PROOF is a short film festival in Los Angeles dedicated to showcasing the best in proof-of-concepts.

Do you have a short film or short pilot that you would like to see made into a feature film, television show, limited series, or another longer form of entertainment? Submit to PROOF! Providing a highly competitive and unique festival experience, as well as opening the door for fruitful future filmmaking opportunities, PROOF is a one-stop-shop for the newest emerging talent.

For this festival, we define a proof-of-concept as a smaller version of what a larger future project might look like. It is a short film that best represents the concept, story, tone and themes of a potential feature film or television series.

PROOF is powered by the American Cinematheque. The American Cinematheque is a member-supported 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization, programming cinema at the Los Feliz 3, Aero Theatre, and Egyptian Theatre. The AC believes that cinema is a communal experience with the power to entertain, enlighten and inspire, building a diverse and engaged film community through immersive film curation, conversation, and presentation. The American Cinematheque bridges the filmmaker to the audience and film history to its future.

Awards & Prizes

The following prizes will be awarded at the Festival. Awards and prizes are subject to change:

Audience Choice Award - All films that are Official Selections are eligible to win this award, chosen by PROOF audience members at the conclusion of the festival.

Grand Jury Award - Chosen by the jury made up of filmmakers and industry professionals, this is the highest award given to an official selection.

Gold Award - Chosen by the jury made up of filmmakers and industry professionals, this is the second highest award given to an official selection.

Silver Award - Chosen by the jury made up of filmmakers and industry professionals, this is the third highest award given to an official selection.

Bronze Award - Chosen by the jury made up of filmmakers and industry professionals, this is the fourth highest award given to an official selection.

All winners of these awards will receive the following:
-The Black List will provide free script hosting for the award-winning filmmakers on the Black List website.
-ShotDeck will provide free yearlong subscriptions to their services for the award-winning filmmakers.

Panavision will provide a $60K camera package for the Grand Jury Award winner for the next phase of their concept.

Rules & Terms

Eligibility:

For this inaugural year of festival, there is no date as to when films must have been completed. Rule Change (5/19): Films openly available online on services such as Youtube or Vimeo are now encouraged to submit. Films currently available on a major streaming service (ex: Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon, etc.) are NOT eligible.

For the first year of the festival, only narrative projects will be considered. Documentaries may be an option to submit at a later date.

Non-English films must have English subtitles. Works-in-progress will be considered, provided they will be completed prior to the festival. Please describe in your project portal what elements are still being worked on so the screening committee has an idea of what to temporarily ignore.

Submission Requirements:

Submission format must be an online screener. Acceptable formats for submissions include Private Vimeo/YouTube links, and/or privately hosted video files. No DVDs or BluRays will be accepted. Submissions in a foreign language must be subtitled or dubbed in English. If submitting more than one film, a separate completed entry is required for each title.

Entry fees are non-refundable. Films are NOT viewed without completed entry form and payment. We define a proof-of-concept as a smaller version of what a larger future project might look like. It is a short film that best represents the concept, story, tone and themes of a potential feature film or television series. You do not need to have a full draft of the script for the next phase of your concept, but all entrants must fill out a 250-word minimum statement of intent for what they envision their next step to be. Completed scripts and pitch decks are optional materials to submit.

Acceptance:​

Film selection for the festival will be made by the screening committee. Filmmakers will be notified via email of acceptance.

PROOF expects that the film’s director(s), and any other guests/talent participating in the Festival with the film in will be present for the public screening of the film, as well as, where applicable, the in-person or digital publicity events, and a question-and-answer session (following the screenings).

For any other questions and clarifications on rules or eligibility, please do not hesitate to reach out to proof@americancinematheque.com