Welcome to the groundbreaking 10th Annual Film Festival extravaganza brought to you by Down East Flick Fest (DEFF)! Get ready to dive into a whirlwind celebration of the arts where filmmaking takes center stage, but creativity knows no bounds!

Like last year, live screenings will be held downtown at the Community Council for the Arts at 400 N Queen St,-Kinston, NC (252) 527-2517 on Saturday and Sunday with an additional venue for the Greenville area to be announced soon. Our Community Impact film and panel session will be held on Friday evening, September 20th.

DEFF 2024 is breaking barriers by extending its reach far and wide with the DEFF 2024 Online Event. Filmmakers, buckle up as we catapult your creations onto the global stage, showcasing the very best of your talent to the world! Explicit permission from selected filmmakers is required to participate in the DEFF 2024 Online event.

But wait, there's more! We will crown the crème de la crème with the prestigious Best of the Fest award, complete with a dazzling cash prize. From heart-pounding dramas to side-splitting comedies, DEFF offers an array of genre-specific awards and unique Specialty Awards that recognize groundbreaking contributions to social justice and underrepresented voices.

Calling all poets and spoken word enthusiasts! Our Poetry/Spoken Word Films category is back by popular demand, inviting you to weave a tapestry of words, visuals, and sounds that will leave audiences spellbound.

DEFF is not just a festival; it's a movement. Whether you're an emerging talent or a seasoned pro, our doors are wide open, beckoning filmmakers of all stripes to join the ranks of cinematic greatness.

And for our young visionaries, DEFF offers a special platform for High School Students to shine, with waived or reduced fees to ensure that talent knows no boundaries.

But wait, there's more! This year, DEFF is taking you on a passported tour of local art, history, and hidden gems in Greenville and Kinston, NC. Prepare to be dazzled by Southern Hospitality as we roll out the red carpet for attendees near and fa

The Best of the Fest will win a total of $500 in cash or prizes. All winning filmmakers will be awarded certificates and highlighted for their outstanding entries, but there will be no losers. All filmmakers will receive notification of the status of their films. In the coming weeks and months, visit our website for more details at www.downeastflickfest.org. Sponsorships that will be available for specific categories will be announced.

By submitting an entry, each entrant warrants and represents that the Entrant owns all rights to the entry he/she is entering into the Down East Flick Fest (DEFF) without limitation including the video or digital recording and the performance contained in each entry. Each entrant further warrants and represents that the entrant has obtained permission from each person who appears in the entry, give the promotional rights to the Project Parties (DEFF) as described in these Official Rules on the website at (www.downeastflickfest.org), and will submit copies of permissions to the DEFF Parties upon request. By submitting an entry, the entrant agrees to the Official Rules, and further agrees to indemnify and hold the Down East Flick Fest, it’s organizers, their respective affiliates, officers, directors, agents, co-branders or other partners, and any independent contractors engaged (collectively, the “DEFF Indemnitees”), harmless from any and all claims, damages, expenses, costs (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) and liabilities (including settlements), brought or asserted by any third party against any of the DEFF Indemnitees due to or arising out of the entrant’s entry materials in Down East Flick Fest including but not limited to Official Screenings, Websites, or any Promotional Materials/Activities or the Entrant’s conduct during and in connection with the festival, including but not limited to trademark, copyright, or other intellectual property rights, right of publicity, right of privacy or defamation. Entrant agrees to release, indemnify and hold harmless DEFF and the DEFF Parties from any and all claims that any advertising, presentation, web content or any other material subsequently produced, presented, and/or prepared by or on behalf of DEFF or the DEFF Parties of any infringement on the rights of Entrant's work as contained in any entry.

Selected filmmakers may expect the following:

1. Filmmakers whose films are accepted for the competition will be notified initially by email via FilmFreeway platform. All the privileges due to filmmakers will be specified in this correspondence.

2. For any face-to-face events, all filmmakers with a film in competition will receive a pass giving free access subject to availability. Passes will not be sent by mail but emailed to the addresses provided with their entries.

3. DEFF will promote the schedule of screenings via media including newspapers, emails, the web, and other media outlets.

DEFF encourages filmmakers to help promote their films by promoting their screening(s) to industry professionals, distributors, the press and the general public. Filmmakers are encouraged to submit links to their own sites that promote their films to DEFF. The inclusion of such links on the DEFF website will be at the discretion of the DEFF organizers.

All entries to the 2022 festival should be submitted with a downloadable link via FilmFreeway at the time of entry or otherwise made available within 7 days of being requested for screening purposes during the festival. For certain situations a hard copy may be requested for your film to be screened.

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 and regulations. The individual or corporation submitting this film additionally grants the Down East Flick Fest the right to one or more public screenings of the entry during the dates of November 21, 2021 through October 22, 2022. Filmmakers will be notified of all screenings of their film via the email provided with their submission. Entries that are not completed or available for screening must pull their entry prior to August 23, or the film will be screened as entered.

The organizers of the Down East Flick Fest Festival reserve the right to decide all questions regarding rules and regulations. Submission of a film constitutes that the filmmaker accepts the rules and regulations set forth herein.

Entries from High School Students will be judged separately from the regular entries if they self identify themselves. Otherwise, they will be judged with the regular entries.
Fees can be waived for High School filmmakers from North Carolina schools and reduced by one/half for all other High School filmmakers. A teacher, school administrator, or parent must submit the film for all students under 18. A pass-code will be sent out for this purpose upon their request. Each student's eligibility must be verified by DEFF representatives.

If you have any questions about rules, terms, or other issues you may email us at info@downeastflickfest.org. Leave your number if you want us to call instead of responding by email.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Dave Harlequin

    It was an honor to have our film included in such a great lineup at such a great festival. Will definitely be submitting again and again!

    December 2023
  • Great communication from the team and great festival.

    November 2023
  • I'm proud that my first film, a short called LATE SLEEPER, was selected to be shown at this Festival. I wish I had been able to get it together to make the trip and attend, but I very much appreciated all the communications I received.

    November 2023
  • Nice job. We will submit again.

    November 2022
  • It was great to have another film (or two) in the Down East Flick Fest and fantastic to be walking away with an award the second time around. Many thanks to Phebe and everyone at DEFF!

    November 2021