Brookfield Film Festival

Brookfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, situated within the southern foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. The two largest lakes in Connecticut border the Town, Candlewood Lake to the west and Lake Lillinonah to the east. Brookfield is located 43 miles northeast of New York City, making it part of the New York metropolitan area. The Brookfield Film Festival takes place in the historic Brookfield Theatre for the Arts.

In our 16th year, The Brookfield Film Festival features four separate blocks:

"Music Indie Evening" features music videos of original music from bands located in Connecticut and its bordering states of New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

"Regional Indie Afternoon" is a block of the Brookfield Film Festival which was created to provide a platform for local filmmakers to introduce their work and discuss topics from their films as well as the filmmaking process. Submissions from filmmakers residing in Connecticut and its bordering states of New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, or films having been shot in these states, are invited to submit to the afternoon screening. Filmmakers accepted to the festival are also invited to be part of a Q&A panel discussion immediately following the screening.

"Read-Through Indie Morning" is a block of the Brookfield Film Festival created in conjunction with the Brookfield Theatre for the Arts providing screenwriters an opportunity to showcase a scene from a script and to network with actors and filmmakers. The table reading is an organized reading of scripts in which the speaking parts and stage directions are read aloud. It is an essential part of script development and the writing process. Many writers use it to fine tune their stories and sharpen dialogue. Join us for complimentary coffee, tea, and pastries.
Screen writers must be present for their submission to be read.

"Shorts and to the Point" is a hand picked collection of Oscar nominated, and other award winning short films. There are three viewings throughout the festival: Friday evening, Saturday evening, and Sunday afternoon.

• Your submission confirms that The Brookfield Arts Commission (BAC) has permission to exhibit your film during the Shorts and to the Point Festival
• You give permission for BAC to use titles, images, copy and other production information from your film for promotional purposes.
• You agree that your submission is not subject to any litigation nor is threatened by any litigation and you hold BAC harmless from any and all claims of liability resulting from your entry.
• You own or have authorization to all necessary copyrights and licenses and will provide documentation upon request.
• You agree to take on all copyright liability in regard to your film submission.
• You give permission for BAC to provide copies of your film to their film jurors for the purpose of determining acceptance to the film festival.
• You also give BAC permission to provide excerpts from your film to the media for promotional purposes and copies of your film for review purposes only.
• All entries must be in English or subtitled in English.
• To qualify for student entry fee rates, entrant must include proof of student status at the time of production (copy of student ID).
• Entrants must submit an ONLINE digital version of their film for viewing consideration
• BAC and Shorts and to the Point Film Festival retains the right to accept or decline any film, for whatever reason, without notice or explanation.
• Only complete entries (including fee payment and screener) will be considered.
• You may submit multiple entries but must fill out a separate entry form and pay an entry fee for each.
• Once a film has been submitted it can not be withdrawn.
• Films are selected for the Brookfield Film Festival by the Brookfield Arts Commission (BAC). If a film is selected, the BAC will contact the entrant by email.
• The decision of the organizers of Brookfield Film Festival, as to the interpretation of these rules, is final.
• Upon completion of the festival selection process, BAC will attempt to contact you using the email contact information provided on the submission form to notify you of the project’s acceptance status. BAC disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any failure to contact you using the email contact information provided on the submission form. It is your sole responsibility to ensure that the email contact information provided on the submission form is correct throughout the entirety of the festival selection period.
• Submission fees are non-refundable.

Overall Rating

Quality

Value

Communication

Hospitality

Networking

Rafe Klein

We had a great time at the festival! It was great to see all the video, and to watch “Ukraine We Stand” by The Name Droppers on the big screen. Great people, very friendly warm environment.

March 2024

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Response from festival:

Thank you Rafe. We hope you see (and hear) you and your work again in the future.
Bob Celli

This is our second time in this festival. I was unable to attend this time, but as usual the communication and lineup were stellar, and if the screenings went as well as they did the last time, we know it was a great event. Gary and his team do a great job. Thanks again for having us in the lineup!

April 2024

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Response from festival:

Sorry we missed you Bob but we appreciate not only your film, but also the short video you sent telling the story of the making of the film. We hope to see you, and your work, in person some time soon.
Marshall Shakro

This was my first film festival i was able to attend and get accepted in. What an honor and privilege it was to show case our project, coming from LA. Met a lot of talented individuals and learned a lot about the potential we all have as artist and story tellers. Huge thank you to Gary and his wife for having us be apart of this film festival.

March 2024

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Response from festival:

Marshall, we are all honored that you flew in from LA to be a part of our inaugural “Music Indie Evening” block of our festival. It was a great night and “Scared of Love” played a major part. Great to hang and chat with you and the team. We hope to see you and your work in the future.
Jeryl Parade

Thank you to Brookfield Film Festival for including my short script OrthodoxGirl & opening scenes from my feature screenplay Mariet/Maricara at Read Through Indie Morning! It was amazing to hear the pages read aloud for the first time & by talented actors! My family came & they loved the event. They are still talking about it! I hope to submit again with new material. The festival directors are super supportive & organized. The best!

March 2024

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Response from festival:

Jeryl, it was great to meet you. Thank you for being a part of our “Read-Through Indie Morning” block of our festival. The actors loved your scripts. We hope to see you again in the future.
Doug DangerMon

Bless this Fest. Loved it Big Time - Gary & the rest of staff were just great and Hospitable from beginning to end. My friends came from far and wide to see the debut of 😷 “ Mask On” but was a little surprised by the audience response and am still on cloud 9! My peeps told me they enjoyed all the shorts that night. Truly a gorgeous historic theater with beautiful wood inside and stone outside. This place was made for the acoustics. I showed my flicks a bunch of places but ( shhhhhh) this is one of my favorites

March 2024

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Response from festival:

So great to hear. Thanks Doug. We are proud to call the Brookfield Theatre our home. It was great meeting you and we hope to see you are your work in the future!