PROOF of Concept Short Film Narrative and Documentary Eligibility & Requirements:
- Films must be completed after January 1st, 2023. We will not accept films completed before this date and will not offer refunds on films submitted made before then. Films openly available online on services such as YouTube or Vimeo are able to submit. Films currently available and licensed on a major streaming service (ex: Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon, etc.) are NOT eligible.
- Documentaries will be considered for the first time in 2026! Please submit directly to the documentary showcase category.
- Non-English language films must have English subtitles – We will not review films without subtitles for non-English language films and we will not offer refunds for those submission fees.
- Works-in-progress will be considered, provided they will be completed prior to the festival. We advise you to submit the best quality work, even if that means submitting at a later date. We will not re-review films if they have been submitted and later updated. Please describe in your project portal what elements are still being worked on so the screening committee has an idea of what to temporarily ignore.
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PROOF Pitch Deck Show-and-Tell Eligibility & Requirements:
-The Pitch Deck Show & Tell is a separate event within the festival.
- Submissions must be for a SERIES or a FEATURE or DOCUMENTARY. Please do not submit a pitch for a proof-of-concept short.
- You may submit both a Proof-of-Concept film and a Pitch Deck but Pitch Decks must be SEPARATE submissions from the film and must be submitted under The PROOF Pitch Deck Show-and-Tell.
- Submissions do not need a proof-of-concept short film.
- Submissions must include a 2 - 5 minute pitch video uploaded under the video section
- Submissions must also include a pitch deck submitted as a PDF as an additional file in the submission
- To be officially considered for the pitch session you must include BOTH the video and the PDF file of a pitch deck.
- Submissions without Pitch Decks will not be considered. Pitch Decks or additional material submitted via email will not be considered. If you need assistance, please contact FilmFreeway customer support.
- The PROOF pitch deck show and tell will be held during the three-day festival. Please note you must participate in this pitch session in-person.
We will be hosting virtual informational sessions regarding PROOF and the submission requirements. We encourage PROOF applicants to attend at least one of the below informational sessions:
Informational sessions registration will be available soon.
Submission Requirements:
- Submission format must be an online screener. Acceptable formats for submissions include Private Vimeo/YouTube links, and/or privately hosted video files. No DVDs or BluRays will be accepted. Submissions in a foreign language must be subtitled or dubbed in English. If submitting more than one film, a separate completed entry is required for each title.
- Entry fees are non-refundable. Films are NOT viewed without completed entry form and payment. We define a proof-of-concept as a smaller version of what a larger future project might look like. It is a short film that best represents the concept, story, tone and themes of a potential feature film or television series. You do not need to have a full draft of the script for the next phase of your concept, but all entrants must fill out a 250-word minimum statement of intent for what they envision their next step to be. Completed scripts and pitch decks are optional materials to submit.
Acceptance:
- Film selection for the festival will be made by the screening committee. Filmmakers will be notified via email of acceptance.
- PROOF expects that the film’s director(s), and any other guests/talent participating in the Festival with the film in will be present for the public screening of the film, as well as, where applicable, the in-person or digital publicity events, and a question-and-answer session (following the screenings).
- We will require all accepted filmmakers to create a Statement of Intent (SOI) video to deliver to Simple DCP along with your project. These films are 90 seconds long. They will provide more context to the audience on what the feature length version of your project will look like; budget, comparable films, timeline, story structure. Please provide some of this information in your project portal for the screening committee to review.
For any other questions and clarifications on rules or eligibility, please do not hesitate to reach out to proof@americancinematheque.com
