The Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series is an annual film festival founded by African Voices magazine. Established in 1997, Reel Sisters (www.reelsisters.org) is dedicated to providing opportunities for women of color to advance their careers in the film industry. Reel Sisters accepts films written, directed, or produced by women/non-binary filmmakers of color. Reel Sisters is the first Academy Qualifying Film Festival for short narratives devoted to women of color across the globe. Reel Sisters is an IMDb qualifying film festival. Reel Sisters celebrates our 26th Anniversary in 2023.
APPLICATION INFO: YOU MUST SUBMIT PRODUCTION STILLS/PHOTOS and a TRAILER for your submission to be ELIGIBLE AND COMPLETE. You can screenshot photos from your film if you were unable to hire a photographer.
Reel Sisters is a competitive festival and films are selected by an independent jury. Please submit films early as deadlines are final. The festival provides quality customer service and does not offer fee waivers. The fee covers a small fraction of the administrative costs for running a professional Oscar qualifying film festival.
Reel Sisters accepts all genres and formats with a special interest in submissions from animated and web series producers. Send us films that will make our audience “cry, dance, laugh, sing and explore." The festival curates events throughout the year so all entries will be considered for Reel Sisters Tea & Cinema series. Join our worldwide community of film professionals in celebrating stories produced, directed and written by women of color!
NEW: REEL SISTERS MICRO BUDGET FILM FELLOWSHIP 2023
Reel Sisters Micro Budget Film Fellowship Offers Women of Color A Chance for $5000 to Produce A Web Series Pilot or Short Film!
DEADLINE: February 28, 2023 Announcement: April 10, 2023
You will receive $5,000 to produce your short film or the first episode of your web series, which you can use as a calling card to attract a producer and other film opportunities. Short films of 15 minutes or less are also eligible. You will be guided on your journey in learning the art of creating a high quality micro budget short film. Story is Queen.
Be prepared to begin production and shooting of your short film or web series project shortly after you are selected as the Reel Sisters Fellow!
For complete application visit www.reelsisters.org
REEL SISTERS HIGHLIGHTS
• Listed in Film Daily's Top 10 Women Centered Film Festivals (2018)
https://filmdaily.co/news/female-focused-film-festivals/
• Profiled in Bushwick Daily, Shadow & Act, Film Daily, the Washington Post, Latin Times and Black Enterprise for presenting outstanding films by women of color from across the globe!
• Reel Sisters is a top tier film festival that provides a chance for women to gain distribution, network and access to opportunities in the film industry.
Reel Sisters screens original films by women across the globe each year — the festival has screened over 5,400 films since its inception. Awards for Best Director, Best Documentary, Best Screenplay, Best Experimental, Best Animation, Best Feature, Best Short, Best Narrative, Best Web Series, Best Original Soundtrack and the Reel Sisters Spirit Award are selected by an independent jury composed of filmmakers, community leaders and artists. Reel Sisters has given over $60,000 in cash awards and scholarships since our inception. In 2022, Reel Sisters Micro Budget Film Fellowship provided script to screen opportunities to three women of color filmmakers who received $5K each towards their short film project. Our fellows receive a premiere screening at Reel Sisters, an Oscar Qualifying festival.
CASH AWARDS FOR 2023
Best Narrative Short - $1,000
Best Director - $500
Best Screenplay - $300
Best Animation - $200
REEL SISTERS MIRCO BUDGET FILM FELLOWSHIP - $5,000
For complete application information visit www.reelsisters.org
