THE PRISON CITY FILM FESTIVAL – A 4-day Independent Film Festival based at the Old Town Theatre in Huntsville, TX, set to begin on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.
Its four-day roster will be packed with Special Presentations, Q&As and informative open Discussions, Receptions & Networking Mixers (during & after hours), Live Entertainment, and of course – feature films, shorts, documentaries, music videos, and trailers selected from the various category submissions to be screened and presented in first rate style on the big screen with HQ sound! All of this will follow a fun-filled pathway ultimately leading to the spectacular PCFF Red Carpet Awards Gala!

Since its inception, PCFF has grown tremendously, doubling in size each year, and rapidly becoming one of the premier film festivals in North America -- well worth the consideration of all indie filmmakers, and film enthusiasts alike!

• THE C.O. AWARD --- for Best in Category!

- US Narrative Feature
- International Narrative Feature
- US Narrative Short
- International Narrative Short
- US Narrative Super-Short
- International Narrative Super-Short
- Documentary Feature
- Documentary Short
- Web Series
- Music Video
- Trailer

• THE SERGEANT'S AWARD --- for Best Production!

- NARRATIVE FEATURE LENGTH FILM

- Writing
- Cinematography
- Music
- Sound
- Editing
- FX
- Makeup
- Costume Design

- NARRATIVE SHORT FILM

- Writing
- Cinematography
- Music
- Sound
- Editing
- FX
- Makeup
- Costume Design

- FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY

- Writing
- Cinematography
- Music
- Sound
- Editing
- Narration

- DOCUMENTARY SHORT

- Writing
- Cinematography
- Music
- Sound
- Editing
- Narration

• THE MAJOR AWARD --- for Best Acting!

- NARRATIVE FEATURE LENGTH FILM

- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress

- NARRATIVE SHORT FILM

- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress

• THE CAPTAIN'S AWARD --- for Best Director!

- Narrative Feature Length Film
- Narrative Short Film
- Feature Length Documentary
- Documentary Short

• THE DESK BOSS AWARD --- for Best in Genre!

- Drama
- Comedy
- Action
- Romance
- Horror
- Suspense/Thriller
- Animation

• THE NEXT-GEN AWARD --- for Best Student Filmmaker!

- Varsity (High School)
- College (undergraduate)
- College (graduate)

• THE AD-SEG AWARD --- for Most Intense, and/or Uniquely Creative!

• THE OUTSIDE PICKETT AWARD --- for Most Original!

• THE WARDEN'S VANGUARD AWARD --- for Best Overall Submission!

Prison City Film Festival -- 2025 Rules & Terms.

Each time you submit content to Prison City Film Festival (PCFF) for consideration and/or selection, you will be confirming your acceptance, and agreement to be bound by all PCFF’s Terms and Conditions, including, without limitation, this Agreement.

SUBMITTING CONTENT --- Prison City Film Festival (PCFF) will use the term “content” to mean and refer to any and all content, videos, films, media, captures and all other materials, such as publicity stills or other supporting content you submit.

To be considered for screening at the Prison City Film Festival, your content must meet all the specifications and requirements relating to formatting, compatibility, operating characteristics and submission.

In order to submit content, you will need to meet a minimum Age Requirement and your content must meet Prison City Film Festival’s Content Requirements.

We will not be responsible for lost, damaged, misdirected, unusable, or unreadable content.

Before submitting content, you will need to complete your registration for the festival.

SUBMISSION PROCESS AND REQUIRED FORMAT --- If your film is selected for viewing at the film festival, we will ultimately show your film via a high-quality digital HD projector, utilizing a common selection of industry standard digital formats (i.e., H.264 MPEG-4), which you will be required to provide (via download) by NLT Friday January 31st, 2025 (Approx. 3 1/2 weeks prior to the festival’s opening). However, FOR SUBMISSION PURPOSES – PCFF simply needs a working LINK to your film. Your link must be to a secure, online version of your film via an external site (HINT: Your FilmFreeway Submission account will work just fine and is easiest on us). Also (and very important), your link MUST WORK with any normal and reasonably well working high speed internet streaming set-up.

Your link must be working BEFORE you complete your submission application.

Your link must be available through the entirety of the film festival (i.e., through March 1, 2025). It is preferable that your link remain throughout the entire month of March 2025 – however, that is not required as a condition for submission.

