AN ONGOING SERIES ABOUT ONE SILLY LITTLE MAN’S FILM FESTIVAL SUBMISSION EXPERIENCE
Film Festivals: Positive Reviews & Deserved Boos: Pt. 1 – Cheyenne ZombieFest & Miami Int’l Sci-Fi Film Festival
Article by Justin Bowler
Hi there,
Justin Bowler here. There are so many scams in the world: fake insurance, fake computer virus protection, fake princes from Saudi Arabia who want to send you money, etc. It’s a wonder that any of us can make it through the week without getting jimmied. Well, here is one more for a very specific target audience: filmmakers. That’s right, I’m talking about the film festival scam. Just as technology has allowed more and more people to create movies, short and feature length, technology has also allowed any Tom, Dick or Harry to charge money for their film festival. They can charge as much as they desire and are held to absolutely no accountability. They will gladly accept your $25 or $55 or $85 or $105 submission fee, but who says they will ever actually watch your film? After all, many festivals are put up by a limited number of volunteers, with a limited amount of time. They have a certain number of screenings they have to fill, and it doesn’t make sense from a time efficiency stand point to watch every submission, especially if you ask certain filmmakers to submit so you can screen their films. Where does that leave Joe Filmmaker? It leaves him up Submission Creek without a paddle of hope.
NOTE: If you do not believe that some fests take your money and never consider or even watch your submission, check out my friend Paul Osborne’s documentary Official Rejection. It will give you some real insight into how unfriendly some fests are to filmmakers. Sadly, it will blow your mind.
Let me set the scene. I have a short film called “OH, THE EFFING HORROR” (that’s right, the title is meant to be shouted).
(Check out the teaser at HERE)
Clearly, it is a genre picture. It’s a horror/comedy, or “Horr-omedy”. In addition to the gore and general subject matter, it contains nudity. Finally, with a run time of almost seventeen minutes, it may be too long for some festivals to program. All three of these points give rise to questions I have for festivals. First, do they program horror films? (The majority of the fests out there are NOT horror fests, so I would like to know if they even consider the genre in their short film competition) Second, do they accept films with nudity? (Plenty of festivals have to keep it family friendly. I don’t have a problem with that, but I would like to know that before I shell out my $45) Third, is a 17-minute run time too long? (Many fests have time limits for their shorts, but don’t always post that info on WithoutaBox.com or FilmFreeway.com) (For you newcomers, these are the two websites used for the majority of festival submissions)
My journey began by contacting festivals through the informational e-mail they listed on WithoutaBox.com
In my email, I stated who I was, the answers I was seeking and inquired who could answer. Typically, I was referred to the Artistic Director or Programming Director.
Cheyenne ZombieFest Horror Film Festival – 6th Annual Festival
Submission Price: $10
I got an immediate response from Shawn Crochet, the Co-head of the festival, regarding my questions.
“We look for all kinds of different horror; serious, funny, whatever! We are in no way opposed to nudity; a filmmaker shouldn’t have to be censored from their original vision.”
“Above all, we just want to have a variety to show, and it doesn’t matter if you’re an established filmmaker or a local first-timer, we welcome it all, all in the name of independent filmmaking. We are filmmakers ourselves, and this festival is a way to get independent artists’ names out there.”
“All ages are allowed, but our audience is usually the 20-30s demographics, and we have a disclaimer with a ratings description, so people know what they’re getting into. We will play the edgier stuff later in the evening.”
After this exchange, I felt confident that my submission would actually be watched and considered. That is all I ask. I will let the film speak for itself. So, I paid the entry fee and happily submitted.
REVIEW:
Cheyenne ZombieFest Horror Film Festival gets a POSITIVE REVIEW. They may not be the biggest festival around, but they are definitely fair and filmmaker friendly!
Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival – 4th Annual
Submission Price: up to $100. That’s right, a full Benjamin.
I inquired through the informational e-mail address listed on WithoutaBox. That e-mail address was info@miscifi.com
They responded with…
Hello Justin,
Send any correspondence to info@miscifi.com
All email is routed to requested parties.
—
Sincerely,
MiSciFi
Hmm, really? OK. That’s the e-mail address where I contacted them in the first place. Did they want me to send the exact same thing again? I wasn’t sure, so I continued to inquire with my specific questions. Also, did you notice the e-mail didn’t have a name? Hmmmm…) Here was their response.
Hello Justin,
Thanks for your email and looking at us. The easiest thing I can envision is to take a look at our history. Check out the history of horror/thriller films we select for the festival. I cannot think of a better way.
—
Sincerely,
MiSciFi
FYI: I went to their website and was unable to find out if they program horror films, or films with nudity. By looking at their past shorts, I could see their run times, which answered ONE of my questions.
FUN FACT: At the time of this publication, on their website, the “testimonials” page had absolutely NOTHING on it. I don’t find this ironic.
Needless to say I did not submit. If they can’t take the time to answer some simple questions, why would I believe they would actually watch my submission? Sure, I bet they are happy to take my $100 entry fee.
REVIEW:
Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival gets a DESERVED BOO. They come off like a scam of the first degree. Is this to say that they aren’t an actual film festival? No. I’m saying… if you cold submit, then you have no guarantee that your film will even be watched, let alone considered. I’m sure after this article is published they will state somewhere that all submissions are viewed no less than three times. Sure they are. Submit at your own risk. In addition, they have inflated submission prices costing more than CINEQUEST (who is one of the biggest, most important fests in the world). For some reason, with all of that money coming in, MiSciFi can’t take time to answer a few questions. Very odd.
There you have it, a Positive Review and a Deserved Boo. Check back next week to see who makes the grade and who sucks a big one.
Justin Bowler
IG @IndyFilmTwittic and @OhTheEffingHorror
Twitter @JustinTBowler
