Click Below To Submit a Film

Call For Submissions For The 2013 SDBFF Opens April 23, 2012

1. Festival programming staff will select and invite films at their discretion. Entrants will be notified, if selected, via phone call or email, on or before December 23, 2011. Please feel free to email us regarding your film's status. 2. If selected, filmmakers are expected to provide most of the following: (a) Exhibition Format: The festival screens/exhibits work only in the following formats: 35mm or DigiBeta (NTSC Region 1) (PAL is Not Accepted. NO PAL). Note: DVD (NTSC-Region 1, No PAL) is the acceptable format for previewing your film for consideration of acceptance into the festival. However, once accepted, you will need to provide either a DigiBeta (NTSC) copy; (b) Full press kit including film stills and director photo (slides, hard copies, or digital TIFF files of minimum 300 dpi on disk or emailed); synopsis; full production credits; and director biography. Additional collateral material including postcards, posters, etc. may be included if available. (c) Clips or trailer to be used for press, promotion, and awards ceremony. (d) You must be prepared to FedEx your DigiBeta or 35mm screening copy to the festival within 10 days of acceptance into the festival. NO EXCEPTIONS! 3. Selected films may be screened multiple times during the course of the Festival at the festival's discretion. Your press kit material and film may be used to promote the following year's event. In addition, your DVD copy will not be returned, but may be achieved for research and historical purposes. However, your 35mm or DigiBeta copy will be returned pursuant to the festival's return policy. 4. NOTE: The San Diego Black Film Festival and the San Diego Black Film Foundation are not responsible for lost films or damage to any films during shipping, handling, or screening.

Screening Fees

The festival will not waive fees and does not pay rental fees under any circumstances. Rather, we devote our resources to producing the best possible showcase for your work and promoting your work as widely as possible with distribution of your product in mind.

Awards

We do not offer monetary awards. Our awards are solely based on honor and merit. The Festival presents the following awards to filmmakers and actors in competition:

Best Dramatic Feature
Best Documentary Feature
Best Documentary Short
Best Dramatic Short
Best Religious
Best Comedy
Best Animation
Best Music Video
Best Cutting Edge
Audience Choice
Best GLBT

Winners will be presented with an award, to be determined, during the festival's Awards Ceremony.
There may or may not be additional awards or giveaways.

Shipping

Submit entries prepaid, including applicable customs fees via Fedx, UPS, or U.S. Post Office, etc.

San Diego Black Film Festival 220 West G Street, Suite E San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: (619) 685-7215

Package CDs properly and securely using bubble-wrap. Selected filmmakers are responsible for delivery of exhibition prints or videos to our offices by the date designated at time of selection notification.

Questions

Please email submission questions to: letter@sdbff.com

2012 Festival Dates

January 26 -- January 29

Submission Fees and Deadlines

A completed application and entry fee must accompany each entry. There are no exceptions to the entry fee. Entries must be postmarked per the following deadlines:

• Early-Bird Entry/Fee and Deadline: Must be postmarked by September 2, 2011 $50 (WAB $40)

• Regular Deadline: Must be postmarked by October 26, 2011 $75 (WAB $65)

• Late Entry Deadline: Must be postmarked by November 18, 2011 $85 (WAB $75)

• Rush/Extended Entry (WAB only): Must be submitted by November 30, 2011 $100 (WAB only)

Entry fees are not refundable. Make payment by check or money order
in US dollars (only) payable to: San Diego Black Film Festival

Film Genres

The Festival accepts films/videos in the following genres: dramatic feature, dramatic short, comedy, documentary feature, documentary short, GLBT, animation, Christian, and music video. Festival programming staff may use their discretion to place your film in the appropriate category.

