Submissions open for films and screenplays in any genre. Submissions are evaluated on their own merit rather than compared to others in the same genre.

ALL SUBMISSIONS RECEIVE FEEDBACK!

All submissions will receive the first round score card that shows the rating on a scale of 1-10. Submissions are judged on various aspects such as Plot, Characters, Dialogue, etc... You will also get a short note from the evaluation judge.

NO RELEASE, PRODUCED, OR WRITTEN-BY DATE RESTRICTIONS!

We know it can be tough to get honest feedback on scripts and films, which is why we don’t have any restrictions on films that have been self-distributed and released on YouTube, Amazon, Vimeo, etc… There are also no restrictions on when the film was made or the screenplay was written.

Winning projects will NOT be shown online to the public. We only list the project titles and associated names on our website.

ALL SUBMISSIONS:
All submitted projects will receive the first round score card along with a note given by the initial judge.

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS:
Official Selections are recognized as submissions that have passed the first round of judging. They will receive digital Official Selection laurels.

WINNERS
All accepted films and screenplays are eligible for consideration for BEST FILM and BEST SCREENPLAY, regardless of length. We evaluate each project on its own merit rather than compare them to one another, so a short project has just as much of a chance of winning as a feature-length one does.

Winners will receive both digital laurels and physical trophies. (Trophies are mailed to recipients free of charge.)


Please read all of the policies and rules below. Submissions that do not follow these rules will be disqualified, so please ask any questions before submitting.

All completed submissions will receive the initial scorecard with the star-rating score for various aspects and any corresponding short notes at the end of the judging period before winners are announced. These are sent electronically, so please make sure that your email address on FilmFreeway is correct. (NOTE: Any submissions that are withdrawn will not be eligible for scorecard and/or feedback.)

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GENERAL RULES:

In the spirit of fairness for all competitors, we do not offer fee waivers.

All entries must be in English (or have English subtitles).

There are no "created by" time frame restrictions on films or screenplays.

There are no premiere or release restrictions on films. However, all screenplays must be un-produced and not under option at the time of the competition.

Submissions from previous years are accepted, as long as they did not win. Previous winners may enter a different project.

No works-in-progress will be accepted.

All submissions must be original works, no adaptations unless adapted from the film-maker’s own original story/novel or from a work that is the public domain.

Films may not include real violence toward humans or animals.

No pornography.

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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

In the spirit of fairness to all, we do not offer student discounts or hardship waivers for the submission fees.

FILMS - Only a director or producer may submit a film. The director/producer with the submission of the film affirms that he/she has all the copyrights of audio, video, images and music of the film or rights to the story and he/she remains responsible before the law.

SCREENPLAYS - Only the writer may submit. In the case of multiple writers, only one need to submit but all authors must be credited on the entry. The writer with the submission of the screenplay affirms that he/she has all the rights to the story and he/she remains responsible before the law.

Multiple submissions are accepted, but each must be submitted with a separate fee. There are no discounts for multiple submissions.

Submissions are evaluated by a panel of compensated judges and are scored on their own merit. The jury decisions regarding the winners are final and may not be disputed.

All entries must be sent via FilmFreeway. Please DO NOT send DVDs, BluRays, or any downloadable files to us directly.

Submission fees must be in U.S. dollars. These fees are non-refundable, even in the case of disqualification or withdrawal of an entry. There are no exceptions to this policy. Films that do not follow the rules will be disqualified, so please ask any questions before submitting.

You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claim made by you or any third party due to or arising out of project(s) you submit to this contest. You understand that there are thousands of writers and film-makers and the similarities in story, plot, characters, etc... of two or more films are certainly a possibility. The contest directors and judges will not knowingly share your submission with any third party without your permission.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • I was delighted to have my first screenplay, VEIL, win an award from this Festival! I've written a number of scripts since then, many of which have won festival awards, but I'm always happy and encouraged to get some recognition for this first effort of mine!

    July 2024
    Logo
    Response from festival:

    Thank you! Our judges really enjoyed the screenplay, and it is surprising to find out that it was a first effort. Quite well done!

  • What I really appreciate about this festival is that you get a Feedback report card and notes on the film. That’s a pretty cool feature. Although your film doesn’t have a screening per se, I think they do a really nice job of communicating with you and promoting your film on the website. And overall I was really satisfied with the experience. Thank you for selecting Bonding as best Film for spring 2023.

    June 2023
  • Thanks for awarding "Enter the Room" into your festival. The communication was clear and concise and I received everything I needed. The scorecard and in depth review was very helpful, and I wish that more festivals provided this same service. I had a very good experience overall and will definitely consider submitting future projects to Siren by the Sea.

    June 2023
  • Russell Emanuel

    Great film festival that treated us well! Thank you so much!

    February 2023
  • Kipp Howard

    Great! Will submit again! Highly recommend!

    February 2023