Revitalizing a 100-acre farm (1990s multipurpose dream of Dr. Manuel & Nellie Roco) was the inspiration for #RocoRanchFilmFestival- revamping "Rainbow Golf Driving Range" for outdoor film. Due to weather though (rain), Centralia's beautifully renovated vintage facilities have been the festival's site: "The Aerie," (backdrop pic) and "Historic Centralia Train Depot" (fourth pic). The festival organizer and SAG-AFTRA actor of the early 1990s (most recently, a small scene with Cyndi Lauper on Magnum PI), hence dipped into his profession to fulfill another need~ bringing out stories that need be told.

Located in Centralia, WA, "The Hub City," immediately center to Seattle, WA and Portland, OR, a wonderful Amtrak train stop between the two bustling centers of Washington & Oregon (the Spring 2024 film festival held in the 'multipurpose room,' just yards from exiting the train), the town is known for factory outlets, and yearly, "Hub City Car Show:" Eddie Bauer, Nike, Under Armour, Columbia, Carters, Pendleton (wool wear from Oregon), Coach, Polo Ralph Lauren, Aeropostale, etc., and of course Centralia's own "Centerville Country & Western (see pic above, former nursing facility just two blocks from this building)," with any and all of the cowboy hats & boots & attire you would ever want of an authentic Western store, real cowgirls & cowboys- competing in local rodeo, "The Real Deal," also with a true country restaurant with all the trimmings, "Country Cousin (see pic above; this restaurant in walking distance of Centralia Factory Outlets)" with a Historic downtown known for antique malls (see pic), and truly unique Veterans Museum in Chehalis, WA just five miles away. Indeed, the one red brick street with matching setting remaining, in downtown Centralia had been used for a 1920s period film.

Two lengths, shorts (10 minutes to 50 minutes) and features (above 50 minutes) appropriate for children 0-99, fiction or non, animated or non, premiers not required, completion needing be within five years of screening. The features winner would be invited to speak of their film (not required) with members (cast/crew, etc.) in roundtable for 15 minutes at screening, moderated by film organizer, inviting questions of audience (e.g., MOMA NYC). Trophies and laurels awarded for both features and shorts for: evening's winners, finalists, and official selections.

The Spring 2025 festival Thursday April 3, 2025, will focus on films concerning relationships between man & woman, couples. This could be a marriage, pre-nuptial, or even the course of courtship. All through human history any story, whether Helen of Troy, the launching of 1000 ships, or Shakespearian, mythological, on up to current day.

Or, these could be films wherein one or other of the couple does not even appear: therapeutic or the aftermath of such male female relationships- the kind of stories wherein the elephant in the room (e.g., a male no longer there) had had such an impact, with the woman and the children living the aftermath of devastation (e.g. The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio, if the husband had never been seen).

A backdrop in crisis intervention, also anger management in staff, these true stories of trial and tribulation, with people coming out better, or not, or in the process, need be told, and heard in film, as they truly portray a significant part of the human experience. They can be of any ancient ties, biblical or further back, of any culture of any part of the world, these stories of a man and woman in love, or not, or there for whatever reasons.

Submissions open: April 9, 2024.

Awards & Prizes

For each of the festival days, there will be a Winner, whether be of shorts (10 minutes to 50 minutes), features (above 50 minutes) or both with presentation at the end of the day in conclusion of the day's films. Prior to presentation to Winner, will be presentation to any official selections or finalists. Trophies and Laurels will be provided to all: official selections, finalists, and winners. A separate Student category will be included in presentation, wherein trophy & laurel will be presented to any student winner of the two categories: short and feature. Any new category(s) for awards may be decided upon off the nature and quality of submission (e.g., Inaugurating 2023 the newly minted, "Robert C. Bolles Award in Film," was awarded), of which jurying also reflects results of films included.

Rules & Terms

In submitting to the Roco Ranch Film Festival, any filmmaker submitting deems they have read all of the terms, conditions and rules below, and agrees to all of them:

