Welcome to the inaugural TBD Film Festival presented by Creating Foward, Inc. and The Reilly Arts Center in Ocala. The TBDFF is a hybrid online and in-person event created to give a platform to creators who work in the medium of screen storytelling. We created this event after noticing many of the film festivals in our area putting the focus on societal events surrounding the festival and not enough on the films and filmmakers themselves.

No matter your budget, we look forward to your submissions and are excited at the possibilities of working with those chosen. We will be hosting the films online via POD during the month of October and will be screening the "Best of the Best" audience picks at the Marion Theatre, in Ocala, FL in January of 2022 so every movie will have an opportunity to be experienced in person. All online screenings will be protected via movie industry standard DRM to protect your work.

We're excited to bring your work in front of a new audience!

Awards & Prizes

All Genre Awards will be chosen by audience vote. All "Best of" awards will be chosen by a panel of judges who will view each film in the festival.

There will be 6 Feature Awards. There will be a base award rate and we will be adding 20% of all feature submission fees to be split between these awards as well up to a maximum amount. The more submissions we get, the higher the prizes will be.

*Best Genre Feature (5 Awards) - $100 Base Award ($1,000 Max)
*Best Feature Fillm (1 Award) - $250 Base Award ($1,500 Max)

There will be 6 Shorts Awards. There will be a base award rate and we will be adding 20% of all feature submission fees to be split between these awards as well. The more submissions we get, the higher the prizes will be.

*Best Genre Short (5 Awards) - $50 Base Award ($500 Max)
*Best Short Film (1 Award) - $100 Base Award ($750 Max)

Finally, while not necessarily a "prize", we will be giving each filmmaker 75% of all ticket sales for their particular films. The more people who see it, the more you will be rewarded so we encourage all chosen filmmakers to help market their online offerings. We would REALLY like this to be a Film Festival where the chosen filmmakers don't lose money to participate!

Rules & Terms

RULES AND GUIDELINES

*CAN I SUBMIT MY FILM IF IT'S ALREADY AVAILABLE? - Yes and No... Feel free to submit any film regardless of premiere status, however we ask that it is not currently and will not be available to stream for free online during the month of October, 2021. We may potentially waive this rule depending on any current distribution deals you may have.

* WHAT TYPE OF MOVIES ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? - This year we are choosing 5 features in each category of Comedy, Horror, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, and Documentary and 5 shorts in each category of Comedy, Horror, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Animation.

* WILL I GET FEEDBACK ON MY SUBMISSION? - Unfortunately, we anticipate enough submissions to make it next to impossible to provide feedback on all of them. As we’re trying to maintain a level of fairness, if the initial screeners feel the need to provide feedback, we won’t stop them, but do not expect it. They will be much too busy to give a detailed analysis on each submission.

* DO YOU ACCEPT FOREIGN FILMS? - Yes! As long as it's in English or has English subtitles, we are happy to accept films from anywhere.

* WHEN/WHERE WILL THEY SCREEN ONLINE? - For our inaugural Festival, we will be hosting the films online via our website throughout the month of October, 2021. We will be using an online platform to host the films that will allow us to feature each film safely and securely. You will be able to access this platform through our website at www.tbdfestival.com.

* WILL IT BE SCREENED IN PERSON? - Yes! Maybe... Each film chosen for the TBDFF will be screened online throughout the month of October and those that are chosen by the audience as "Best of the Best" (top film in each genre) will be shown at The Marion Theatre in Ocala, FL during the week of January 6th, 2022. We will be releasing the schedule to all included filmmakers as soon as it is established.

* DO I GET TO KEEP THE RIGHTS TO MY FILM? - Of course! Our only stipulation is that you grant us full access to the film, images, and promotional materials for use in marketing and branding of our festival in perpetuity.

* WHO'S JUDGING THE FILMS? - Submissions will go through a process starting with an initial screening committee for each genre and the top rated films from each genre will be sent to Executive Director Chad Taylor and the Producers of the festival for final selection.

* WHEN WILL I HEAR BACK? - Our goal will be to have all films chosen and filmmakers notified by September 15th at the latest. We REALLY want to have everyone notified by September 1st, but it will depend on how many submissions we get.

WHAT ARE THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES?

*Features must be a minimum of 60 minutes long without credits.
*Shorts must be a maximum of 20 minutes long without credits.
*Submissions in a foreign language must be subtitled in English.
*We will only be accepting submissions via FilmFreeway.
*If submitting more than one film, a separate completed entry is required for each title.
*There will be no refunds for entry fees.
*Entries MUST be the original work of the filmmaker and the filmmaker agrees to promote the film if accepted.
*Filmmaker warrants they have full legal right and authority to submit the mentioned film for consideration by the TBD Film Festival, and that all necessary consents, licensing, and approvals have been obtained

* ABOUT THE MONEY… Filmmakers will receive 75% of NET ticket sales from both online and in-person screenings of their films. To receive this, they will be required to securely submit their STRIPE payment information when required. If they do not submit this information by the opening of the festival, they will forfeit their claim to any monies gathered. 20% of all NET Submission Fees will be held and split between all festival awards to increase the awards given.

There will be a cap on the amount of award given in the amounts of:

*$1,000 for Best in Genre Feature
*$1,500 for Best in Fest Feature
*$500 Best in Genre Short
*$750 Best in Fest Short

THE LEGAL STUFF - By submitting their work, the filmmaker agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the TBD Film Festival and all partners from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.