The Indie Gathering International Film Festival (26)

Festival start: 19 August 2021      Festival end: 22 August 2021

Please note: Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the 2020 festival has been postponed to March 11-14, 2021 at the Hilton DoubleTree in Westlake, OH (Cleveland area). Our August 2021 event will still be held as planned, so there will be two Indie Gatherings held in 2021. Submissions for our 26th annual event in August are now open.

Every August, filmmakers from around the world meet up for The Indie Gathering International Film Festival. The Indie Gathering is more than just a film festival - it's a place where filmmakers can gather together with the audience for one great weekend!

We are the Alternative for Independent, Underground and Experimental Film and Video. The "Indie" Gathering Film Festival exists to showcase the independent filmmaker.

Our mission is to inspire and encourage film makers through a competitive showcase.

Filmmakers participate in their screenings and after the films speak with audience members who seek a closer look into the creative process.

With competitions for films, scripts, film scoring, special FX makeup, and acting/monologue, The Indie Gathering has a place for everyone! The weekend consists of three screening rooms, a convention/vendors room, film seminars/lectures, competitions, networking parties and more! If you are involved in, or interested in, any aspect of filmmaking, this festival is for you.

Previously voted one of the Top 25 Film Festivals by MovieMaker Magazine as the Best Fest for Networking!

Projects must receive a score of 90 or above to qualify for award placement. Awards to attending winners include trophies and plaques.

PLEASE READ ALL RULES BEFORE SUBMITTING!

When submitting your project, please e-mail us with your project information and genre selection at theindiegathering@gmail.com. This must be received by e-mail to ensure your submission goes into the proper judging category. Please include your project name and tracking number in the e-mail. Filmmakers, please also note if your film is a student project. Please note that we may, in our own discretion, move your project into a different genre if we feel it is a better fit for that genre. This does not happen often, but we want to ensure your project is in the right category. However, we still need your selected genre e-mailed to us. Please select only ONE.

Film Genres: Action / Animation / Comedy / Comedy-Romantic / Documentary / Drama / Drama-Comedy / Drama-Crime / Drama-Romantic / Experimental / Family / Fantasy / Horror / Horror-Comedy / Sci-Fi / Suspense-Thriller / Trailer / TV Pilot / Web episode / Western

Music Video Genres: Alternative / Blues / Country / Indie / Jazz / Metal / Other / Pop / Punk / R & B / Rap / Rock

Films in any language other than English MUST be subtitled.

There are NO restrictions as to when your film or script was completed or where it has been released. Anyone may enter the competition. All entries must receive an average score of 90 or above in the judging process to qualify for award placement.

Filmmakers - Please check both copies of your DVD or Blu-Ray before mailing to make sure they play. Each DVD or Blu-Ray should have your film title, total run time and FF tracking number. It is recommended that you check your discs on more than one DVD player (computers don't count) to ensure they play, as this is a common issue with submissions. We do NOT accept files, file discs, or any other format - NO EXCEPTIONS.

Hard copies are NOT returned, unless you clear this with the festival administration from the beginning. In order to have your disc(s) or script(s) returned to you (after the festival) you MUST send an SASE along with your disc(s) OR script(s) - not separately or after.

IF YOU SUBMIT VIA SECURE ONLINE SCREENER AND YOUR FILM IS SELECTED TO SCREEN, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO SEND A HARD COPY (DVD / BLU-RAY) OF YOUR FILM FOR SCREENING. ANY SELECTED FILM NOT RECEIVED BY A GIVEN DEADLINE WILL BE REPLACED IN THE LINEUP - NO EXCEPTIONS.

We do not grant submission fee waivers under any circumstance. We do not pay screening fees.

Please note, if your project qualifies for an award, you or a direct representative from your project must be in attendance at the festival in order to receive any physical awards. Non-attending winners will be e-mailed award certificates after the event.

All submissions - whether accepted or not - come with ONE complimentary 4-day event pass to the festival. Any additional passes must be purchased in advance or at the door.

If you have a film in competition which can no longer be considered for screening, you may withdraw it from screening consideration but still leave it in competition for award placement. Please e-mail theindiegathering@gmail.com if you need to withdraw from consideration for screening.

You may withdraw your submission at any time, but there are no refunds on submissions.

The Indie Gathering is hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition at the Festival for promotional purposes. The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening, and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations. The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless The Indie Gathering 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.