Our 5 brand promises + renowned services...

1. STRONG TEAM, EXECUTION + PHILOSOPHY
2. EXPOSURE VIA STREAMING
3. EXPOSURE VIA PRESS
4. ACCREDITED RECOGNITION + RANKING TRANSPARENCY
5. DELIVERING EXCITEMENT + 'WOLFPACK' COMMUNITY
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1 · Delivering the best of both worlds (online contests vs. traditional film festivals)...
SPEED + PRESTIGE
RECOGNITION + EXPOSURE =
new hybrid dynamic
(FASTTRACKED EXPOSURE).

· Trimestral film programmes/journals with
BIG PAID MEDIA BOOST + PRESS COVERAGE.

· Rich festival philosophy, putting ourselves in the skin of an indie creator/storyteller, the “Lonely Wolf”, both on + off-camera, e.g. solopreneurs carrying an entire production on their shoulders + depicting the thematic reality of any outcast/outsider in society.

· Access 2022's audience stats + key industry attendees here = https://www.lonelywolffilmfest.com/
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2 · Approx. 70 audiovisual projects (inc. podcasts) make Official Selection + virtual exhibition x 3 times every year (trimestral).

· 10-day virtual film programme(s).

· Hosted within state-of-the-art non-commercial digital cinema DRM + password protection (Google Widevine DRM encryption + Apple Fairway DRM).

· Significant paid media reach during 10-day events, averaging to...
3,883 ATTENDEES IN TICKET SALES
10,691 TOTAL FILM STREAMS
417,960 PAID MEDIA REACH

· Digital cinema provides an exclusive “shopping” space/auction for film buyers, distributors + investors.

· Also wider industry + press.

· Most notable attendee yet:
STEVEN SPIELBERG'S AMBLIN ENTERTAINMENT
team back in Spring 2021’s virtual event.

· Lonely Wolf’s trimestral regularity, much like a film journal, boosts a film project’s exposure + recognition in significant ways without the year-long wait.
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3 · IN-HOUSE FILM REVIEWS = INVALUABLE FEEDBACK
Top contenders also offered the opportunity to have an in-house review written for a $50 service fee, featured within Lonely Wolf’s critique journal.

· PRESS CURRENCY = VITAL MARKETING TOOL
Top 70 approx. official selectees arranged to be featured on a main article across at least 3 press outlets (FilmThreat, UKFR, MovieMaker, Filmmaker, IndieWire, ScreenDaily, ScreenRant, Film Industry Network + Deadline Magazine).
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4 · 70 award categories x 3 competition rounds every year (trimestral).

· 1 Winner + 9 Nominees (IMDb-accredited) + 10 Semi-Finalists across each award category. All receive laurels, winners also receive diplomas.

· Only approx. 70 make Official Selection + win virtual exhibition + press coverage.
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5 · CREATING HYPE + EXCITEMENT!
Staggered announcement process, streching out the thrill of competing for an award!

· NO WOLF GETS LEFT BEHIND!
No indie creator/storyteller should walk away from a competition without having the opportunity to watch the top-ranking projects. We deliver it!

· ’WOLFPACK’ FEEL!
Lonely Wolf’s most renowned for its ‘wolfpack’ community spirit, in the form of filmmakers’ constant engagement + affinity with the festival brand, through their UGC content + sendings of celebratory howl videos via social media.

· PUTTING OURSELVES IN YOUR PLACE!
Ultimately, we work hard to organise THE virtual experience of ALL film festival experiences, the best, most unforgettable one, one to want to come back to, one that inspires + motivates you, that makes you feel as though your film's in the running for an Academy Award or a BAFTA! Why can't that level of excitement + promise be delivered to indie creators/storytellers?

· MAIN COMPETITION AWARDS CATEGORIES...

OVERALL BEST PICTURE
BEST FEATURE FILM
BEST FILM (MEDIUM-LENGTH)
BEST SHORT FILM
BEST MICRO-SHORT
BEST ANIMATED FILM
BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
BEST STREAMING TELEVISION SERIES OR PILOT EPISODE
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
BEST VIRTUAL PLAY
BEST PODCAST
BEST PITCH DECK/VIDEO

· WRITTEN UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY CONTEST CATEGORIES...

