Posts Tagged ‘The Maine Studio’

With the kickoff of Sundance, there begins another year of film festivals.  While festival season doesn’t really pick up until late spring, there are plenty of entry deadlines that will approach before you know it.  For your own sanity and wallet, it’s always better to submit earlier than later, so here are some competitions with upcoming deadlines to look out for.

First up: The Boston Cinema Census, an annual showcase at the famous Brattle Theatre of the most interesting and innovative works produced by local emerging filmmakers.  To qualify, films must have been shot wholly or partially in New England, or have New England residents on its crew.  Corporate, industrial films or PSAs do not qualify.  The winner gets their film shown at the Brattle Theatre, so although there is no monetary compensation, unlike the other competitions listed, there is no entry fee.  The deadline to submit through Withoutabox is February 15, 2011, so hurry!

Although the early deadline for the Rhode Island International Film Festival has passed, the regular deadline is still far ahead.  RIIFF, which we have had the pleasure of attending, is one of the few film festivals in the world where winning short films can qualify for the Academy Award. If you think your short has what it takes to qualify for  an Oscar or just needs to be seen in New England, make sure to submit by May 15 through Withoutabox to get the cheaper pricing options for submission.

For all of you screenwriters, The Maine Studio’s second annual Scriptsation call for entries began on January 16 and will take digital copies of your teleplay, feature or short film script.  The winner of Best Overall Script will receive $500 and a consultation for production by The Maine Studios.  Make sure to submit through their site by May 31 for the entry fee of $30.

The annual Boston Film Festival, known for attracting star filmmakers, has also started accepting entries for their fall festival.  Submissions can be done through Withoutabox by June 11 or an application is available on their website.

Alternatively, for those interested in having some prestige to posting your film online rather than being shown in a theater or  facing the financial burdens of entry fees, The Quarterlife Quarterly, a new online publication, is now taking submissions.  The Quarterlife Quarterly will also accept fiction and nonfiction writing, music, photo essays and other projects of artistic merit, so if you have other side projects besides your films, it provides a perfect opportunity to showcase your other talents.  Submissions are due by February 22 and can be sent to [email protected]

One more suggestion to those who make shorts on a more international scale, the 8th “Concours de Courts” is accepting short films under 22 minutes.  Other entry requirements for this fun French film festival dedicated to shorts are that films must either be silent or have french subtitles (it being a French festival and all…).  It does not cost anything to enter on their site, as long as short films are postmarked by Valentine’s Day, February 14th; so you still have time to hit that Google Translate button and take advantage of having an international audience see your creation!

Don’t forget that there are plenty of other festivals and competitions out there that are seeking submissions.  If you would like a complete list of all 54 festivals within New England, make sure to check out our Film Festivals page and keep an eye out on each festival’s homepage for submission deadlines.