GENERAL RULES, TERMS and CONDITIONS
Please read the following carefully and completely. By submitting a film for consideration you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions:
Press Kits must be included with all submissions, in addition to paper press kits, electronic press kits will also be accepted provided included artwork is suitable for reproduction in print. Works must include a press kit to be considered. The press kit may be as elaborate as you like but must include both a 50 word and a 150 word synopsis of the film, at least two stills or production stills in addition to any packaging, one-sheets or collateral materials.
List all available exhibition formats for your work. If your work originates on 16 or 35mm film, please indicate what/if video formats are available. Due to scheduling and exhibition restrictions, some work originating on film may need to be projected in a different format. Accepted exhibition formats are: 35mm film, Mini DV (NTSC and PAL), DVCAM (NTSC and PAL), and Beta SP (NTSC and PAL), DIGIBETA (NTSC only).
Any film or video maker may enter the festival, including College or University film or video artists. There are two special sidebars in the festival. One for films and videos produced by Young Filmmakers from 10 - 18 years of age. The other for Central New York film and video artists. To qualify, an artist must be a native of Central New York residing elsewhere, presently reside in Central New York, or have received his/her education there. Central New York films, while singled out for prizes, must qualify under the general prescreening rules. All films are blind prescreened, and there are no acceptances based on any criteria other than the quality of the film.
Cash prizes up to $5,000 are awarded in the following categories: Feature Fiction, Short Fiction, Feature Documentary, Short Documentary, Experimental, Animation, Editing, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Music Score, Actor, Actress, Central New York. Cash prizes up to $500 are awarded for films/videos by Young Filmmakers. Additional prizes may be given in areas to be determined by the guest judges. Additional awards such as Avid editing software and Kodak film stock may be offered to selected works.
In addition to the festival screenings, some accepted films may be eligible for screenings in other venues throughout the year at the festival's discretion. This includes but is not limited to promotional events, special competitions, television broadcast and special interest screenings. The festival reserves the right to use any accepted films for promotional purposes. After the end of the festival, if any of these cases should apply to any of the accepted films, filmmakers will be contacted directly in regards to additional screenings of their films.
Our preferred prescreening (preview) format is DVD. We will also accept VHS tapes. No other format is an acceptable presceening format. You must include at least TWO (2) DVDs in your submission as the rate of DVD failure, especially from non-professionally produced duplications is especially high. The festival reserves the right to duplicate prescreening copies of submitted work as members of the prescreening committee are often geographically dispersed. Any prescreening copies received in any format other than DVD or VHS will not be considered. No prescreening materials are returned.
Remember, your submission MUST contain the following:
- Completed Entry Form
- Your DVD (at least 2) or VHS presceener
- A press kit containing (at a minimum):
- Contact/return address
- 50 word synopsis
- 150 word synopsis
- 2 still images submitted electronically suitable for reproduction in print (150 dpi, 2x3 inches, minimum)
- Format(s) available for exhibition
- Entry fee (checks only). If you are submitting through withoutabox.com entry fees may be paid by check or charge (American Express, VISA, Master Card)
- Incomplete entries will not be considered. Entry forms may be downloaded here. [Adobe PDF format]