BEST UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY - FEATURE
BEST UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY - SHORT
BEST UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY - DRAMA / ROMANCE
BEST UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY - COMEDY
BEST UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY - ACTION / SCI-FI / FANTASY
BEST UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY - HORROR / THRILLER

· ADDITIONAL LONG-FORM/SHORT-FORM FILM COMPETITION CATEGORIES...

BEST BRITISH FILM
BEST STUDENT FILM
BEST OF QUEER CINEMA
BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM
BEST POETIC CINEMA
BEST DANCE FILM
BEST LOCKDOWN/PANDEMIC FILM (Made during/since COVID-19 global lockdown)
BEST DRAMA / ROMANCE

BEST COMEDY / MUSICAL


BEST ACTION / SCI-FI / FANTASY
BEST HORROR / THRILLER
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BEST ORIGINAL CONCEPT
BEST PROOF OF CONCEPT
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE/SOUNDTRACK
BEST FILM TRAILER
BEST FILM POSTER
Outstanding Achievement in Directing
Outstanding Directorial Debut
Outstanding Directorial Debut by a Young Filmmaker
Emerging Filmmaker Award
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast
Outstanding Achievement in Visual Effects
Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing
Outstanding Achievement in Production Design
Outstanding Achievement in Makeup/Hairstyling & SFX
Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design

· DOCUMENTARY FILM COMPETITION CATEGORIES...

BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
BEST PERFORMATIVE DOCUMENTARY
Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Directing - Best Documentary Director
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography, Documentary
Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Editing, Archival Usage & Assembly

· ANIMATED FILM COMPETITION CATEGORIES...

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Outstanding Character Design
Outstanding Created Environment

· MUSIC VIDEO COMPETITION CATEGORIES...

BEST MUSIC VIDEO
BEST SONG
Outstanding Achievement in Montage Music Video Editing
Outstanding Achievement in Music Video Directing - Best Music Video Director

· OTHER AWARDS...

AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER
HONORARY LONELY WOLF AWARD for outstanding achievements and exceptional contributions to independent filmmaking

Rules are reasonable and pretty straightforward to enter the Lonely Wolf competition (and join our 'wolfpack'!).
We only expect a few things from you which you automatically agree to upon entering your work into the competition...

​​BY SUBMITTING TO LONELY WOLF YOU AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING...

