Tickets available for this week, on every showcase page.
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Line-up announced for "Best of" showcases.

Enter a Film

The 2010 DC Shorts Film Festival

September 9-16, 2010

DC Shorts turns the spotlight on truly independent short films, created by new and established filmmakers in an era when the art of filmmaking is opening to all. We select films from every genre for our competition screenings — with a special focus on films created by metropolitan Washington, DC-based directors and writers.

We review films under 20 minutes in ALL genres, and program screenings so audiences see as many different types of films as possible. Last year, we received hundreds of submissions from 32 nations. We showcased 100 films from 16 countries in 10 unique showcases to a combined audience of more than 5,000 people.

Summary

• We take films in every genre and subject matter. There are special family-friendly and late-night adult screenings, so films which can be screened for these programs are very welcome.
• Films must be under :20. If you wish to discuss a special case, please contact the Festival Director
• DC Shorts has been named by MovieMaker Magazine two times in a row as one of 25 festivals worth the entry fee for our unique feedback system in which EVERY filmmaker is able to review their scores and receive judges’ comments.

Awards

(as of November 1, 2009)

Outstanding First-Time Director - which consists of a custom-made trophy and $250 cash award

Filmmakers’ Choice (chosen by filmmakers in attendance) - which consists of a custom-made trophy and $250 cash award

Festival Director’s Choice (chosen by the Festival Director) - which consists of a custom-made trophy and $250 cash award

Outstanding Local Film (chosen by the Selection Committee) - which consists of a custom-made trophy and $250 cash award.

Outstanding Original Song, presented by Gibson - winner is presented with a Gibson guitar and private consultation.

Diverity Award, presented by Verizon - which consists of a custom-made trophy and $250 cash award.

Outstanding Cinematography, presented by FujiFilm - winner is presented with a substantial amount of film stock.

Audience Favorite Awards for each screening - which consist of a framed certificate and no cash award.

Registration Deadlines

*(Discounted fees are for WAB premier members.)

Our submission process is now closed. This year, we have received over 840 films from 36 countries. We will open the process for DC Shorts 2011 in December. Thank you!

Materials Deadline

All materials must be received in our office by 12:00pm (EST) on Monday, May 16, 2010. Materials received after this date will be discarded without notice.

Ship materials to:

DC Shorts Film Festival
1317 F Street NW
Suite 920
Washington, DC 20004-1151 USA

Label the outside of your package FOR FESTIVAL PREVIEW ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL VALUE.

Each submission requires a separate entry form and fee.
We can only preview films on DVD (NTSC or PAL)

Incomplete applications, failure to include payment, or submitting materials we are unable to preview will disqualify your entry. For complete details and requirements, check out the Rules and Licenses page before submitting your entry.

Notification Date

June 30, 2009.

All filmmakers will receive notice of acceptance or rejection VIA EMAIL, as well as a complete report with judges’ scores and comments. If you do not receive this email by the notification date, please contact the office.

Waivers

Our 2010 Waiver Program has ended. We are no longer accepting applications for fee waivers for this year's event. Next year, the program will run from December 2010 through March 30, 2011.

How Films Are Judged

DC Shorts is proud to be one of a small number of festivals to provide feedback to ALL entrants. In addition, we pride ourselves on our open judging process — we explain how it works before you enter, provide feedback after decisions have been made, and allow you the opportunity to call us for additional feedback and comments.

For the 2010 Festival, we expect to review more than 900 short films.

Films are removed from all packaging and placed into blank envelopes with a code number for identification. Team of judges, comprised of local filmmakers, industry professionals, and film enthusiasts, watch each film in its entirety. Teams are created randomly, and are assigned films in a random process. It is possible for a team to include an industry professional, just as it is possible that a team is made up of other professionals or students. All judges are interviewed and screened before they are trained – and all have attended previous versions of DC Shorts as paying audience members. We believe that if they are willing to pay $12 to sit though your film, then their opinions are valid.

Films are scored using our proprietary online software by each judge on aspects such as strength of plot, originality, technical proficiency, acting, editing, and sound. Judges are also asked to leave a comment. At the end of the preliminary judging cycle, scores are generated, and the top 200+ films, plus any selections the festival director has added to the list, are sent to a second team of judges.

