MISSION & OBJECTIVE:

Beyond the red carpets, Oscar-nominated films, and world-class independent filmmakers, the Washington West Film Festival is a movement of hope for under-resourced communities. Our audiences themselves become story-creators as we give 100% of all box office net proceeds to projects which solve problems of childhood hunger, illness, and limited education around the world.

Please refer to our Vimeo page, which provides select videos of our annual charity projects and provides insight into the work we are passionate about and committed to: https://vimeo.com/user9701277.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:

"10 Best Film Festivals in North America" - USA Today
"50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" - MovieMaker Magazine

Anchored just west of the beautiful and diverse Washington, DC, the Washington West Film Festival invites filmmakers, film lovers, industry professionals, and media alike to experience a breathtaking autumn in and around one of the most influential places on earth. We are set to screen some of the best films 2023 has to offer.

In our first eleven years, upon helping introduce the world to some of its favorite new films and earning attention from some of Hollywood’s biggest names, Washington West has emerged as a major up-and-coming festival. Washington West has screened films produced by Ava DuVernay, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Madonna, HBO, Universal Pictures, and Walt Disney Studios. The festival has hosted Q&A sessions with the legendary Academy Award-winning Robert Duvall, Star Wars original cast member Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), 9-time Emmy Award-winning Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep, Seinfeld), Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Bradford Young (Arrival, Selma, Solo: A Star Wars Story), Academy Award-winning actor and musician Common, multi Grammy Award-winning record producer Clive Davis, Emmy Award-winning Modern Family actor Ty Burrell, Tony Hale (Toy Story 4, Veep, Arrested Development), Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls), director/writer Tom Shadyac (Patch Adams, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Bruce Almighty), Pulitzer Prize-winning Ron Suskind (Life, Animated), award-winning producer Bruce Cohen (Silver Linings Playbook, American Beauty), Bleed For This (Miles Teller, Aaron Eckhart) director Ben Younger, Sound of Music stars Heather Menzies Urich and Nicholas Hammond, Washington Post Associate Editor Bob Woodward, Phil Keogan (The Amazing Race), the cast of Back to the Future, and 7-time Emmy winning actor Ed Asner.

Some highlight moments from previous years include: In Conversation with Robert Duvall; In Conversation with Bradford Young & Common, a 40th anniversary screening of All The President’s Men with special guest Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Bob Woodward; an advanced screening of a never-before-seen Modern Family episode with Ty Burrell, Advanced Screening of Sundance-winner Burden (Forest Whitaker, Usher), DC premiere of Bleed For This (Miles Teller, Aaron Eckhart); 30th anniversary screening of Back to the Future with special guests Christopher Lloyd and Bob Gale; a kid-focused voice acting workshop with Roger Bumpass (Squidward in Spongebob Squarepants) and Ed Asner (Mr. Frederickson in Up); a live, interactive scoring workshop with Golden Globe-winning composer W.G. Snuffy Walden (Nashville, Friday Night Lights, The West Wing); and a screening event at the National Press Club with NPC President and the Ambassador of Afghanistan.

In addition to catching the eye of those in the film industry, Washington West has also inspired sponsors like Leidos and Adobe to join in our endeavor.

Awards & Prizes

Best Narrative Short Film, Best Documentary Short Film, Best Short Film Director, Audience Award Best Short Film, Audience Award Best Feature Documentary, Audience Award Best Feature Narrative, Best Narrative Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature Film, Outstanding Directorial Debut, Sun City Storyteller of Hope, Metropolitan Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Film of the Year, and the Laura Hillenbrand Outstanding Literary Award. Winners will be announced and presented at Awards Night Gala with a Washington West crystal award.

Rules & Terms

GENERAL PROVISIONS:

1. We accept nearly all genres of film and video. Please do not submit any pornographic or teenage exploitation films.

2. We screen exhibition versions of accepted films exclusively in the DCP format. Filmmakers who are accepted to, and choose to participate in, WWFF must share a DCP version of their film. If a filmmaker does not have a DCP version ready, they can utilize the services of our partner, SimpleDCP, to prepare a DCP version. All associated costs will be the responsibility of the filmmaker.

