Saturday, September 15, 2007

The Now Film Festival

The Now Film Festival lasts 25 weeks. That's a heck of a long time - but thankfully it isn't a full-on, seven days a week affair. Instead, this works on an everyone-can-manage-it, one-film-a-week arrangement.

If you haven't heard of The Now Film Festival at all, it works like this: you submit your films online where, before October 10th, the rate is just $25 per film; after that there is a $35 per film price tag. Films must be no more than 25 minutes in length - 25 is quite a popular number with these guys.

Then, as of October 17th this year, through the full 25 weeks, a new film will be unveiled on their website every Wednesday. After this, the entire selection of 25 films will be screened at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Last year, in fact, one of the Now Festival films went on to win an Oscar, so they should feel quite at home up there.

The top prize, for the best film of the fest, is to be a Panasonic AG-HVX200 "or similar". That's definitely a very nice prize. And, of course, the exposure never hurt anybody.

Here's my top tip: enter early. They need films for those early slots, and there's bound to be much less competition in the opening weeks.

I'll be going back to their site on October 17th to see the first film. Fingers crossed they'll be able to manage an unbroken run of 25 gems.

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