​​· Copyright — You authorise that your work is cleared for festival exhibition (all music, fonts, visuals etc. are cleared worldwide, in perpetuity, multi-platform), and the intellectual property is yours, or if acting as distributor — you have acquired permission from the copyright owner.
​​· Use of stills / clip fragments — You consent to the posting of stills and short clip fragments from the film on the festival's website/platform plus social media channels, for solely promotional, non-commercial and educational purposes. Stills from your film could be used for example within our final list of winners/nominees, and short clip fragments from your film could be used within our festival trailer.
​​· Downloading — You consent to the festival director having access to download your film(s) to facilitate offline study and the festival's programming/curation needs and functions. You can opt out from this whilst still being able to participate in the competition.
​​· Virtual cinema / critique journal — Lonely Wolf's virtual cinema is a private members-only online streaming platform built-into the festival's dynamic; the cinema's purpose is strictly non-commercial and for educational purposes. Independent filmmakers can both benefit from having exposure to film buyers, distributors and press via this private space, whilst being granted the rare opportunity to watch all the best films of the competition with great ease and from the comfort of their home. Upon entering the competition, you grant us permission to exhibit your film publicly under multi-DRM encryption and password-protection. You can opt out from being exhibited in this way at any point, it's not a requirement to allow this in order to compete. Some of you will opt to have your film reviewed also, your film review and star rating will be publicly shown on our website's critique journal. You can opt from your film review being publicly displayed, whilst still opting to receive this service. Let us know your preferences, everything we do is to advance your agenda and that of your film's. We're committed in protecting and leveraging your work.
​​· IMDb — Lonely Wolf's team make themselves responsible for syncing up your awards/nominations to your IMDb pages, but we do not make ourselves responsible for creating your film pages from scratch if they're not already in place.
​​· Code of conduct — Lonely Wolf uphold the outmost respect for every member of its "wolfpack" community and are committed in nurturing your growth and passion for the craft of filmmaking. In our mission, we endeavour to deliver most personable, friendly and motivational communications. We expect the same code of conduct from you — "treat others the way you want to be treated". Lack of respect and/or misbehaviour will lead to disqualification and legal actions.
​​· Feedback — We can’t be responsible for providing individual feedback on every entry we get (unless you opt for a critical review), nor justify/explain ourselves for not selecting your work. No inquiries or arguments will be entertained regarding non-selected films. The decision of the festival's jury and decision-making committee will be final. We will however point you to specific educational resources within our platform to help you find clues and nurture your growth.
​​· No refunds / we expect sportsmanship — If unhappy with your work's final verdict, we can't offer you a refund because a lot of hours have been invested into your work by the festival's jury and decision-making committee.
​​· One-click for all categories — We've comprised a flat fee whereupon entering your work via format/duration you will be automatically considered across all of the festival's competition categories for awards/nominations.
​​· Accepted submission types — We accept pretty much everything from short films, micro-shorts, medium-length films to feature-length films; to documentaries and TV pilots/web series; to animated films and music videos; to written unproduced screenplays.
​​· Submission permissions — Same team of filmmakers can submit as many of their film projects within the same competition round as they wish. Your film is allowed to compete even if it has already premiered at another festival or is already available in the public domain.
​​· Submission restrictions — ​​Films already submitted in one edition can't be submitted again. If your film is not in English, we require English subtitles. If the film is in Spanish, you can submit it without English subtitles.
​​· Programming decisions — Not every film that gets nominated or selected will make Lonely Wolf's digital cinema straight away, Lonely Wolf's team may have plans to include your film within the private platform at a later stage.
​​· Policy on free waivers — Lonely Wolf is a high-value festival platform. Founder/CEO's philosophy demands a healthy balance. No filmmaker should be granted complete immunity from covering Lonely Wolf's entry fee whilst other filmmakers invest so much. Lonely Wolf's hybridity and modernity offer rare incentives that prohibit free waivers. Student filmmakers and disabled filmmakers are entitled to a discounted entry, and in exceptional cases free waivers will be permitted at the festival's sole discretion.
​​· Films reviews — In order to opt for a film review, your film must have participated within the competition. You can compete, and then opt for a film review months further down line.
​​· Entering the competition does not in-turn mean you're automatically 'Official Selection'. 'Official selection' is competitive, submitting doesn’t mean you’ll automatically be selected.
​​· ​By entering Lonely Wolf, you will automatically join our mailing list, we ask you follow us on Instagram to keep up to date with the status of your entry and wider festival news. And to also join our secret "wolfpack" group on Facebook.
​​· You confirm your credits list is as complete as possible to include members from all departments of production, failure to do so will mean that the director will be announced the nominee and/or winner for an individual merit category.
​​· Lonely Wolf reserve the rights to disqualify any film on certain grounds.
​​· You agree to have read and accepted Lonely Wolf's rules and regulations.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • One of the best festivals I've had the pleasure to send my short film! So warm, welcoming and supporting. It was an honor to receive an award and having a great communication overall. Thanks for making me part of this lovely pack! Oo-ooow ooowwwf! 🐺

    May 2023
  • Aaron Small

    Great festival here, led by a charismatic and knowledgeable director! Thanks for the excellent experience!!!

    From the writer/producer/director/editor of Shadow Legacy

    May 2023
  • On of the - no THE best communication and real passion all over! Submit - enjoy - be part of the wolf's ;-)

    May 2023
  • Fantastic festival gave me all the help I needed.

    May 2023
  • I was proud to have "Surprise" be a part of this festival. Thank you so much for all your hard work!

    May 2023