RULES FOR SUBMISSIONS
film & microfilm | judging | screenwriting | awards

Film & Micro Film Submissions

• To be considered, all entries must be submitted on DVD (Region 1 or Multi-platform – must be compatible with all DVD players) and received by Festival Committee by March 10, 2008 with entry fee.

• Fee Schedule is:
  -- $35.00 – Screenplay
  -- $40.00 - Feature Films
  -- $40.00 – Documentary
  -- $30.00 – Short Film
  -- $25.00 – Young Film Maker
  -- $25.00 – Micro Film

• All checks made payable to: Huntington Regional Film Commission.

• Late entries or entries determined to be ineligible will not be considered. Fees accompanying these entries will be returned.

• Films must have been completed no earlier than April 20th, 2005.

• Films must be available for screening during the Festival, April 17-19, 2008.

• Filmmakers must have resided during either of the last two years (or been a full-time student attending a college or university) in any of the 13 states that make up the Appalachian Region -- WV, OH, KY, NY, PA, MD, VA, TN, NC, SC, GA, AL, and MS.

• Films and micro films with U.S. or foreign distribution or films produced by a major film studio, or under contract or option, are ineligible for competition. Documentaries screened on US or foreign television are also ineligible for competition purposes.

• Films must not be longer than 2 hours, 15 minutes. Shorts must be no longer than 45 minutes. Young Filmmaker’s films must be no longer than 120 minutes. Documentaries must be at least 15 minutes or longer. Micro videos must not be longer than 5 minutes.

• A 50-word synopsis for marketing should accompany your film or video.

• All films will be judged on mainstream appeal, story, and quality of acting, editing, and direction.

• No foreign or international films will be considered.

• It is permissible for films to have entered or won other contests.
  
  

2008 Appalachian Film Festival Judging

Films, videos and scripts will be reviewed by the Huntington Regional Film Commission. After all qualifying entries are considered, a total of 23 films, 6 micro films, and 3 scripts will be invited for Jury at the Festival (6 considered for Best Film category, 3 for Best Documentary, 12 for Best Short, 2 for Best Young Filmmaker, 3 for Best Country/Western Video, and 3 for Best Pop/Rock/Alt/Hip-Hop/R&B/Rap Video). The films and videos will be juried by an independent panel of judges during the Festival. Awards will be presented at the conclusion of the Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 19, 2008. While the decisions of the Judges are considered to be final, any winning entry found to have violated the rules and regulations of the Festival may have the award forfeited. It is permissible for a film, video, or script to have entered or won other contests.

Returns and Acknowledgements

No films, videos, or screenplays will be returned. The Appalachian Film Festival reserves the right to screen any film and video entries for festival competition and / or for promotional / marketing purposes. Include a self-addressed, stamped postcard for each submission if you wish acknowledgement of the receipt of your entry.

Screenplay Competition Guidelines

• To be considered, screenplay submissions must be received by the Festival Committee by March 10, 2008 with $35.00 entry fee.
• Late entries or entries determined to be ineligible will not be considered. Fees accompanying these entries will be returned.
• Screenplays must be neatly typed, in generally accepted format, clean, and bound with a cover.
• The title of the screenplay must be on the front cover. However, the author’s name MUST NOT appear on the cover or on any of the script pages. The author’s name shall only appear on the entry form.
• Screenplay length should be no more than 130 pages.
• Screenplays will be judged on format, plot, character, structure, dialogue and storyline.
• A one-page synopsis should accompany each script.
• A 50-word synopsis for marketing should accompany each script.
• Screenplay entries must not be optioned or under professional contract.
• Screenwriters must have resided during either of the last two years (or been a full-time student attending a college or university) in any of the 13 states that make up the Appalachian Region -- WV, OH, KY, NY, PA, MD, VA, TN, NC, SC, GA, AL, and MS.
  

Appalachian Film Festival Script Judging:

Scripts will be reviewed by the Huntington Regional Film Commission. After all qualifying entries are considered, a total of 3 scripts will be invited for Jury at the Festival. These scripts will be juried by an independent panel of judges during the Festival. Awards will be presented at the conclusion of the Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 19, 2008. While the decisions of the Judges are considered to be final, any winning entry found to have violated the rules and regulations of the Festival may have the award forfeited. It is permissible for a script to have entered or won other contests.

Returns and Acknowledgements:

No screenplays will be returned. Include a self-addressed, stamped postcard for each submission if you wish acknowledgement of the receipt of your entry.

Awards

Travel and Accommodations

Those filmmakers and writers invited for Festival screening / judging which will occur April 17-19, 2008, will be notified of their preliminary selection / invitation no later than April 1, 2008. All competition film/videomakers will receive one public screening of their film April 17-19, 2008 at the Historic Keith Albee Theater in Huntington, WV. All competition filmmakers will receive 5 complimentary tickets to their film’s screening. All juried film makers and writers will receive 1 Producer’s Pass (includes 1 ticket for the Director’s Awards Banquet, 1 ticket for the Writer’s Workshops, and 1 Actor’s Film Pass which admits one person to all of the competition films). For more information, see our locator map.