PLEASE read these “rules and terms” carefully. Failure to follow submission “rules and terms” may result in automatic rejection of your project! Reading FilmFEST DOES NOT guarantee fee refund for these automatic rejections.
Screenplay Competition details below.
***FILM COMPETITION***
1. Student (College or High School) filmmakers will need a Password to submit. Email your Name, Name of School, Location of School (city, state or province [if applicable] and country), Graduation Year and a copy of your current student ID to info@ReadingFilmFest.com to receive Password. We may require additional documentation of student status. If you email us for a student submission password and are NOT a High School or College student YOUR EMAIL WILL BE IGNORED!
2. Please make sure your email address is correct. We suggest you regularly check this email account for communications from us. If we request additional information and do not hear from you within a reasonable time, we may reject your submission.
3. Films must have been completed after January 1, 2021.
4. We love foreign language films! Films may be submitted in any language with English subtitles. Please ensure English subtitles are accurate, readable, and in sync with action on the screen.
5. All films selected for screening at the festival grant ReadingFilmFEST the right to use stills and excerpts of up to two minutes for promotional purposes.
6. Festival is not responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged entries.
7. Multiple entries are permissible (except FAFT countries – see below), but each entry must be accompanied by a separate submission and fee.
8. Short and student films must be less than 20 minutes. Feature and documentary films must be less than 120 minutes.
9. While ReadingFilmFEST does not restrict or censor the artistic content or style of any submission, the Festival DOES reserve the right to not accept for submission or honor with award a film perceived to promote a careless or malicious culture of hate, violence, or obscenity.
10. ReadingFilmFEST does not grant fee waivers except for filmmakers from FAFT countries (see below).
11. FAFT country filmmakers may request a fee waiver by emailing info@ReadingFilmFest.com. Include in your email the film category: short or feature and the run time of your film.
FAFT Fee Waiver Rules: filmmaker must be from a FAFT qualifying country (see Film Freeway submission page for list); only one submission per filmmaker per year; once a fee waiver is used the submitted film cannot be substituted for a different film; filmmaker must be the submitter; no submissions from distributors; and film must be a current project completed after January 1, 2021. There are a limited number of Fee Waivers available, so we recommend early entry. Failure to follow these requirements may result in rejection of film submission.
All fees are nonrefundable.
***FEATURE SCREENPLAY COMPETITION RULES***
PLEASE read carefully. Failure to follow submission rules and terms may result in automatic rejection of your screenplay. Reading FilmFEST DOES NOT guarantee fee refund for these automatic rejections.
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY
This is a competition for Feature Length Screenplays ONLY (80-120 pages in length).
- Screenplays must have been written originally in English. (No translations.)
- Scripts must not have been optioned or sold prior to July 1, 2022.
- Each submission must be accompanied with the appropriate submission fee.
- The Screenplay Competition is only open to writers who do not currently earn a living writing for film.
- Reading FilmFEST (RFF) reserves the right to reject or disqualify any ineligible entries, without a refund. Please be sure to read the submission and formatting criteria!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- If a submission involves two or more writers as applicants, please list all names on the cover page; indicate writing teams with “&” in listing author names (WGA).
- Once an entry payment has been received, we cannot provide a refund.
- Awards are based solely on the overall merit of entries. Judges reserve the right not to grant an award.
- We strongly suggest that applicants copyright their materials with the U.S. Copyright Office. Please consult an attorney if you have questions.
GENERAL FORMAT RULES
- We are only accepting Feature Screenplays and they must be approximately 80-120 pages in length.
- Screenplays must be formatted according to current industry standards and submitted as a pdf. Examples of software that can be used:
....• Final Draft
....• Studio Binder
....• Celtx
....• Movie Magic Screenwriter
- Font size must be 12-point Courier.
- Pages must be numbered in the top right-hand corner.
- Scripts must be submitted in PDF format and under 5MB.
- Only the TITLE of the FILM, AUTHOR(S)NAME(S), EMAIL ADDRESS and TELEPHONE NUMBER should appear on the cover page. The RFF is not responsible for inaccurate contact information.
- NO REVISIONS OR MISSING PAGES WILL BE ACCEPTED ONCE ENTRY HAS BEEN RECEIVED.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Online submissions will receive a confirmation email.
SELECTED SCRIPTS AND WINNERS
- Finalists will be announced on August 15, 2022
- The judges’ decision is final.
- Three finalists will be selected. Each finalist will receive script coverage (2 pages).
- From the finalists, the Grand prize winner will be selected and will have a table read with local actors during the Film Festival.
RFF has no obligation (other than as stated in these rules or on our website) to disclose any of the following information:
i) identities of readers or judges;
ii) notes, feedback, or information relating to the submitted material; and/or
iii) details regarding the submission review or selection process.
Except as explicitly stated, no representations or guarantees are made regarding the feedback or comments provided, or the quality thereof. The opinions of the readers are their own and do not reflect the opinions of RFF. RFF explicitly disclaims any liability or responsibility for any comments, notes, or opinions expressed about a submission, whether by RFF or by its readers, judges, and sponsors.
Originality and Permissions; INDEMNITY
Scripts must be the original work of the applicant(s). If based upon another person’s life or upon a book or other underlying work, applicant(s) must secure any necessary rights to make such adaptations. However, it is not necessary to submit the adaptation or rights agreements to the Festival. Neither the Festival nor its jurists investigate or attest to the authenticity of an applicant’s statement of authorship or rights secured. By entering the competition, you are acknowledging that you have secured all necessary rights.
BY SUBMITTING THE MATERIAL, THE APPLICANT HEREBY AGREES TO INDEMNIFY, HOLD HARMLESS, AND DEFEND THE FESTIVAL, ITS EMPLOYEES, DIRECTORS, REPRESENTATIVES, AND AFFILIATES FROM ANY LIABILITY, CLAIMS, AND DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH THE SUBMISSION AND FROM ANY FEES AND EXPENSES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO REASONABLE ATTORNEYS’ FEES, THAT ANY OF THEM MAY INCUR IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.
