The 2017 Hudson Valley Fringe Festival is a three day jubilee of art and comedy that will take place in historic and scenic Rhinebeck NY just 2 hours north of NYC and 40 minutes south of Albany. Taking place this year in November.

Founded in 2015 the festival will give upstate New York audiences a chance to see a mix of local and national stand-up comics, live podcast tapings, panels, workshops, improv, theater, live music, art exhibits, and feature length and short films.

Film screenings will take place along with panels, stand-up comedy shows, workshops and live podcast tapings.

Enjoy the art of today, tomorrow and beyond from the comfort of the Hudson Valley, one of the most picturesque parts of upstate NY. Close enough for a weekend getaway from NYC and perfect for a cross country vacation destination, you’ll want to save the date for the Hudson Valley Fringe Festival.

Rules & Terms

The Competition reserves the right to refuse entries.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Hudson Valley Comedy Festival 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.

By submitting your film to the Hudson Valley Comedy Festival the individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening, and understands and accepts these requirements, rules and regulations.

Requirement.
Upload an official poster, synopsis and Vimeo or youtube link of your film. We accept comedy features, comedic web series, documentaries, and experimental shorts in any language, from around the world. Please select the right category while submitting to avoid disqualification.

a. All films must be English or have subtitles in English.
b. Films submitted should not exceed the time limit - 30 minutes for shorts and 120 minutes for features (including opening and end credits).
c. After a film has been an official selection, the filmmaker will be notified, and the film will be listed on the festival's website under official selections. Selected films will screen at the festival and after the selection you can use the festival Laurel's picture on your poster.
d. Film needs to have been finished NO EARLIER than January 1st 2014 to be eligible.

4 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Tawny Sorensen

    As a filmmaker, I have been to film festivals where communication was inconsistent. And I understand putting a festival together is difficult, especially in conjunction with a live comedy lineup. That being said, I truly wanted to attend this festival but was not given a definitive date and time slot until less than a week before the fest took place. I hope the screenings were a success. The festival takes place in a beautiful area ideally located between upstate NY and Manhattan. As a new festival I believe the kinks can be smoothed out in the future and communication can sharpen.

    July 2016
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you! Yes, we are smoothing out the kinks for next year. The festival ended up becoming larger than any of us had expected!

  • Jeff Vande Zande

    Although we couldn't attend the festival, we were very excited to have our film in it! E-mail communication was great, and they seemed excited to have our film. It was our first out-of-state acceptance!

    July 2016
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  • Burleigh Smith

    I don't like to complain but I'm very disappointed with this festival's conduct.

    I paid my entry fee and my short film was accepted to screen but the screening didn't go ahead.

    I provided all deliverables on time and the film file was not downloaded by the festival. The film was not listed on the website with the others that were accepted and there were no screening dates set for us in the schedule.

    I sent multiple emails asking what date we would screen. All were ignored.

    I am now requesting my entry fee be refunded or I will have to refer the matter to Consumer Protection. I am also asking FilmFreeway to look into the problem.

    My short films have been accepted into 300 festivals over the years and I have never been treated like this. It is no way to run a festival.

    July 2016
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    Response from festival:

    We truly are sorry. Lack of communication was an oversight only because we were so short staffed this year. We were more popular than we had anticipated and so, having such a small staff, some communications got lost in the shuffle. We apologize from the bottom of our hearts. If we can figure out how to refund your fee, we will gladly do so. If you would like, we can also send you a code for a free submission this year. We have a larger staff this year PLUS someone dedicated to all communications! :)

  • Jamel Northern

    Not a believer in anonymous posts- own what you say say.

    Granted, this is their first year, so there is still some kinks to be worked out. However, their organization needs work.

    1.) During registration, I was not asked to provide any identification for my identity. I just told them my name and my film, and they gave me passes. Granted, it would be a rarity for someone to come up and say they were someone they were not, but still.

    2.) Other than the registration site, the addresses for the venues should have been clearly posted on the festival's website instead of a link to that venue's facebook page.

    3.) Scheduling was a problem. My film was scheduled for an early block. When that block ran, NO ONE showed up for any of the films. My guess is that overlap from another block at another venue along with a standup show was the cause of this. Also, there was not even an MC to introduce the program.

    4.) During my block's screening, the projector was not properly calibrated- all the movies were too dark. They ran the films off of Vimeo, despite filmmakers sending QT files and DVDs. The result was a couple of pauses in watching the films due to buffering issues.

    I told the one filmmaker to make sure their screening was properly calibrated. I left after that, and didn't bother with the rest of the festival since I was so disgusted. Disappointed to be sure, but I think they can work out the bugs and make this a really good festival.

    July 2016
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