Event Calendar

Geneva Downtown Film Festival: LAST CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Saturday, December 16 at
Smith Opera House

Held in New York’s gorgeous Finger Lakes Region, the Geneva Downtown Film Festival is an annual celebration of the film and video artists who have stories to tell and the passion to tell them. The Geneva Downtown Film Festival highlights diverse voices that advance the field through innovation and an unflinching commitment to the art of cinematic expression. We welcome films from all over the world, and are especially excited to screen work from upstate New York – the home of the Geneva Downtown Film Festival. We encourage submissions from filmmakers at any stage of their careers or level of experience: students to experienced filmmakers; emerging artists to established professionals. It is our mission to connect creative voices with an eclectic audience of film lovers for a one-of-a-kind evening unlike anything else in the Finger Lakes.

This year, we invite filmmakers to submit their short works (20 minutes maximum) in any genre, including but not limited to: animation, documentary, live action narrative, and video essay. There will be two categories for submission: Student and General. Please see below for detailed submission guidelines.

Awards & Prizes

The 2024 Geneva Downtown Film Festival will be held on February 9 at the historic Smith Opera House in the heart of downtown Geneva’s cultural district. Films selected for the festival will be divided into programming blocks and presented with short breaks between blocks. Audience Choice Awards will be given, and juried prizes, awarded by genre, will be given as well. All works selected for public screening will receive official Geneva Downtown Film Festival graphics for use in their marketing.

Rules & Terms

Please read all the submission guidelines carefully.

1. Submissions must be 20 minutes or less and can be in any genre.
2. Submissions must be submitted via FilmFreeway by the following deadlines and accompanied by the following fees:
a. Early Bird: June 20, 2023 (Student: $2, General: $5)
b. Regular: August 12 (Student: $5, General: $10)
c. Late: October 14 (Student: $7, General: $12)
d. Extended: December 16 (Student: $10, General: $15)
3. Students submitting in the “Student” category are required to use a valid .edu email address or upload a photograph of their valid student ID to the “Files and Attachments” section of their project page.
4. The Geneva Downtown Film Festival has no festival premiere, public, or internet broadcast eligibility requirements. If your work has appeared in other festivals or on online platforms such as Vimeo, it is still eligible for consideration.
5. The resolution of films and videos should be at least 1920 x 1080 pixels (16 x 9 pixel ratio)
6. All films that are not in English must have English subtitles. We strongly encourage all submissions, regardless of language, to have English subtitles for the deaf or hard of hearing.
7. The Geneva Downtown Film Festival has no obligation to disclose information about the selection process and will not provide notes, feedback, or information regarding the submitted work.
8. By submitting your work to the Geneva Downtown Film Festival, you give permission to the Geneva Downtown Film Festival to screen your film publicly, should it be selected.
9. By submitting to the Geneva Downtown Film Festival, you give permission to the Geneva Downtown Film Festival to use excerpts of your submission, if it is selected to be screened, in publicity such as promotional trailers, posters, and social media.
10. By submitting to the Geneva Downtown Film Festival, you represent that the film or video is your original work
11. By submitting your work to the Geneva Downtown Film Festival, you represent that you have obtained appropriate permissions for any third-party material (including but not limited to: music, logos, trademarks, or stock footage). You are responsible for securing the appropriate permissions, clearances, and releases from the legal rightsholder for all material in your film. The Geneva Downtown Film Festival is not responsible for ensuring that you have obtained licensing rights or other clearance for these materials at any point during the application process, nor will it be held responsible for the inclusion of unlicensed and uncleared copyrighted materials in the final version of the project. The Geneva Downtown Film Festival expressly disclaims any responsibility or liability for any unlicensed or uncleared materials included in your film. Projects that are accepted into the festival will be required to sign a waiver stating that no materials in the film violate a trademark or copyright.

Submit Now: https://filmfreeway.com/flxgenevafilmfest