The second team of judges (consisting of previous judges, DC Film Alliance Board Members, local business people and sponsors) watches each film in its entirety and makes programming notes, but does not add to the scores. At the end of the second round, volunteers from the preliminary judges, the secondary judges and the festival director choose a final lineup based on scores, the time constraints of showcases (each showcase runs for approximately two hours, with an average of 10 short films featured in each showcase), and how films will play in a show with each other. We also try to include 10% of our films from filmmakers from the greater Washington, DC region.

Again, we encourage filmmakers to become an active part of the process. If you have questions, comments or need more clarification of the judging process, please feel free to contact us.

Want to read the thoughts from a previous judge? Here it is in the Washington City Paper. The account is not overly flattering, but we are proud of our system — and the fact that you know as much about it as we do. No secrecy, no bullshit.

Want to read the thoughts of some other judges? Check out our hints and tips on why some films are not accepted. This article has been published in various magazines, and is used by some film schools as a tip sheet for creating new works.

The Rules & Screening License Agreement

Please read this agreement carefully before you submit your film. By submitting your film, you expressly acknowledge and agree that you shall be bound by the terms of this agreement.

DC SHORTS GENERAL FILM COMPETITION

GUIDELINES FOR ALL FILMS. Films must have been completed after January 1, 2008. Films must not exceed 20 minutes in length, including credits. All non-English language films must have English subtitles. A separate entry form and additional entry fee must be submitted for each film.

ENTRY FORM AND PREVIEW MATERIALS FOR ALL FILMS. All films must be submitted and paid for through withoutabox.com. Illegible or incomplete entry forms will not be accepted. Entry forms that do not include full payment of entry fees by May 15, 2010 will not be accepted. Preview copies must arrive to the Festival offices by May 16, 2010. We can only preview films DVD (NTSC or PAL) — all other formats will be discarded and the entry not accepted. Preview media will NOT be returned. Preview media must be labeled with the entry confirmation number, film title, running time and contact information (phone and email.) Films must be sent to DC Shorts, 1317 F Street, NW, Suite 920, Washington, DC 20004-1151 USA. Label the outside of your package FOR FESTIVAL PREVIEW ONLY-NO COMMERCIAL VALUE. Do not value the package any higher than $10 USD. Do not send media in fiber-filled envelopes as the dust can damage media and viewing equipment. Do not send media kits or other materials – just the preview media. Do not send film prints, master media or other originals. DC Shorts, its members, directors, employees, and volunteers are not responsible for lost, misplaced, and undelivered film and media. Submissions may not be withdrawn from the Festival once they have been entered, except at the sole discretion of the Festival directors. There are no refunds for entries with incomplete entry forms, or incorrectly formatted preview materials.

REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS. All entries are automatically included in the general DC Shorts Film Competition. To be considered for category competitions (Diversity, Family, etc,), you must register for those specific categories on your entry form. Entry into the category competitions DC Shorts Competition will preclude your film from being considered in any other category. DC Shorts will review films in their entirety. Films will be watched and judged by members of the Selection Committee, a volunteer group of DC-area filmmakers, film enthusiasts and critics. Films are scored, and filmmakers will receive a short critique and feedback. After the final submission deadline, the Selection Committee will review the total scores of all the films in competition, and select final films from a group of the top scorers. In addition to the top scoring films, final screening decisions will be influenced by the time constraints of showcases (each showcase runs for approximately two hours, with an average of eight short films featured in each showcase). We will also select no less than 10% of films from filmmakers from the greater Washington, DC region. Award information is explained below. All prizes are subject to change, and updates to the prize package will be posted online at dcshorts.com

AWARD INFORMATION. Cash Awards will be presented in four categories: Outstanding First-Time Director which consists of a custom-made trophy and $250 cash award; Filmmakers’ Choice (chosen by filmmakers in attendance) which consists of a custom-made trophy and $250 cash award; Festival Director’s Choice (chosen by the Festival Director) which consists of a custom-made trophy and $250 cash award; and Outstanding Local Film (chosen by the Selection Committee) which consists of a custom-made trophy and $250 cash award. In addition, audience members in each screening will vote on Audience Favorite (one for each screening) which consists of a framed certificate and no cash award. Other awards are subject to change before the event, with an updated list to be posted at dcshorts.com. All awards will be announced at the final Filmmaker Brunch on Sunday, September 12, 2010. All prizes are subject to change, and updates to the prize package will be posted online at dcshorts.com

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE Letters of Inclusion or non-inclusion, with a link to a breakdown of their scores and judges’ comments, will be sent to the email address provided on the entry form. DC Shorts does not send physical mail — please ensure that your email address is accurate on your application. DC Shorts is not liable for emails lost due to spam filters or server rejections.

