The winning poster design will be featured as the official festival “face” of South Alabama Film Festival and be used to advertise the event in newspapers. The design will also be printed on program booklets, posters, and other items for promotional purposes.  In addition to, the exposure the winning artist will receive 50% of their reprinted-poster sales. The winning original artwork will be given to a visiting filmmaker who goes above and beyond at the festival, as determined by the festival staff.

All entries will be displayed in the South Alabama Film Festival Office on Dauphin Street during the October Art Walk. All non-winning festival entries will be sold in a silent auction during the October Art Walk.  The artist will receive 60% of the auction price, with the Film Festival retaining 40%.

Entries must be mounted on an 11″w by 17″h board as well as stored digitally on a CD.
* May use colors and design concepts that create a strong graphic presentation.
* The design must be easily transferred to a variety of print materials such as posters, print ads, cotton t-shirts, film, etc.

Posters should reflect a theme of Southern filmmaking.

Send your posters and CD to:

South Alabama Film Festival

PO Box 850968

Mobile, Alabama 36685

Or, deliver them to:

South Alabama Film Festival Offices

550 Dauphin Street

Mobile, Alabama 36602

(Current office hours are Wednesday and Friday 4-6 p.m. You may also drop off your entry during the September Art Walk.)

Judging
Entries will be critiqued on their appeal, content and marketability. The decision of the judges is final.

Other Details
The deadline for this contest is September 15, 2010, 5PM. You may enter as many times as you wish and there is no entry fee.

On each of your entries, you must include your name, address, email and phone number on the back.

The winning artwork copyright will become property of the South Alabama Film Festival.

For questions about this contest send your emails to SoALFilmFest@gmail.com or call 251-490-4356 for more information.

This year’s festival hits downtown Mobile Nov. 5-7.

The South Alabama Film Festival is looking for 8-16 feature length films, and 12-20 short films, each to be shown multiple times throughout the three-day festival weekend. We wish to show both fiction and nonfiction films, with special consideration given to films made in or around Mobile, Alabama; in the state of Alabama; and in the American “South.” Many films have already been turned in, but we want to see more.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to have your film screened for true lovers of the medium in a place where hospitality isn’t the norm, it’s the expectation.

Now, for the particulars:

GENERAL RULES

Submissions must have been completed after December 1, 2007 and may not be publicly screened in Mobile County or Baldwin County, Alabama prior to the 2010 festival dates (excluding other South Alabama Film Festival screenings and collaborations). Submissions will be notified of their selection status on or around Sept. 20, 2010. If accepted, two additional DVDs of the final film must be provided to the South Alabama Film Festival for jury screenings, media requests and the festival archive. Selected festival films must also provide updated contact information, a digital and non-digital press kit, and one exhibition copy of the film in the format we will determine at the time of selection. South Alabama Film Festival may deny acceptance of any film at its sole discretion, or waive rules for any submission it deems appropriate for the festival. If accepted, the screening schedule (including venue, time and number of screenings) is at the sole discretion of South Alabama Film Festival. The festival encourages filmmakers to accompany the film to represent it and participate in a Q&A sessions following the screening to share their experience of making of the film. Each accepted film will receive free industry passes to the festival.

The entrant guarantees that they have legal right to submit their film and have obtained all necessary rights and clearances to screen the work at the South Alabama Film Festival. Submission of work confirms that the South Alabama Film Festival has permission to exhibit it (and any moving image excerpts or reproduced stills) during the festival and for any festival publicity or promotion. Every precaution will be exercised in handling entries and exhibition copies of submitted films, but the entrant agrees to hold the festival, its organizers, employees, volunteers, sponsors, and partnering organizations harmless for damage to or loss of materials submitted.

FILM DEFINITIONS

Feature-Length Narrative – Fiction films more than 60 minutes in length.
Feature-Length Documentary – Nonfiction films more than 60 minutes in length.

Short Narrative – Fiction films, animated or live, that are less than 30 minutes in length.

Short Documentary – Documentary films, animated or live, that are less than 30 minutes in length.

Student Films – Short films, under 5 minutes in length, submitted by students enrolled in middle or high school.

Music Videos – Short videos, that are less than 10 minutes in length, featuring regional musical artist(s).

TO SUBMIT A FILM

Send a DVD copy of the film. Please label the DVD with the film name, your name, and the film running time. Include a one page description of the film with any important personal information. Also include your application fee. Mail to: South Alabama Film Festival, Post Office Box 850968, Mobile, Alabama 36685, USA.

FEES

Feature Length Films $30

Short Films $20

Student Films and Music Videos $10

The Alabama filmmaker discount is $5 with current identification.

All fees are nonrefundable.

Filmmakers, get your films in now!

Special thanks to the Crescent Theater and staff for donating their space and time, Look and Listen for the technical equipment and installation, and b-side for VISIONEERS.

