THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE: 2023 (#theartistsforumfilmfest) is now accepting submissions.

Part of our on-going juried arts programming, our 8th annual international film festival is a juried competition, open to innovative filmmakers with unique perspectives seeking to gain exposure in the formidable New York City and international arts and media markets.

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Our 2023 Competition Theme: THE BODY POLITICAL

THE ARTISTS FORUM invites artists to showcase interpretations for the phrase: The Body Political.

The term "body politics" refers to the operations of power in topics ranging from issues about abortion, anatomy, anorexia, and opinions on tattoos, toxicology, and transsexuals, to facts about diseases, death, disciplines, and convictions about race, rationality and research.

Question: Are our voices heard as ways to transform the system or rather as entertainment for the political status quo?

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Each submission, reviewed by a panel of industry professionals, will be rated upon its individual merits. Finalists in each category will be judged against one another and a winner declared. Please see Rules & Terms for eligibility.

A list of competition jurors is forthcoming on our website: https://theartistsforum.org

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We are accepting both feature length (over 40 minutes, but no longer than 120 minutes) screened virtually) and short film submissions (30 minutes or less).

>> Please note: Shorts with a run time between 30 and 40 minutes may be considered for acceptance into the festival upon discretion of the festival committee. However, these entries might be programmed for online screenings only.

Our list of categories include:

FEATURES:
Narrative
Documentary

SHORTS:
Narrative
Documentary
Experimental
Comedy
Dark Themes
Sci-Fi
LGBTQ+ (New)
Animation
Music Video
Web Series Only (New)

AWARD CATEGORY LISTINGS:

Best Narrative Feature
Best Documentary Feature

Best Narrative Short
Best Dark Themed Short
Best Comedy Short
Best Experimental Short
Best Documentary Short
Best Animated Short
Best Music Video
Best Student Short
Best LGBTQ+ Short (New)
Best Web Series (New)

Best Sound Design
Best Musical Score (New)
Best Cinematography
Best Editing
Best Screenplay
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Jurors Award

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Award recognition will be given at a ceremony in New York City, alongside screenings of selected films. In the case of COVID-19 restrictions, our award ceremony will be conducted online and then televised on Manhattan cable stations shortly thereafter.

All finalists will be considered for a MEET THE ARTISTS video profile and promoted on our online platforms.

Winners will be considered for a formal studio or Zoom interview with host to be promoted via THE ARTISTS FORUM TELEVISION - a 20+ year arts based television program broadcasted from mid-town Manhattan in New York City.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Who is eligible: Anyone from any country is eligible to submit their work to The Artists Forum and its Juried Competitions, except for those listed below.

Who is ineligible: Any member of the Board of Directors, Advisory Board, any competition judge or mentor, and any employee of The Artists Forum and their family members* are ineligible to participate in our competitions.

*Family is defined as relationships to the third degree of consanguinity or affinity. Consanguinity (blood relations) include: spouse, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, great grandparent, great grandchild, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, niece, and nephew; the listed relatives include whole and half blood relatives. Affinity relationships apply to step relatives and in-laws.

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ALL SUBMISSIONS:
Submissions are only being accepted through FilmFreeway.com

• Films must have been completed after January 1, 2022.
• Works-in-Progress will not be accepted.
• Films without audio will not be accepted.
• All entries must be in English or with English subtitles.

FILM LENGTHS:
• Feature Films must have a running time of over 40 minutes, but no longer than 2 hours.
• Short Films must have a running time of 30 minutes or less, including credits.
• Shorts with a run time between 30 and 40 minutes may be considered upon discretion of the festival. However, these entries may be programmed for online only.
• Web series can compete utilizing a single episode submitted under any of the given categories.

• SUBMISSION FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.

• No commissioned works (industrials, infomercials, etc.) are accepted into this festival. Only independently produced films and videos are to be considered for competition. (However, films receiving production funding is permissible).

• THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE does not pay screening fees. By submitting your film via FilmFreeway.com you acknowledge that THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE will not pay to present your film.

• Selected entries and all required materials must be submitted by July 30, 2023 to be included in the festival line-up.

STUDENT SUBMISSIONS:
In order to submit to this category, college undergrads must provide documentation of active enrollment in an educational institution plus your student ID.
• Grad Students and all others are not eligible for student rates.

MULTIPLE ENTRIES:
Filmmakers may submit multiple entries to THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE. Each submission must be accompanied by a separate FilmFreeway.com online entry form.

AWARD CRITERIA:
Category winners are based on the quality and quantity of entries.
Therefore, THE ARTISTS FORUM does not guarantee a winner in each category if judges deem the entrees do not meet our standard criteria.