SCREENING FORMATS. Films, acceptance contracts and other materials mentioned in the Letter of Inclusion must arrive at the Festival office no later than 11:59pm, July 1, 2010 on DVD (NTSC or PAL, no region coding); MiniDV (NTSC or PAL, DV or DVCAM); or a data disc containing a digital file. Films with incomplete materials by the deadline will forfeit their ability to screen in the festival. DC Shorts, its members, directors, employees, and volunteers are not responsible for lost, misplaced, and undelivered film and media.

FILMMAKER AND WRITER ATTENDANCE. DC Shorts encourages filmmakers to attend the festival. To this end, we will assist every filmmaker (and one guest) who wishes to attend by providing a meal pass to be used at local restaurants, housing in a volunteer’s private home, passes for public transportation, invitations to all parties, tours and events, and passes for all film screenings (either in the general theater or in our special Filmmaker Lounge.) DC Shorts is unable to provide financial compensation for travel expenses or additional expenses incurred during the Festival week.

COMMUNICATIONS. DC Shorts does not send physical mail — please make sure the email address in your entry form is accurate. Changes of email address can be sent to info@dcshorts.com. DC Shorts staff can be reached by email at info@dcshorts.com, or by mailing DC Shorts, 1317 F Street, NW, Suite 920, Washington, DC 20004 USA. The office phone number is 202-393-4266

PUBLICITY AND MARKETING. All selected films and scripts may be excerpted for publicity purposes. DC Shorts reserves the right to promote any film or script to print, broadcast or internet media as required to market the Festival or our parent organization, the DC Film Alliance.

THEATRICAL SCREENINGS. By accepting inclusion in DC Shorts, the filmmaker grants non-exclusive rights to showcase their film during the festival week (September 9-16, 2010) in as many screenings as required. This includes the competition screenings and the “Best Of” showcase which will play after competition ends. In addition, DC Shorts has non-exclusive rights to repeat the showcases throughout the year for fundraising purposes. All ticket sales are property of DC Shorts.

INTERNET BROADCAST. DC Shorts may make films screened at DC Shorts available for commercial internet broadcast and download. Filmmakers participating in this venture will receive 50% of the profits (total revenues collected minus total expenses to produce and distribute the content) from the licensing for internet broadcast and download. Filmmakers will have the ability to opt out of this program upon acceptance into the festival. This is an optional program in which the filmmaker has the ability to opt-in on acceptance of the Participation Agreement, sent on inclusion into the festival.

TELEVISION BROADCASTS. DC Shorts reserves the non-exclusive right to repeat the various showcases on local (DC metropolitan area) cable access channels without any further compensation to the filmmaker. This is an optional program in which the filmmaker has the ability to opt-in on acceptance of the Participation Agreement, sent on inclusion into the festival.

CONTROLLING LAW, VENUE AND SEVERABILITY. This License shall be governed by the laws of the United States and the District of Columbia without consideration of conflicts of laws provisions and principles.. All claims between the parties, regardless of legal theory and whenever brought, shall be resolved in the state or federal courts of the District of Columbia, USA, and you stipulate that you expressly submit to the personal jurisdiction of such state and federal courts, and you further agree that any judgment may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. If for any reason a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision, or portion thereof, of this Agreement to be unenforceable, the remainder of this License shall continue in full force and effect.

COMPLETE AGREEMENT. This License constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the use of films and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous understandings regarding such subject matter. No amendment to or modification of this License will be binding unless in writing and signed by an authorized representative of DC Shorts Film Festival. Nothing in this Agreement constitutes a waiver of DC Shorts’ rights under the United States of America patent and copyright laws or any other Federal or State law, nor of any of DC Shorts’ rights under the rules or laws of any country, territory, republic, and/or province.

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