We are 100% "green" and will only allow digital screeners and materials via FilmFreeway except for final projection, at which point we will request it from you.
Music videos submitted in the wrong category will be disqualified.
Guidelines:
All Federal, State and Local laws and regulations apply.
Applicants must be 18 years of age or older (or have your parent or guardian submit on minors behalf).
All entered films must be the original work of the author or authors. Multiple authorship is allowed.
Failure to comply with guidelines, rules, regulations, and eligibility is cause for disqualification.
All BATSFF entries must be submitted through FilmFreeway. Direct entries or payments will not be accepted.
BATSFF reserves the right to determine the eligibility of any project or film submitted.
BATSFF does not pay screening fees under any circumstances.
BATSFF reserves the right to disqualify, remove, or otherwise delete a film from our lineup at our own discretion without notice.
One your film has been accepted, acknowledged, and we have the media required, films will not be removed from the lineup unless designated by BATSFF staff.
Entries are NOT guaranteed to be promoted, honored or screened at any BATSFF event. Submission, entry and any fees paid are for inclusion in the film festival finalist selection process. Films selected as “Finalists” will be rated through the judging process and while most Finalist films will be played at the festival, it is not guaranteed. All Finalists are required to provide a high resolution digital version of their film for screening.
All films accepted as finalists must remain active on FilmFreeway up until the festival date. Any film that has its link removed will automatically be withdrawn from the festival.
BATSFF does not issue waivers as there is no way to implement a fair method for which films do or do not deserve waivers. Once submitted, there are no refunds.
Judging Process
All entries are reviewed for eligibility, viewed and initially scored by festival staff and invited jurists. From that process a “Finalist” list is developed. Finalist films are viewed and scored by the festival’s professional industry judges whose collective scores select the winners in each of the film tracks. All judging is completed prior to the actual festival but not revealed until the Awards Ceremony held the final evening of the festival.
Awards
All entrants will be notified on or before November 18, 2016. For publication purposes, entries selected as a Film Festival Finalist will be required to supply three digital high resolution stills from the film and at least one digital high resolution photograph of the film's director. The Festival also requests publicity materials and a video trailer (if available). All of this material will be due by November 25, 2016. Publicity and press materials will not be returned.
BATSFF reserves the right to NOT present an award in a category should the level of quality not meet the minimum standard.
All judging decisions are final.
If your credits are more than 60 seconds long, we will cut them down to 60 seconds for screening.
Deadlines
Deadlines are clearly posted in FilmFreeway's submission/entry system.
Film Submission Details
All films submitted must be entered into a specific Category for classification. Texas-made films will automatically be entered into the "Best Texas Short" category upon receipt of proof of Texas production.
Films must be the original work of the Director and must hold rights to use others copyrighted images/music.
All films must have dialogue in English or be subtitled in English.
All films must be 40 minutes or less, including credits.
Films MAY have distribution.
All musical rights must be cleared for public screening purposes.
We do not consider prior awards or screenings at other festivals, but we would like to know about them.
Premiere status of the film does not matter.
The film MAY be available on the internet.
BATSFF does not issue waivers as there is no way to implement a fair method for which films do or do not deserve waivers. Once submitted, there are no refunds.
Please submit in the most appropriate category for your genre.
BATSFF reserves the right to re-classify your film into a more appropriate category. For example, if you submit as a comedy but it is clearly a drama, we will consider it a drama.
ACCEPTED FILMMAKERS: You will receive TWO (and only two) emails notifying you of selection status. You have 21 days to respond with deliverables or your film will be removed from the lineup. If you do not respond, or do not provide the required media, your submission fee will be forfeited and your film will be removed from the list of selected films. We apologize for having to make this rule, but it has become a regular problem and must be addressed formally in our rules.