upload to be viewed online but they handled it with understanding and we greatly appreciated that. We will absolutely submit our next LGBTQ+ project to Out On Film :)

    December 2022
    Helpful
  • Todd Flaherty

    Jim and the team at Out On Film were phenomenal. We were chosen as the closing night film and simply blown away by the audience and reception. Atlanta is a full of emerging talent in the film industry and Out On Film showcases new innovative voices in the queer genre. I hope to return in years to come.

    November 2022
    Helpful
  • Broderick Fox

    Out on Film is such an extraordinary festival. The festival team and volunteers are wonderful, and they really prioritize hospitality and support for filmmakers. The great queer and ally community of Atlanta turned out for screenings, and the Q&A's following (with an impressive number of filmmakers in attendance thanks to the support of the fest) were always insightful. Not to mention the fest is an Academy Qualifier and Atlanta is a gorgeous city. Missing the fest already and hope to be back soon!

    November 2022
    Helpful