RULES AND REGULATIONS:
This contest is open to anyone except employees and immediate family members of Old Orchard Film Festival (herein referred to as “OOFF”) and their subsidiaries.
Contestants retain all rights to their films.
There are no limitations on the calendar year the films were produced.
There are no limitations on premiere status.
By submitting your film or screenplay to OOFF you will automatically be included in our newsletters.
Students over 16 are permitted to submit one project to our free 'Student Film' category; schools/educational facilities are more than welcome to submit on behalf of the students. Note: Only one free entry per student. Students must upload proof of student ID to their ‘files and attachments’ section on their FilmFreeway project page; otherwise, films will be disqualified. Students under 18 must have parental consent if not applying through their school or educational facility.
Student Filmmakers are permitted to submit their films in other categories.
Rutland-based filmmakers are entitled to a discount waiver code; email oldorchardsfilmfestival@gmail.com with your name and proof of address (i.e., Utility Bill, Photo ID, etc.) using the subject DWC(NAMEOFYOURFILM) to receive a code. Discount codes are not eligible for Feedback Categories.
By entering your film for consideration by OOFF, you hereby grant the right for OOFF to use an excerpt of any film accepted for exhibition at the Festival for promotional purposes. (For screenplays, the same applies to table and live reads).
You attest that your work is cleared for festival exhibition and accept full legal responsibility for the intellectual property therein. By submitting your film, you warrant that you are authorized to commit the film for screening to the public, either live or prerecorded, during the festival period, and understand and accept these requirements, rules, and regulations (For screenplays, you warrant that you are authorizing that you are the copyright holder or are authorized to submit materials).
IMPORTANT: By submitting, all filmmakers confirm that they have obtained permission for all images and music used in their films.
The submitting individual or corporation associated with the project hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening; and shall indemnify and hold harmless Old Orchard Film Festival and its corporation or representative or affiliates from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees, and costs of the court), which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.
If your film is selected for screening at OOFF and you would like local or hometown publicity, please provide a list of your publicist or media contact information. (Not applicable for screenplays).
A press kit containing hi-res action shots (NOT behind-the-scenes photos), filmmaker and team bios, resume, and credits, is optional but highly recommended. Digital only.
Multiple entries are permissible but require a separate entry form and entry fee for each submission. Following submission, no substitutions of new versions or revisions of any kind will be considered or accepted.
Entry fees are non-refundable and will not be refunded under any circumstance.
Film Submission Requirements:
Film reviews are done exclusively online, so films must be submitted online from secure sources. FilmFreeway or Vimeo are our preferred platforms, but others may be accepted. No physical media will be accepted for review.
Include the film screener-link and password in your submission. To screen a film at the event, we will need to download in advance. So, be sure Download is turned on.
Upload an official poster, if available.
Provide a synopsis and/or logline.
Provide an accessible vimeo link or upload your film to FilmFreeway submission page.
Please provide the names of the screenwriter, producer, director, and principal cast.
Feature films must be 70 to 120 minutes run time, excluding credits.
Shorts films must be 40 minutes or less run time.
Micro Short films must be 2 minutes or less run time, excluding credits.
Macro Short films must be 5 minutes or less run time, excluding credits,
Documentaries must be 70 to 120 minutes run time, excluding credits.
TV Series Hour-long must be 60 minutes or less.
Half-hour must be 30 minutes or less.
Web series must be 30 minutes or less.
Commercials must be 10 minutes or less.
Music Videos must be 10 minutes or less.
*Please follow the detailed specifics under each category when choosing the entry option.
*Entrants are encouraged to tighten up their work to meet these required lengths.
Suggested (optional for films):
A “Caption Description” of 25 words or less
A “Summary Paragraph” not to exceed 75 words
A single photo or illustration from the film.
It is highly suggested you provide website links to single and/or multiple trailers, 10 seconds to 2 minutes each.
Screenplay Submission Requirements:
Screenplays/teleplays should be formatted according to current industry standards.
To follow standard guidelines for format, consult any popular screenwriting or teleplay writing text for assistance.
Font size must be 12 point and in Courier type.
Feature Screenplays must be approximately 70-120 pages in length.
Teleplays must be 35 pages or less for half-hour and 65 pages or less for hour-long.
The recommended length for single-camera sitcoms is approximately 22-35 pages and 45-65 pages for single-camera one-hour programs.
The recommended length for multi-camera sitcom pilots is approximately 52-58 pages.
Short Screenplays must not exceed 40 pages.
Macro Short scripts must not exceed 5 pages.
Micro Short scripts must not exceed 2 pages.
Documentaries must not exceed 120 pages.
Pages must be numbered in the top right-hand corner.