Eligibility/Rules of Entry

Films/videos entered into competition must be directed, produced, or principally acted by an artist of African descent in the USA or in any country, or by a person born in any country in Africa, or whose subject matter relates to African American culture or any cultures of Africa (including Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, etc.) regardless of race. Clarify questions of eligibility prior to submission of entry. Entries must not have been completed prior to January 2010. Feature length entries and shorts must not have been exhibited previously at a film festival in San Diego, or any other commercial or nonprofit venue, (library, cultural center, university, etc.) in San Diego County. Nor can your film be commercially available for rent or purchase on DVD or other format for American audiences. Each project entered into the festival must pay an entry fee. There is no limit to the number of qualifying entries by any entrant so long as an entry form and fee accompanies each entry. Foreign language entries must be subtitled with English sub-titles. Films/videos cannot be re-entered into competition if previously rejected by the San Diego Black Film Festival. Entrants shall obtain all licenses, royalties, and permits necessary to present their work. Entrants will assume all costs arising from the use of patented, trademarked, franchised or copyrighted music, materials, devices, processes, or dramatic rights used in production of work. Entries previously exhibited on the Internet are eligible for entry so long as they meet the above requirements.

Legal Notice: By submitting your film, you're representing that you are duly authorized to submit your film and commit it for screening at the San Diego Black Film Festival and hereby do so in consideration of a submission fee and the festival's promise to screen your film, if selected. Accordingly, this shall constitute a binding agreement between the San Diego Black Film Festival and you as the applicant or filmmaker. If your film is selected, you shall submit a digi-beta screening copy within 20 days and adhere to all rules and regulations of the festival. You agree to hold the San Diego Black Film Festival and the San Diego Black Film Foundation, harmless from damage to or loss of the screening/exhibition copy enroute or otherwise during the course of the festival's possession of the film. You understand and agree that the San Diego Black Film Festival is not obligated to return any film not personally retrieved at the close of screening. Should any liability or damage result or legal action commence, stemming from the submission and/or exhibition of your film, you agree to indemnify the San Diego Black Film Festival, San Diego Black Film Foundation and its affiliates, and waive any claims. By submitting your film, you are confirming that you have read and fully understand the above terms and conditions and further agree that the submission constitutes your electronic signature upon receipt by the festival.

Feature and Short Definition

A feature is any work with a running time of 60 minutes or longer. Less than Sixty minutes running time designates a short.

Submission Materials

All entries must include the following: (a) DVD (NTSC-1) previewing copy labeled with title of project, director, contact telephone number, and running time. Note: PAL and mini DVD are NOT acceptable. (b) Completed Festival Entry Form. (c) Digital stills of film. (d) Entry Fee. The Festival will not return screening copies (35mm/DigiBeta) unless entrant includes a pre-paid mailer (FedX, UPS, etc.) This pre-paid mailer should be submitted at the time of submission of your screening copy (35mm/Digibeta). However, you can provide your pre-paid mailer after the festival ends.
NOTE: Please do not send your one and only copy of a film.

How to Qualify

The San Diego Black Film Festival rules of entry define qualifying work and filmmakers. Entry to the Festival affirms understanding and acceptance by the filmmaker of all rules of entry.

How to Submit Your Work

TO APPLY ONLINE, directly with the Festival, Click Here .
To apply utilizing Withoutabox, click HERE.

Your submissions package should include most of the following:

• A completed copy of the entry form for each entry

• Standard NSTC DVD copy

• Entry Fee (postmark on or before deadlines)

• Checks or money orders should be payable to the San Diego Black Film Festival

Note: If your film is accepted into the festival based on your DVD submission,
we will require a DigiBeta copy within 20 days of acceptance (no exceptions).
If you are unable to provide a DigiBeta copy, PLEASE DO NOT APPLY.

Notification

If your film is selected for screening at the 2012 San Diego Black Film Festival, you will receive a call or email from us between December 17-23, 2011. If you do not receive a call or email, this does not automatically mean your film was not accepted. Sometimes the notification process is delayed for various reasons. Feel free to email us after December 21 to obtain the disposition of your submission.