Announcing the 3rd annual Fentress Student Film Fest!
We are Fentress Films (a small female founded and Black founded film company), and we are SO excited to be hosting this festival! We also founded the Fentress Film Fest, our larger annual film festival, which focuses on professional filmmakers and films. Submissions for Fentress Film Fest are now open as well, so feel free to submit if you wish! But back to this festival... we created the Fentress Student Film Fest to highlight incredible student filmmakers from around the world and to give students a fair shot at getting festival recognition and winning awards.
Not only are we looking for awesome student films with superb visual design and editing, but we are also looking for hardworking and passionate filmmakers and films that tell captivating stories! The 3rd annual festival will be from August 9th-11th, 2023* (*please note that dates have changed due to the festival director having a family emergency), and will be 90% virtual & 10% in-person. This means we are accepting submissions from all over the world! YAY! Since the festival will be mostly virtual, we will have online events happening all week long, so that the selected filmmakers can get to know each other, and so that the online community can engage with each filmmaker's work before the actual awards ceremony!
We have 8 total award categories:
1) Best Student Film
-One film will win the award for best overall film!
-1 submission category; 1 award opportunity
-Decided by a jury
2) Best Director: Youth Student
-One film will win the award for best youth student director!
-We want to recognize the hard-working youth directors out there! Y'all are so young and already creating such incredible art! Don't ever give up; this is just the beginning.
-This category is for directors age 17 and younger only (please do not submit if you are over 18 years old)
-1 submission category; 1 award opportunity
-Decided by a jury
3) Best Director: College Student
-One film will win the award for best college student director!
-We want to recognize the hard-working directors out there, whether you are in college getting your bachelors or your masters! It's a long journey towards getting a degree in film, but you are rocking it!! Don't ever forget it!
-This category is for directors age 18 and older only (please do not submit if you are under 18 years old)
-1 submission category; 1 award opportunity
-Decided by a jury
4) Best Youth Actor/Actress
-One film will win the award for best youth actor/actress
-This category is for actors age 17 and younger only (please do not submit if the actor/actress you want us to consider is over 18 years old)
-1 submission category; 1 award opportunity
-Decided by a jury
5) Best Adult Actor/Actress
-One film will win the award for best adult actor/actress
-This category is for actors age 18 and older only (please do not submit if the actor/actress you want us to consider is under 18 years old)
-1 submission category; 1 award opportunity
-Decided by a jury
6) Best 1st Time Student Filmmaker
-One film will win the award for best first time filmmaker!
-We have all been first time filmmakers before, so we want to applaud you for your incredible hard work and for taking the giant leap into the film world (especially as a student filmmaker, way to go!) Don't give up, this is just the beginning!
-1 submission category; 1 award opportunity
-Decided by a jury
7) Best Female Student Filmmaker
-One film will win the award for best female student filmmaker!
-Women are the future of film! We want to shoutout all the amazing female students creating amazing art out there! You rock!
-1 submission category; 1 award opportunity
-Decided by a jury
8) Fentress Fan Favorite
-One film will win the “Fentress Fan Favorite” award!
-You don't need to apply to this category on FilmFreeway, as we will run this portion of the contest during the actual festival! (0 submission categories; 1 award opportunity)
-The public will vote for their favorite films and the film with the most votes will win the award! It's great exposure!
-Decided by the public via online voting system (more information on this once the festival begins)
Here is the schedule of events happening during the virtual festival:
WEDNESDAY (08/09):
-Start of the festival!!!!
-Opening ceremony: We will introduce each selected film and explain what will happen in the coming days.
THURSDAY (08/10):
-Award nominations are announced
FRIDAY (08/11):
-In person screening in Denver, Colorado
-All awards are announced!!!
-Closing ceremony: We will recognize each selected filmmaker again.
For each award category, the winner will receive:
-Official winner certificate (automatically included)
-Free Fentress Student Film Fest stickers (automatically included)
-We will feature your film on our website and social media (automatically included)
-Engraved award trophy (can be purchased through our website after the festival)