NO REVISIONS OR MISSING PAGES WILL BE ACCEPTED ONCE THE ENTRY HAS BEEN RECEIVED.
Awards are based solely on the overall merit of entries. Judges reserve the right not to grant an award.
*We strongly suggest that applicants copyright their materials with the U.S. Copyright Office and/or register their screenplay/teleplay with the Writers Guild of America, East, or Writers Guild of America, West. Please consult an attorney regarding any questions about these.
The festival will consider work-in-progress. Films should be marked as either “Rough Cut” or “Work in Progress/WIP.” Incomplete materials or changes to be made should be clearly indicated (e.g., temporary score, missing VFX, no color-correction) both in your cover letter and the film cut itself (ideally as a title card at the start of the film). Please, no countdown leader or sync beep at the film’s beginning.
We do not accept DVD, Blue Ray or DCP files. We accept all genres. If the film is in a language other than English, it must include subtitles in English.
After a film has been judged a quarterfinalist, the filmmaker will be notified via the email supplied with the entry submission. Being a Quarterfinalist does not mean your film will be screened at the festival. It means that you are now eligible for awards consideration and can use the festival Laurels for your promotions.
Official Selections will be notified via the email supplied with the entry submission. If you miss the materials deadline for official selection, your film will not be screened.
For all submitted projects, the judges' scoresheet contains numbered scores for the format, theme, characters, dialogue, pacing, level of intrigue, voice, originality, marketability, and brief comments on what works and doesn’t work in the story.
Scorecards will be sent out after category winners have been announced.
Contest applicants must accept without reservation the decisions rendered by the judges.
Finalists may submit to later contests with a completely different film. Non-finalists may resubmit their films to later contests without restriction.
Adaptations from other works are permissible if in the public domain and/or with the author’s legal written permission. Entrants alone are liable for any unauthorized use or adaptation of a copyrighted or protected work.
Collaborative work is eligible; the collaborators are responsible for the distribution of the contest prize(s).
Filmmakers under the age of 18 years must have a parent or legal guardian’s permission to participate.
The work or submitted material must not be under a current option agreement or may not have been previously sold or produced for profit.
The filmmaker understands and accepts without reservation that he/she is an independent contractor and that the contest administrators are not responsible for withholding any taxes or payments on prize money to any government agency, at any level, be it state, local, or federal.
Filmmaker understands that it is his/her sole responsibility to register material with the U.S. Copyright Office and/or with the Writers Guild of America or the appropriate agency in his/her country to protect ownership interests in the film submitted.
You must retain at least one copy of the submitted material, and you understand that all material we receive cannot and will not be returned under any circumstances.
All entries must be received by the listed Final Deadline. We are not responsible for late, lost, unacceptably formatted, corrupt, or incorrect submissions. To ensure proper handling of films and entry fees, writers are encouraged to submit through an account on this website.
During the contest period, contestants may submit their films to any other person, contest, producer, agent, publisher, and/or organization. However, the festival must be notified if the project is optioned or sold.
By submitting to this contest, you warrant and guarantee that you are the sole originator of the idea and that you have the legal right to submit it for judging.
You understand that your film will be viewed by our employees and our judges for evaluation.
You also understand that any one of these employees or judges may have been or may be exploring ideas similar to yours, and you hereby waive any claim that OOFF, its employees, or judges may have misappropriated any ideas or portions of your submission.
You also agree that if your film is chosen as an Official Selection, your film will be exhibited to the public live and/or online during the 2024 Old Orchard Film Awards event. (The same applies to table reads for screenplays).
No agreement for compensation, other than the prizes listed, has been implied.
OOFF intends to disseminate the winning film titles, writers’ names, and loglines for film festival marketing purposes.
OOFF will not duplicate, broadcast, or cause to be published any film to any third party other than to contest judges and festival audiences.
When your film, application, and payment have all been received, you will be notified by email. Please provide an appropriate email address. If your email address changes, it is your responsibility to let us know through the contact information at the Old Orchard Film Festival website.
OOFF has the right to add to the prizes at any time, without notice, and/or substitute prizes of equal or greater value.
OOFF retains the right to change festival dates each festival calendar year.
OOFF retains the right to alter the submission terms from year to year. So, please be sure to thoroughly read submission guidelines and terms each festival calendar year.
OOFF may develop a series or documentary-style program based on the inner workings of the contest.
OOFF reserves the right to contact contestants with offers to participate in any such production. Contestants are under no obligation to participate therein.
All rewards must be redeemed within 12 months.
Submissions found to have violated any of the eligibility requirements listed above may be disqualified at any time.
By submitting, you agree to all terms and conditions.
