2010 Submission Guidelines

The Wisconsin Film Festival welcomes narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated films or videos of any length.

There are three categories:

• Open Reel (general submissions of any length, open worldwide)
  deadline: postmarked Tuesday, December 1, 2009 | this category is now closed for submissions
• Wisconsin’s Own (films of any length from filmmakers with “Wisconsin ties”)
  deadline: postmarked Tuesday, December 1, 2009 | this category is now closed for submissions
• Wisconsin Student Shorts (films under 60 minutes by Wisconsin college students or Wisconsin residents attending college in another state)
  deadline: postmarked Thursday, December 31, 2009 | this category is now closed for submissions

Note: The Wisconsin Film Festival does not use third-party submission services like Withoutabox. If you would like to share your film with us, please follow the guidelines listed here and on the submission form.

Is this festival a good fit for my film?

We talk about whether films are “a good fit” for the Wisconsin Film Festival, because it’s hard to define or predict whether something will work in the program.

We present quality work that may not otherwise be seen in commercial theaters, and projects outside the mainstream film industry. We are looking for competence in the filmmaking craft; work that has vision and spirit; original subjects and well-told stories; and diverse voices. We look for films that represent different facets of filmmaking, from polished productions to no-budget gems. Each year’s selection of films is a blend of significant pictures scouted from around the world, combined with smaller, under-the-radar works that illustrate a variety of filmmaking styles.

The audience is terrific. Attendance at the eleventh Festival in 2009 was 32,645 over just four days, watching 199 films — that’s a remarkable attendance for such a “small” festival. Many folks have been coming since the beginning, and many make the Festival a priority on their spring calendar.

If your film is selected, we’ll work hard to ensure that your film is always safely cared for, that your screening is promoted accurately and enthusiastically in the Festival program, that we build a good audience, and that the screening is on time with good picture and sound quality.

See last year’s complete film list for a sense of what makes up the Wisconsin Film Festival program.

How is the Wisconsin Film Festival different?

There are many festivals that share our interest in sustaining what’s good about motion pictures. We’re not unique.

We don’t do red carpets, gala events, or have VIP access. Why? Because the audience knows that what matters is what’s on screen. This Festival is about bringing great motion pictures — large and small — to Madison for well-organized screenings in front of enthusiastic (and usually sold-out) crowds. It’s not about celebrity culture or people paying high prices to get special access. Ticket prices are low ($7, or $4 for students) and available to all.

The theaters are all legit auditoriums, ranging from 155 seats to 1500+. We don’t use make-shift screening locations in places not suited for film, like the back room of a restaurant or bar. Whenever possible, films are screened on 35mm, 16mm, or high-quality digital video. Theaters dedicated to video are equipped for the Festival with high-quality professional projectors and decks that show clear, bright images. And all these theaters are close enough to easily walk between. Wisconsin Film Festival is frequently described as having a relaxed, informal atmosphere, which is certainly true.

Some festivals rely entirely on submissions for their titles. Others barely bother. A portion of the Wisconsin Film Festival program always comes from this submission process, as part of our commitment to showcasing emerging talent. Another portion of the Festival are films outside of the submission process, specifically selected to be part of the program (master directors, international festival hits, films that fit particular themes) and we work directly with distribution companies, sales agencies, and production teams around the world. Some of the world-class filmmakers featured in 2009 are Agnès Varda, Jia Zhang-Ke, Ramin Bahrani, So Young Kim, Johnnie To, Ellen Kuras, Werner Herzog, Doris Dörrie, James Benning, Brillante Mendoza, Carlos Reygadas, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Doug Pray, Christian Petzold, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Pablo Trapero, Shane Meadows, Lee Chang-Dong, A.R. Murugadoss, Bill Plympton, Ken Jacobs, Majid Majidi, Molly Dineen, Fernando Eimbcke, and Terence Davies.

There is no specific quota to be met in any category, nor in feature-length vs. short films. Each work is judged solely on its individual merit. Films shown in other festivals or in limited noncommercial exhibition are eligible. Preference is given to films without significant exposure in Wisconsin markets prior to the Festival.

We watch everything that is submitted. We do not farm out the viewing of your submission to others. We do our best to write original descriptions of each film for the program guide, because the audience wants to know what we like about your movie.

If your film is selected, a certain number of tickets to your film’s screening(s) will be reserved along with a ticket package for other films. We encourage anyone connected to the production to attend, but the Festival can only set aside a small number of tickets for each filmmaker. Acceptance of your film into the Festival program should not be interpreted as also including travel costs or other expenses.

What prizes can I win?

Because the festival circuit can be such an effective way to get your film some attention, a lot of emphasis can be put on how many prizes a festival offers, or whether there are cash awards for winners. We agree that this is exciting and rewarding in many ways (especially if you have production bills that still need to be paid).

Part of the success of the Wisconsin Film Festival, though, has been through supporting the notion that there is merit in all films in the program. Our goal is to expand people’s understanding and acceptance of what makes a good movie, not to narrow it by selecting the “best” ones. Over the years, many attendees have developed their appreciation for a much broader range of storytelling styles because they are encouraged to be adventurous. We think that’s ultimately good for filmmakers. Limiting the prizes to films winning an audience vote, and awards for Wisconsin films, means that we can balance the wish to support our local filmmakers while showing the respect and affection that we feel for every single film that in the final program. Maybe it’s easier for other festivals to pick favorites, but frankly here we love ’em all.

So, cash prizes are given to films in the Wisconsin’s Own and Wisconsin Student Shorts categories (in 2009, $250 for shorts and $500 for features), to help promote filmmaking in the state. And the audience votes for their favorite narrative and documentary feature films (an honor, we hope, but no cash award).

A few details

Your film must have been completed after January 1, 2008.

You can submit more than one film, as long as each work meets the other criteria. Each film must have its own submission form and DVD/VHS tape, but can be mailed in the same envelope.

The Festival will not consider:

1. Commercials or advertisements. Music videos. Instructional, industrial, medical, or institutional films. Video games. Stand-alone trailers. Films with prior substantial theatrical exhibition, commercial TV broadcast or webcast, or commercial video distribution in the Madison, Wisconsin market.
2. Films submitted to the Wisconsin Film Festival in past years.
3. Films completed before January 1, 2008.
4. Work that will not be completed by February 15, 2010. The Festival does not include “works in progress” in its final program.

Feature films (60 min. or more): $30
Short films (less than 60 min.): $20
Student films (any length): $10 (with photocopy of valid student ID)
Fees can be paid with checks or money orders (payable to “Wisconsin Film Festival”) or with Visa or MasterCard.
[Student status is counted when your film was created. If you made your film when you were a student, and have now graduated, you may still submit that film as a student.]

Everyone will be notified of their film’s status (accepted or not accepted into the Festival) no later than February 15, 2010. At that time we’ll also notify any Wisconsin filmmakers who are receiving awards for their work.

Feel free to call (877-963-3456 or 608-262-9009) or email if you have questions — we look forward to seeing your work.

Meg Hamel, festival director