Mystic Film Festival (4)

Festival start: 21 October 2021      Festival end: 24 October 2021

Mystic Film Festival is an annual event that showcases independent feature-length and short-form narrative films and documentaries from around the world. The festival brings together a diverse group of filmmakers and audiences to explore ideas, discuss the filmmaking process, and celebrate creativity. Through engaging community events, industry panels, and film screenings by acclaimed and up-and-coming talent, we aim to make the festival a special experience for filmmakers and audiences alike.

Now in its fourth year, the festival will take place October 21-24, 2021 over four days and four nights at venues in Mystic, Connecticut and neighboring Connecticut Shoreline towns. Our cornerstone venue is Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village. We open with a local premiere and close the festival with an awards event where the best film in each category is recognized. Our first screenplay competition in 2020 was a great success, and we're excited to offer it again in 2021. The top winners of the screenplay competition will be announced at the festival in October. In addition to our in-person screenings, workshops, Q&As, and panels, part of our festival will be online. More details about our online platform will be shared on our website in the coming months.

Our festival was created by area filmmakers and artists to nurture local talent, to promote films made in Connecticut and other parts of the Northeast, and to bring unique films to our community.

At the halfway point between New York City and Boston lies the beautiful New England seaport of Mystic. Known for its rich seafaring past and maritime history, it is also a popular destination for food and locally produced craft beer and wine, art galleries and museums, and hiking along the pristine Connecticut shoreline and nature reserves.
Mystic is easily accessible by car and rail, and the Tweed New Haven Regional Airport in New Haven, Connecticut and T.F. Green International Airport in Providence, Rhode Island are both within an hour’s drive.

The Mystic Film Festival Jury will recognize the top films in competition; Best Narrative Feature, Best Feature Documentary, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, Best International Narrative Feature, Best International Feature Documentary, Best International Narrative Short, Best International Documentary Short, Best New Director, Best New England Film, Human Rights Award, Best Conservation Film, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Student Film, Lifetime Achievement Award, Grand Jury Prize Narrative Feature, Grand Jury Prize Narrative Short, Grand Jury Prize Feature Documentary, Grand Jury Prize Documentary Short, Best Screenplay Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay Narrative Short, Audience Choice Award (festival-wide), and Audience Choice Award (Student Film Showcase). We will also be offering awards for the top winners of our our screenplay competition, The grand prize winner will win a table read after the festival.

MYSTIC FILM FESTIVAL GENERAL RULES:

All entries must be submitted online via Festhome.

Your application will not be considered complete until all entry requirements are met.

No music videos, commercials, or series.

Films must be produced (completed) no earlier than January, 2019.

FILM ENTRY RULES:

Please be prepared to provide one or more of the following exhibition formats: MPEG 2, MPEG 4, or Quick Time digital files, NTSC Blu Ray, or DCP. If your film is selected to screen at a venue with DCP capabilities, you will have to provide your DCP on thumb drive or hard drive. We do not download DCP files.

The filmmaker will assume material costs and shipping costs of materials to Mystic Film Festival.

Entrants must assume all responsibility for clearing materials through customs.

Audio is STEREO only.

Titles produced in languages other than English must have legible English subtitles.

BLURAYs and DCPs will be returned to the successful entrants at filmmakers’ cost.

Each BLURAY for projection must be labeled with name, filmmaker, contact info, running time and aspect ratio.

Upon acceptance, filmmakers must agree to provide no less than two high resolution digital stills to be used at Mystic Film Festival’s discretion. Digital stills must be movie stills, not "behind the scenes" / production stills. We also require a short synopsis of your film (up to 300 words). If you have an EPK, digital posters, or trailer, please include these, too.

Not all invited films officially selected will be eligible for competition. The selection committees' and juries' decisions are final.

We do not pay honorariums, screening fees, or travel costs to the festival.

Mystic Film Festival reserves the right to make any necessary changes in its rules and regulations or festival programming and scheduling.

By entering the Mystic Film Festival, you grant the Mystic Film Festival permission to screen your film at Mystic Film Festival, to use your marketing materials to promote your film at Mystic Film Festival, and on social media and in traditional media spaces, and use your trailer (if available) for promotional purposes.