On Friday, July 24, at 11 P.M. The Crescent Theater will host a one time only screening of Visioneers. Tickets are $10 each.  All proceeds will benefit The South Alabama Film Festival.

The Mobile Arts Council and The South Alabama Film Festival announce the July Film Scramble.  A scramble challenges filmmakers to produce short films in a brief amount of time. This scramble will give filmmakers 72 hours to make their short film.  Filmmakers will receive their challenge information on Thursday, July 16 at 6 P.M. at the Mobile Arts Council, the challenge will end on Sunday, July 19, at 6 P.M. This scramble’s theme involves promoting the upcoming The South Alabama Film Festival.

Before the July Scramble kick off, the film festival encourages people who plan to participate, or who would like to, to join us at Hopjacks- Pizza Kitchen and Taproom, on Dauphin Street on Monday, July 13, at 6 P.M. This will give teams a chance to meet.  It also gives people, who may not have team mates or have not participated in the past, a chance to meet others.    

The scramble will take place the following weekend.  Details of the project will be explained on July 16.  One change to the film scramble, is it that each team will now need to pay a $10 entrance fee. Everyone who wishes to compete is encouraged to register before July 12.    

Films will be shown and judged on Thursday, July 30, at 6 P.M. at Bernheim Hall.  

For further information, contact Hailee Kuntz (251-490-4356, info@southalabamafilmfestival.org) or Charlie Smoke (251-432-9796, csmoke@mobilearts.org).

OPEN CALL FOR ENTRIES

Deadline August 15, 2009

Extended Deadline September 1, 2009

Feature-Length Narrative – Fiction films more than 60 minutes in length.

Feature-Length Documentary – Nonfiction films more than 60 minutes in length.

Short Narrative – Fiction films, animated or live, that are less than 30 minutes in length.

Short Documentary – Documentary films, animated or live, that are less than 30 minutes in length.

Student Films – Short films, under 5 minutes in length, submitted by students enrolled in high school. (More information to follow on student contest rules.)

The South Alabama Film Festival is looking for 12-20 feature length films, and 8-16 short films.  The festival plans to show all films multiple times.  We wish to show both fiction and nonfiction films.

Special consideration will be given to films made in or around Mobile, Alabama; in the state of Alabama; and in the American “South.”

The festival is also searching for films that celebrate the outdoors, and the spirit of exploration and conservation.  These films will be screened at the wonderful Five Rivers Delta Center.

Two weeks ago, Mobile filmmakers were given 48 hours to create five-minute short films inspired by the original sounds of local musicians including El Cantador, Port Wine Stain and Hibachi Stranglers. Friday evening, beginning at 6 p.m., the eight submitted shorts will be screened and judged, with winners announced at evening’s end.

Beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, local filmmakers will screen all or part of their projects currently in production. Feather Head Productions, filmmaker Margaret Broach, and Fighting Owls Productions will be on hand to show their films, answer questions and speak about the art of filmmaking and film festival experience from around the country.

Sunday’s events also begin at 2 p.m., and will feature a bonus screening of Friday’s scramble shorts as well as a question and answer session with Chris Cash, associate producer of the award-winning, and locally produced, film “Residue.” Finally, local filmmaker Carson Kennedy will discuss his upcoming projects, as well as the films being shown Sunday night as part of the Geronimo! film expo held at the Alabama Music Box on Dauphin Street. Kennedy programmed Sunday night’s schedule, as well as the Geronimo! schedule at the event held in January.

This weekend of films and filmmakers is made possible by Arts Alive!, the Mobile Arts Council and the new South Alabama Film Festival. Born from the South Alabama Film Group, SoAL Film Fest was created to showcase the growing regional independent film community, helping local filmmakers get their films shown in support of all things cinema. Various celebrations of cinema will be scheduled throughout 2009, culminating with the three-day festival this fall.

November 6-8, film fans from across the country will unite in Mobile for feature films and shorts at these local venues: the Crescent Theater, the Gulf Coast Exploreum, 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center and Bernheim Hall at the Ben May Main Library. SoAL Film Fest is sponsored by the Mobile Arts Council, Crescent Theater, Gulf Coast Exploreum, Look & Listen Home Theater, Wine Loft, BNI Copy Shop and the Mobile Public Library. Look & Listen is providing all audio and video equipment for the film programming during Arts Alive! weekend.

Join SoAL Film Fest on May 11 at the Wine Loft for the Mobile Arts Council film scramble DVD release party, featuring the best of the scramble shorts from the last two years.

For more information about SoAL Film Fest, the Mobile Arts Council and Arts Alive! weekend, visit southalabamafilmfestival.org, mobilearts.org or artsalivemobile.com, or call 251.490.4356.

In addition to feature-length and short films, SoAL Film Fest will offer seminars and workshops for adults and school children, to further its goal of educating – as well as enchanting – the growing regional film community. In its first year, and for many more to come, SoAL Film Fest strives to be the yearly event in Southern Alabama for all who love, and create, film.