You will receive a confirmation email from FilmFreeway and/or Prison City Film Festival within 48 hours of your submission. THAT EMAIL WILL CONFIRM THAT YOUR FILM HAS BEEN SUBMITTED PROPERLY. If you do not receive this confirmation email within 48 hours, you should follow up (by email) to ensure your film has been submitted properly and is under consideration.

To keep important Prison City Film Festival emails from landing in your spam folder, it is a good idea to add the following addresses to your contact list: submission@prisoncityfilmfestival.com & info@prisoncityfilmfestival.com

ACCEPTABLE SUBMISSIONS --- Prison City Film Festival does not accept rough assemblies but will accept work-in-progress cuts (picture lock with temporary sound, color, etc.). Please be aware that we will NOT screen multiple updates/versions of your film for programming consideration. Therefore, consider submitting your application only when you think your film is in the most complete and finished form possible. If your film is 'Selected' you will receive an official notification (via FilmFreeway.com) on January 24, 2025.

WE WILL ONLY SCREEN THE FIRST CUT SUBMITTED. PRISON CITY FILM FESTIVAL REQUIRES ALL FILMS TO BE SUBMITTED VIA A URL LINK. IF YOU MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THIS LINK PRIOR TO THE OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION DATE WITHOUT NOTIFYING US, YOUR FILM IS SUBJECT TO BECOME INELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION.

All applicants will be informed of the status of their project by no later than Friday, January 24, 2025.

REQUIRED FORMAT FOR SCREENING — Unless otherwise agreed upon, and arranged, ALL accepted films will be screened at the Film Festival in HD 1080p or 720p (H.264 mp4 format). HINT >> The easiest and most functional way for us to receive your film is through FilmFreeway's System for downloading -- which is already in place, and ready for you to use. We simply click the download request link, you are then notified of that request via email and subsequently ok it, and that request link then turns into a Download Button, allowing us to simply download your film at whatever size we need. And, just so you know, doing it this way makes the process of getting your film very, very, very... EASY on a film festival! BTW -- Did we say that this is an easy and extremely great way of doing it? LOL While we will be setup for DCP -- A DCP is NOT REQUIRED, and your film will look great over our projection system.

AGE REQUIREMENTS --- If an entrant is less than 13 years of age, a parent or guardian will need to complete the registration form and include the name of both the participating child or children, and the parent or guardian. Submission of the registration form confirms that the parent/guardian has read and agrees on behalf of the child or children to be bound by this agreement and understands, agrees, and shall be fully responsible for the submission. If you are between 13 to 18 years of age, and you submit content for consideration and/or selection in the Prison City Film Festival, you are confirming to that you have received your parent’s/guardian’s express consent to do so, and that your parent/guardian (i) has read, and, on your behalf, agrees to be bound by this agreement; and (ii) understands, agrees, and shall be fully responsible for your submission.

CONTENT REQUIREMENTS AND RIGHTS – You are solely responsible and liable for the content you submit (and the consequences thereof) made under your name, user name, e-mail address, password, and your registration or profile information. The content does not reflect the views of the Prison City Film Festival. The Festival reserves the right, at any time, without notice and without limiting any and all other rights under this Agreement to remove and delete your content from the Prison City Film Festival, and/or any PCFF program and/or promotion documentation, and/or any PCFF advertisements, along with any listing or presence on www.PrisonCityFilmFestival.com

You agree you will not submit any content that is libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, sexually, racially, culturally, or ethnically offensive, harassing, intimidating, threatening, hateful, discriminatory or abusive. You also agree you will not submit any content for commercial or business purposes because it may adversely affect Prison City Film Festival’s ability to gain support from third parties who assist the event to continue. Prison City Film Festival reserves the right to reject and/or remove any content that in its sole discretion it deems to be in violation of anything listed above, or which falls in to any questionable area such as violation of copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights.

NOTICES --- Prison City Film Festival reserves the right to remove and take down your content without notice if any content is in violation of any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement. If PCFF receives notice of any claim of infringement that satisfies specific legal requirements, PCFF may remove content associated with such claims and will notify you if your content is removed.

COPYRIGHT; CONTENT REQUIREMENT VIOLATIONS; BREACH OF AGREEMENT --- In regards to intellectual property, you are fully responsible for the clearance of any music, sound, images or graphics contained in your entry. If any record company or music publisher contacts us about an entry’s music rights, we will refer that company to you, so, be sure to obtain all the appropriate clearances beforehand.