3. Washington West Film Festival (“WWFF” or the “Festival”) is hereby granted the right to utilize excerpts from any film submitted to and accepted for exhibition by the Festival for promotional purposes, including to promote the Festival in future years. The Festival hereby receives an irrevocable, non-transferable, royalty-free license to use portions of such submissions for the aforementioned promotional purposes.

4. All screening tapes, press kits, publicity info, photos, etc. will be retained by WWFF as part of the Festival's library, unless a specific written request is made for the return of such materials and the cost of return shipping is provided to WWFF. These materials will be returned no later than 14 days after the last screening of the 2022 festival.

5. The individual or entity submitting the film hereby warrants that it possesses the legal right and authority to commit the film for screening, and understands and accepts the terms contained herein.

6. The undersigned shall indemnify and hold WWFF harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorneys’ fees and court costs) which may be incurred by the Festival arising out of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

EXPRESS CONDITIONS REGARDING FILM SUBMISSION:

1. By submitting a film to WWFF, you represent and warrant that you possess the legal right and authority to do so, and that you accept full legal responsibility for the intellectual property contained therein.

2. Washington West Film Festival (“WWFF” or the “Festival”) is hereby granted the right to utilize excerpts from any film submitted to and accepted for exhibition by the Festival for promotional purposes, including to promote the Festival in future years. The Festival hereby receives an irrevocable, non-transferable, royalty-free license to use portions of such submissions for the aforementioned promotional purposes.

3. Submitting your film grants WWFF an irrevocable, non-transferable, royalty-free license to exhibit your work at the 2021 Festival. By submitting your film, you agree to use your best efforts to to have the Director and other key contributors to your project (actors, screenwriters, producers, etc.) attend the Festival in the event your film is selected for screening.

4. The undersigned shall indemnify and hold WWFF harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorneys’ fees and court costs) which may be incurred by the Festival arising out of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered. We look forward to receiving your film submission.
23 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Perpetuo Films

    Washington West is a great film festival! We were thrilled to take part in a festival that truly values quality film and filmmakers and that's committed to doing good for the community.

    October 2022
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  • Sherene Strausberg

    This is one of the friendliest, most filmmaker-friendly film festivals my film has screened at, including over two dozen film festivals! The whole team (Christine, Sam, and Brad) are so supportive, their volunteers are kind and friendly, and their sponsors are very engaged. I would love every film festival to have their passion and enthusiasm! Plus, my film looked AMAZING on the big screen with great sound.

    October 2022
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  • Alex and Olmsted

    This is the only film festival we know of that donates all ticket sales to underserved communities and their mission to re-teach empathy through storytelling permeates the kindness and welcoming attitude of everyone involved. Everyone who represented Washington West, from the staff to the volunteers, were incredibly warm and welcoming. Several festival volunteers had also served on the selection committee for the films and were delighted to hear that we were behind "Marianne's Onion," a film they had enjoyed so much during the selection process. There was such a feeling of investment and dedication among everyone there - it felt like a family. It was the kind of positive experience where we'll want to attend as audience members in the future, regardless of whether we make another eligible film.

    November 2021
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  • Steph Farber

    Washington West was an INCREDIBLE festival. The staff was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, communicative and super supportive of the filmmakers. I was particularly impress with Ariel Lee who went above and beyond to make filmmakers feel welcome and was a speedy and well informed communicator. As a new filmmaker, it was really empowering to be in this environment and see my film on the big screen. Will definitely be applying to this festival again with my next film!

    February 2020
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  • Melissa Davey

    Very impressed with WashWest Film Festival. I have attended /screened at several and this is one of the best. Their commitment to the filmmakers is very apparent. Communication is top notch. The venue is excellent and the opportunity for networking is terrific. They helped to ensure a full house for my screening through their marketing efforts. The icing on the cake is all proceeds from ticket sales goes to wonderful nonprofit organizations.
    I highly recommend this festival!

    January 2020
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