South Georgia Film Festival ()

Festival start: 06 March 2020      Festival end: 08 March 2020

Celebrating the art and industry of film, the South Georgia Film Festival will be accepting submissions showcasing the beauty of the region and its people.

We are seeking submissions in four categories:
- High School Aged Students
- College Students
- Shorts
- Features
Preference will be given to students from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina. Winners in the high school and college categories have the opportunity to receive scholarships to Valdosta State University.

You can learn more about the festival at http://www.SouthGeorgiaFilm.com

Submitted films will be screened on the campus of Valdosta State University March 6 - 8, 2020, in the Student Union Theater. Films will be judged by experts in the region. Awards for each category will be given by regional sponsors along recognition for other notable achievements, such Best Production Design, Best Documentary or Best Acting.

The total running time (everything) must be under 15 minutes in length for the Shorts, High School and College categories. Feature films are not limited based on length.

All participants will be invited to attend the screenings and discussions at the campus of Valdosta State University. Chosen filmmakers will be notified of their film screening by February 25, 2020.

Winners chosen in each category as applicable will receive a trophy and prizes from local sponsors. Scholarship opportunities are available for winners in the High School and College categories. Previous prizes have also included trophies from Harmon's Awards and passes to Wild Adventures theme park.

Films will be recognized by our judges in various areas of achievement - such as
best use of prompts,
best cinematography,
and best acting

HOW WILL FILMS BE SUBMITTED?

Films will only be submitted online.

If your project included a large group, please designate one (1) person to submit your project ... and only one. Each project accepted to screen will receive one (1) festival pass and a discount for additional passes. Should a project win either the High School or College category, only the person who submitted the project will be eligible for the scholarship.
Multiple submissions of the same project will not receive multiple opportunities to participate.

WHAT CATEGORY SHOULD I PARTICIPATE?

All submitted films must be less than 15 minutes in length. Films will then be competing in the categories of:
features
shorts
high school aged students
college students

High-school-aged students are any filmmaker between the ages of 14-years-old and 19-years-old who completed their project while not currently enrolled in an institution of higher education. If a filmmaker is currently home schooled, they can compete here. If a student completed a project in May as a high school student but is currently attending college, they can submit that project here.

Any student who completed a project while enrolled in an institution of higher education should compete in the College Student category.

Everyone else should compete in the Shorts or Feature category. Iranian submissions will be placed into the appropriate category.

Films must be appropriate to screen for a general audience and refrain from content that might warrant a PG-13 rating, such as foul language, excessive violence and sexual situations.

Filmmakers are responsible for all copyright clearances and releases for actors/performers' likenesses'

Winners chosen in each category as applicable will receive a trophy and prizes from local sponsors.

Participants are strongly encouraged to attend. Films will be recognized by our judges in various areas of achievement - such as best use of prompts, best cinematography, and best acting - regardless of attendance.


DOES IT MATTER WHEN I MADE MY PROJECT?

Films should be completed after last year's submission Regular Deadline. Project's for this year should be completed after Dec. 1, 2018.

DOES IT MATTER WHEN I SUBMIT MY PROJECT?

We have a rolling submission deadline. Projects submitted before July 2 will receive the Very Early submission discount, those before September 20 will receive the Early submission discount. The Regular Deadline is November 22.

CAN I HAVE A WAIVER?

All high school students in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and South Carolina should contact us about a waiver for fees. All others eligible for waivers will be contacted directly. A separate category has been created on FestHome for Iranian Filmmakers instead of creating waivers.

WHAT DO I NEED TO SUBMIT?

Just submit your video link now. If your film is accepted, we will request a digital copy of your film as well as other marketing materials.
Do not submit those materials until requested.
If you do not submit a digital copy of your film when requested, your film can be excluded from the festival.

CAN I SUBMIT A ROUGH DRAFT?

We will only look at your film one time. If you submit a Rough Draft, that is the version that we review to include in our festival.

WHO ARE YOUR SCREENERS?

Our primary screeners are Valdosta State University students in the campus Film & Video Society. They will be the first eyes for the Feature, Shorts, and High School categories. To avoid conflicts of interest, the VSU faculty will be the initial screeners for the College category, along with other faculty for institutions in the region. We will also have members of the community helping screening potential films as well.

HOW MANY FILMS CAN I SUBMIT?

You can submit one film per submission fee, but you can submit as many films as you wish as long as you pay the fee.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF I AM ACCEPTED?

We will notify filmmakers through FilmFreeway. We will also post accepted films on our Facebook page. While we will attempt to alert filmmakers by late January, we guarantee to alert all filmmakers by February 25 if they are accepted.

WHAT GENRES DO YOU ACCEPT?

You can submit any type of film you can make. Depending on the submissions we receive, we may program more animation or documentary one year and more horror and thriller another year. If you can make it, we would love to see it.

DO YOU TAKE AWAY MY RIGHTS AS A FILMMAKER?

Absolutely not. Filmmakers own all rights to submitted films. However, by submitting you agree to allow Valdosta State University to use your film in its entirety both for educational and promotional purposes.