Hey folx,
We hope you are safe and well. We need you and your stories more than ever!
Here at AVFest (formerly the Alexander Valley Film Festival), we want filmmakers to have an awesome experience working with us and cultivating life-long relationships.
In addition to screening cutting-edge films with distribution like FREE SOLO (2018) and PARASITE (2019), we select diverse works from and about underrepresented artists and communities. We actively seek:
* Socially conscious films that depict characters in the richness of their culture and identities;
* Works from directors of color;
* Latinx- , LGBTQ+-, and female- driven narratives; and
* Youth-oriented stories
* TV Series episodes
* Episodic content
* New Media shorts
Please do NOT submit to us if:
* You want to meet distributors at the fest
* You must have a screening fee for us to share your film
* You have a slasher film
* You feature gratuitous sexual content or blood and guts
Still interested? YAY! Below is an overview of our festival. But before you submit, please read the basics:
We exist to bring content to our community to which they would not otherwise have access. We're 80 miles north of San Francisco in rural wine county. We are the arthouse of Sonoma County.
Here is the link to our Equity Statement: https://www.avfilmsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/AVFS-EQUITY-STATEMENT-2.2.2021.pdf
In 2022, we hope to offer every screening with Spanish subtitles and closed captioning. Diversity, equity, access, and inclusion are priorities for us.
We will show ~80 films/projects for the festival, 15-20% of which will be from unsolicited submissions.
We have 2.5 staff people year-round. We staff a handful of contractors and normally a hundred volunteers during festival time.
Our festival budget is normally $95,000 of a $360,000 year-round budget. In 2021, it dropped to roughly $27,000 of a $226,000 year-round budget. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, our 2022 budget jumped back to $178,000.
Three people from our diverse, compensated, community-based screening team will watch your film/project in the screening process. Shorts are watched all the way through. Features are given at least 30 minutes. Screeners can bow out after 30 minutes but are then not allowed to judge the film. Staff make the final decisions.
All filmmakers will hear from us either way by early late March.
Campaigning for your film does not hurt but your communications will not reach the screeners. PLEASE NOTE: Kindness is one of our core values. If you submit your film, you agree to handle yourself and all notifications (positive or negative) with respect for AVFIlm and our employees. We take great care to honor your artwork. We request that you respect our process the way we do yours. If you do not honor this core value, you will face a submission ban.
All accepted films will be offered two all-access passes, a screening fee of $50 for features/$25 for shorts, and a modest honorarium if a representative can join us for a Q&A or panel. Additional passes may be purchased for $50.
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AVFest regularly showcases and hosts new and emerging talents from all over the world. We will create opportunities for the community, students and adults alike, to meet, interact with, and learn from visiting artists. We will also offer deeply discounted tickets to students and neighbors in need so that no one will be turned away.
The 2022 Festival will take place April 29-May 8, 2022. This event is designed to bring films and experiences to Northern Sonoma County to which the community would otherwise not have access.
For more information about AVFilm, visit www.avfilmsociety.org or call 707.893.7150.
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**********ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS: For student rules, regulations, and awards, please visit: https://www.avfilmsociety.org/student-film-competition
NEW FOR 2022: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) AWARD
This jury prize of $1,000 will be awarded to one feature or traditional short film that:
* rights a wrong, corrects revisionist history, or brings a new or underrepresented perspective
* amplifies a traditionally marginalized community or is made by women and/or BIPOC artists
* deals with themes of justice, equity, diversity or inclusion/belonging
AVFest Audience Award - Feature-Length Narrative
This prize will be awarded to one feature narrative film that receives the highest marks from AVFest audiences. Cash value: $1,000
AVFest Audience Award - Feature-Length Documentary
This prize will be awarded to one feature-length documentary film that receives the highest marks from AVFest audiences. Cash value: $1,000
AVFest Audience Award - Short
This prize will be awarded to one short film across narrative and documentary categories that receives the highest marks from AVFest audiences. Cash value: $500
AVFest Audience Award - Television Series Episode
This prize will be awarded to one episode that receives the highest marks from AVFest audiences. Cash value: $500
AVFest Audience Award - Web/New Media Short
This prize will be awarded to one webisode or new media short (TikTok, YouTube, etc) that receives the highest marks from AVFest audiences. Cash value: $500
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**********ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS: For student rules, regulations, and awards, please visit: https://www.avfilmsociety.org/student-film-competition