1. Submissions must fall into two categories length wise, either: a) shorts of: minimum 10 minutes up to 50 minutes, and b) features above 50 minutes.
2. As this is to be a family festival, with children also, no nudity and no R or X films. Even PG-13 films that are too suggestive should not be submitted, as this film festival is open to all families, all ages, and no films of content inappropriate for children will be considered.
3. Submissions do not need to be premiers.
4. Films submitted must have been completed within five years of the potential view date of the festival.
5. Not all films submitted will be viewed at the festival; just submitting a film does not mean that a film will be accepted.
6. Although filmmakers whose films will be viewed at the festival are encouraged to attend for their film's showing, attendance is not required of filmmakers whose films are accepted.
7. Travel and board will not be paid for by the festival.
8. Once a film is submitted, there can be no reversal of submission of the submitted film. Likewise, there would be no refund if a filmmaker later asked for a reversal of the submission of the already submitted film.
9. All submitted films, may not just show on that films themed day, but there also may be (in the works, we'll see!) an end of the year selection process, if the Roco Ranch Film Festival has a fall winter series as well, with potentially any submitted film, possibly being selected as a finalist, or award winner for an end of the year event where the film could be reshown, the filmmaker possibly awarded also. Purely by submitting a film does not ensure that a film will be considered for the possible end of the year event. A film would need to have been juried, and not all films would be awarded, nor shown at either a themed day, nor an end of the year event.
10. In submitting a film to Roco Ranch Film Festival, a filmmaker may be offered the opportunity to have their film included in a DVD of selected films. Not all films submitted would be included in this DVD. After processing fees of this DVD, a filmmaker would receive their proportion (proportion determined by the number of minutes the filmmaker's film was in relation to the total minutes of film time on the DVD) times 50%. What that means is that any profit from the DVD (after production costs of DVD and materials such as DVD sleave and the printed materials of DVD content, etc.) would be split equally between Roco Ranch Film Festival and filmmakers (each receiving their proportion determined by the minutes of their film in proportion to total minutes of the DVD).
11. Roco Ranch Film Festival reserves the right to, if there were issues (e.g. a predicted storm of rain on that day of the month the film were to show, some other issue whether technical, environmental, etc.), hold the event at a different venue.
12. If there were an issue (e.g., what happened during Covid lockdown) where for some reason unpredictable circumstances interfered, then Roco Ranch Film Festival cannot be held liable in trying best carry out the festival in ways determined possible in any unforeseen circumstances (e.g., as happened off Covid circumstance, postponed, etc.)
13. Any filmmaker in submitting attest they have full rights, and all consents necessary for Roco Ranch Film Festival to show the film. Not all submitted films will be shown.
14. All films must be submitted through FilmFreeway.
15. If a film is selected, then the filmmaker agrees that Roco Ranch Film Festival has permission to advertise the film festival using any materials provided to Roco Ranch Film Festival in jurying the film. This could be clips of the film, materials or photos on the film or cast or crew, stories or news articles on the film, etc. The filmmaker agrees to allow Roco Ranch Film Festival to utilize such materials, any and all of such, in speaking to media of the film festival and any film selected.
16. If a film is selected, then the filmmaker agrees to provide Roco Ranch Film Festival 25 posters of the film to advertise the film and the Roco Ranch Film Festival in the community, and beyond.
17. If a film is selected, then the filmmaker agrees to provide the 25 posters of the film, and also a pen drive with the film in MP4 format not closer than 2 weeks prior to the screening (if the filmmaker is able to provide the MP4 through other format than a pen drive, that is able to verifiably, meaning clearly viewed and able to be shown to the public off that format, take the place of a mailed pen drive, then that may also be acceptable also)
18. If a film is selected as a feature winner, and the filmmaker cannot attend the screening, the filmmaker agrees to provide to Roco Ranch Film Festival, in addition to the items of rule #17, a recording of themselves and members invited, too (cast/crew, etc.; members not required) in MP4 format, accepting the award from Roco Ranch Film Festival, and speaking some in a way appropriate to a family environment, of the process of making the film, this recording lasting between 3 and 8 minutes. Roco Ranch Film Festival reserves the right to invite any filmmaker with members (cast/crew, etc.) seen as appropriate, to speak of their film, whether in person or recording, other than the feature winner (again, if there is a verifiable format, meaning able to be used for the public seeing of the acceptance of the award, then that could also be acceptable in place of the mailed pen drive with MP4).
19. Roco Ranch Film Festival cannot guarantee return of any submitted material.
20. Filmmakers submitting attest they have read all of these rules, conditions, and terms upon submission. Submission fees are nonrefundable.
21. Filmmakers need not select among any of the themed day in submitting to the festival. Many films may have themes from more than one of the days, and Roco Ranch Film Festival would be able to select which day under which theme a selection would best fit in.
22. Roco Ranch Film Festival reserves the right to select the specific day a selected film would best fit in.
23. Roco Ranch Film Festival reserves the right to, if content off submissions justifies as well as logistics, extend any of the themed days, longer, meaning to extend to the prior day(s) of any of the themed days, or to the following day(s), or both or even extend further, even to a following weekend, etc. Such would initially be 'content driven,' meaning the films wont of being shown, could not fit in just one day, with logistical considerations if to do.
24. As the organizer of Roco Ranch Film Festival has had prior involvement with various churches, and various hierarchies, also elected public leaders, public servants, veterans' and U.S. armed forces groups too, Roco Ranch Film Festival reserves the right to invite leaders of such organizations to present awards at Roco Ranch Film Festival.
25. Roco Ranch Film Festival also reserves the right to have peoples inherently integral to the film festivals existence, whether Roco Ranch, the film festival itself, or even peoples substantial to the theme of the day, to present awards. Also, Roco Ranch Film Festival reserves the right to come up with further categories of which awards can be presented off analyses of submitted films. Just by submitting a film does not mean the film will receive an award, nor be shown.
26. Films claiming 'student,' or 'local PNW,' status but not following guidelines under fees description and rules of "student," or, "local PNW," can be disqualified, no refund.
27. A student does not need to be currently enrolled, but only need to have been a student for the making of the submitted film.
28. Roco Ranch Film Festival reserves the right to provide more awards than those listed, in response to submissions, the content of films submitted, those which appear worthy of an award as juried.
29. Any non-English films need to be subtitled in English. if subtitled most be a narrative able to follow easily if in another language by children of the filming itself, as not always would there be an adult parent readily available to read subtitles to sometimes their many children.
30. Submission is open to films from all over the world.