IF SELECTED:
The following Apple-friendly format are required:

• Your film's exhibition copy as a Quicktime Pro Res 422 (1920x1080) plus a high bitrate back up copy.
• Your trailer (if you have one available) as a .mov or mp4 film format, 1GB or less.
• Film stills and other promotional images in a high-resolution .png or .jpg format.
• Name, Mailing Address, Email Address, Phone Number, Website (if any), social media handles, Bio, Filmmaker's Country of Origin, Filmmakers Current Residency, Country of Filming, Film title, log line, synopsis, crew listings, and social media handles for your main cast or crew members in one pdf document.

TERMS & CONDITIONS:
By submitting your film to THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE you are hereby agree to the following terms & conditions:

I hereby state that I am legally authorized to enter this film into THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE.

I guarantee that I own the rights to the film in its entirety, or that I have secured in writing all proprietary rights as required by law the use of the following: music, audio samples, images, performances, text, trademarks and/or service marks, and any other intellectual property used in the film and indicated on this form.

I have also acquired the necessary releases for all persons, talent, crew, and/or location(s) involved in producing the film submitted for this competition.

I will indemnify, safeguard, and hold harmless THE ARTISTS FORUM INC., THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE, and all of their festival sponsors, related parties and/or affiliates, from any claims, damages, costs, expenses, and liabilities arising from the creation, publication, use, viewing, or reproduction of the film at present or in the future, including, but not limited to, claims for negligence and other infringements, fraud, unauthorized exhibition, discrimination, defamation, and breach of contract.

I agree to give THE ARTISTS FORUM INC. and THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE a non-exclusive, perpetual right at no cost to duplicate, screen, or disperse the film in any media and in any manner it deems appropriate for promotional and educational purposes related to the festival. I hereby have all the rights, power and authority necessary to grant the foregoing license, and all of my content does not infringe, violate, misappropriate or otherwise conflict with the rights of any third party, and complies with all applicable laws and regulations, foreign and domestic. I accept full legal responsibility for the intellectual property therein.

I agree to allow THE ARTISTS FORUM INC. and THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE to use photographs, audio or visual interviews of myself, and other likenesses of me, as well as, my name, either actual or fictitious. I hold THE ARTISTS FORUM INC. and THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE harmless from the damage to, or the loss of, film media and/or any publicity materials that I supply.
My submission and all activities related to my submission will be in compliance with the FilmFreeway’s Terms of Service for Filmmakers.

I have read and fully comprehended the guidelines. I have complied with the terms of submission stated above and my application and payment into the competition verifies my acceptance of all Rules, Terms, and Submission Conditions.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Nicholson Billey

    The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image 2022 was a brilliant experience. It was an honor to be part of the 2022 Festival! Yakoke!

    December 2022
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much Nic! It was a pleasure to showcase your work. Congratulations on your wins in our 2022 Spoken Word Competition! Looking forward to seeing what is next for you!

  • Hemisphere Films

    It has been an honor to participate with the film Facing The Silence. A great experience at a great festival! Thank you very much.

    December 2022
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    Response from festival:

    Hello Emilio Ruiz Barrachina! Congratulations on your 2022 Best Narrative Feature Award for your film "Facing the Silence." It was great to meet you and present you with your award during your trip to NYC. Here's hoping all is well with you and yours in sunny Spain!

  • Meg Case

    Amos and the team at The Artists Forum are wonderful, clearly committed to artists and bringing together innovative work and people. A great experience, and highly recommend!

    May 2022
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    Response from festival:

    Hello Meg! Congratulations on your 2021 wins as Best Actress and Best Dark Themed Short! It was an honor to showcase your highly creative work in our festival. Looking forward to seeing your next entry!

  • Peter Meng

    Thanks Amos and others for putting on another great festival. Exceptional selection of films. Effortless screening on the filmmakers part. Enjoyed being able to watch the other films online easily.

    January 2022
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    Response from festival:

    Hello Peter! Thanks for your kind words. It's with great pride we screened your latest short film "Planet M in Outer Space" and we look forward to seeing your next submission.

  • Julian Hall

    The festival was so great to be a part of! I had a chance to watch films from all over the world virtually! Thank you for selecting our film!

    January 2022
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    Response from festival:

    Hi Julian! We love to support young filmmakers like yourself and are glad to hear you had an opportunity to see your colleagues work from around the globe. It was a pleasure to see and showcase your timely piece on the state of the nation. We look forward to seeing more of your films in the future!