At Skyline Indie Film Fest we bring to the Shenandoah Valley the absolute best in independent, undistributed films from around the world. To us, indie means "Off the beaten path". It means making films because you love to. Daring to be different, to learn and grow. It means overcoming obstacles that could be swept aside if you only had a few more dollars in your bank account. By getting your message across through the use of resourcefulness and adaptability. It means taking initiative, being responsible, and getting in the face of and not backing down from obstacles, naysayers, and detractors. The indie spirit is alive and well and here, we support, embrace, and celebrate it.
Will you help us… Foster the Indie Spirit!

ENTRY FEE DISCOUNTS
Discounts apply from January 1, 2023 through March 31, 2023

The below discount codes are available for students, women, and for films produced in Virginia and Washington, D.C. Only one discount may be used per submission. Any misuse of discount codes will result in automatic disqualification without refund.

SupportLocalFilm2023: 25% discount for films produced in Virginia and Washington D.C. To qualify, submitted film must have been filmed in Virginia or Washington, D.C. Qualification details must be included in your cover letter.

SupportWomenFilmmakers2023: 25% discount for female directors and producers. To qualify, submitted film must have been directed or produced by a woman. This discount is in recognition of the challenges that women face having their voices heard in a predominantly male-dominated film industry.

SupportStudentFilm2023: 25% discount for student films. To qualify, submitted film must have been produced or directed by individuals who were enrolled in school (college or graduate level) and carried a valid student ID at the time of the film’s production. Qualification details must be included in your cover letter; a copy of the producer or director’s student ID may be required.

SupportLGBTQFilms2023: 25% discount for LGBTQ+ directors. To qualify, submitted film must have been directed by someone in the LGBTQ+ community. This discount is in recognition of the challenges that our friends in the LGBTQ+ community face having their voices heard in a predominantly cis-dominated film industry.

SupportBIPOCFilm2023: 25% discount for Black, Indigenous and People of Color directors. To qualify, submitted film must have been directed by someone from the BIPOC community. This discount is in recognition of the challenges that BIPOC filmmakers face having their voices heard as an underrepresented demographic of the film industry.

SupportBlackFilmmakers2023: 50% discount for Black Filmmakers during the month of February. To qualify, submitted film must have been directed by someone from the Black community. This discount is in recognition of the challenges that Black filmmakers face having their voices heard as an underrepresented demographic of the film industry.

The following prizes will be awarded:

Best Narrative Feature
Best Documentary Feature
Best Short
Spirit of Skyline Award

CASH PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED

1. Works-in-progress will be accepted for consideration, but only if the timeline for completion is appropriate for the festival. These will be accepted or denied on a case-by-case basis based on the analysis of the programmer.
2. Films with distribution in place are eligible for screening, but NOT eligible for juried awards consideration.
3. All eligible films must have been completed after January 1, 2021 and must NOT be available to screen in-full online or on a streaming platform.
4. There are no fee waivers. The festival will not respond to any waiver requests.
5. Payment does not guarantee entry into the competition, only that it will be viewed by the programming department and considered for competitive judging.
6. There shall be no refunds. Efforts will be made to contact you if a problem arises but your entry fee shall not be refunded.
7. Preview copies submitted on physical media shall not be returned.
8. Exhibition copies of submissions shall be in a digital file format, with no watermark, intended for laptop playback; h.264 codec is preferred (MP4). Physical discs and drives will not be returned without a self addressed stamped envelope. No exceptions.
9. Entrants shall retain full rights to their submissions.

Once all films have been reviewed by our screening panel official selections will be determined and forwarded to our judges. If your film becomes an official selection of Skyline Indie Film Fest 2023 you will be notified via email no later than July 15, 2023.

By submitting to Skyline Indie Film Fest you grant the festival permission to display the film's trailer, stills and information from the required press kit/EPK on the festival website, social media outlets, and in other marketing and promotional actions.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Ariel Baska

    Had an absolute blast at Skyline, thanks to Billy Ray and some very creative filmmaker events that kept it real. While the quality of the films selected was uneven, we really enjoyed the venue, the networking, and our filmmaker field trip to DinosaurLand, a kitschy theme park nearby.

    November 2022
  • Jeremy Berger

    I can't say enough good things about Skyline. Brian and Billy throw a hell of a festival in the beautiful town of Winchester. Got to meet some great filmmaker peeps, see some great films, and stay in a hotel in the SAME parking lot as an Alamo Drafthouse, where so much of the festival happened! Film in hand or no, I plan on coming back in the future. Thanks, Skyline!

    October 2022
  • Really wonderful festival! It was a joy to be a part of it.

    September 2022
  • Kai Brown

    This was my second time screening at Skyline -- 2019 and 2022. Both times have been great and also very different from each other, as the festival shifted to hybrid with the pandemic. 2022 version, I loved playing at the Alamo Drafthouse and really loved the other VA films screened in my block. And an interview for their podcast is an awesome bonus, too.

    September 2022
  • Nice job. I'll be sure to submit again.

    September 2022