If you believe any of the content presented at PCFF, or listed on www.PrisonCityFilmFestival.com violates the copyright of any other party, or violates the terms of this Agreement, or in any other way infringes upon the rights of others, please notify us by email at copyright@prisoncityfilmfestival.com

LIMITED RIGHTS GRANTED TO PRISON CITY FILM FESTIVAL --- PCFF reserves the right to edit and use your content for the purposes of promoting the Prison City Film Festival, or website.

In connection with the content you submit to PCFF for consideration, you are authorizing PCFF to host, cache, and store your content, and grant a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual and royalty free right and license to use your content in connection with any promotion offline or online through www.PrisonCityFilmFestival.com, partner networks or similar, and through mobile phone networks, and any legitimate and reputable promotional outlet.

The rights described in this agreement will commence immediately upon submission of content, and will continue indefinitely.

Prison City Film Festival has the right to include your film or video in any of its promotional activities. This may include, but is not limited to, the creation of show-reels and advertisements promoting the Prison City Film Festival, physical screenings, ad campaigns, presentations, and product pitches.

Prison City Film Festival has the right to compress, transcode, and package your film for any PCFF online or offline promotional presentation.

Prison City Film Festival has the right to screen your film at partner events, including screenings and launches associated with the festival and otherwise.

Prison City Film Festival has the right to package and distribute portions of your film or video as part of a PCFF promotion (not for resale).

OWNERSHIP --- Submitting your film to the Prison City Film Festival (PCFF) in no way implies any ownership rights by PCFF to the submitted film. You own your project. If you are approached by anyone about your film as a result of being listed in any PCFF (either on or offline), or as a result of any screening at PCFF, and such an approach results in some type of deal, PCFF claims no profit from any portion of that deal.

You must own the rights to the content you submit along with each element of the content you submit, and the right to grant all of the authorizations, rights and licenses described in this Agreement. If you do not exclusively own all of these rights, you must have all necessary authorizations, permissions, approvals, consents, rights and licenses from the owner(s) to enter into this agreement, perform, and comply with all of its obligations.

Prison City Film Festival does not claim any ownership rights to the content that you submit to Prison City Film Festival. The Festival retains all rights, titles and interest in and to PCFF including, but not limited to all associated intellectual property and proprietary rights existing anywhere in the world, and you acquire no ownership, proprietary or other rights, title or interest in or to the PCFF.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATION --- Upon entering into this agreement, you agree that the Prison City Film Festival reserves the right to sell event tickets, advertising, and gain outside sponsorship in connection with your content.

INDEMNIFICATION --- Your indemnification obligations under these Terms of Use include any third party claims arising from, or caused by your content, the submission of your content, PCFF’s use of your content consistent with the rights granted to us by this agreement, and/or any use you may make of the service.

GENERAL --- This Agreement, together with our online Terms of Use, and privacy policy, is the entire agreement between you and Prison City Film Festival.

The subject matter of this agreement supersedes any prior or inconsistent agreements. PCFF may terminate, update, or modify this agreement at any time without notice to you.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction --- This agreement shall be governed by the statutes and laws of the State of Texas, without regard to the conflicts of laws principles thereof.

HEADINGS --- The paragraph headings used herein are for convenience only and shall not be used to limit any portion of these Terms and Conditions.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • I have been submitting to and attending PCFF for almost six years now, I have nothing but great things to say! When I've been able to attend, the festival is incredibly welcoming and love to celebrate every single filmmaker that is selected. For me, Prison City has become a staple of my festival circuit journey every time I finish a project. I can't recommend Prison City enough!

    March 2024
  • My experience at the Prison City Film Festival was truly exceptional. The festival was well organized, from clear signage to helpful staff, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience for all attendees. The hospitality extended throughout the event was great, with a warm welcome and attentive service. The selection of films showcased a careful curation, reflecting the dedication of the organizers to present engaging content. It's evident that the organizers are committed to continual improvement, and I eagerly anticipate attending future editions of this fantastic festival.

    March 2024
  • Charles Featherston

    Not only were the movies they showed amazing, but the hosts were spectacular and some of the nicest people I’ve met in the festival circuit! I can’t wait to go back for another round in jail!

    March 2024
  • Stephen Wallis

    A lovely festival. Filled with great people and great films. One of the best experiences we've ever had. Would highly recommend people going to this festival next year. The team running it was wonderful. I can't say enough good things.

    March 2024
  • Peter Nillesen

    Unfortunately, we had to withdraw our film due to not being able to properly facilitate the film to show it. This was due to security issues. We had a huge number of nominations but unfortunately we had to withdraw. despite this, thank you for the screening.

    March 2024