Dallas International Film Festival

Dallas, TX, United States, North America

22 - 25 Oct, 2020

Dallas International Film Festival logo
Dallas International Film Festival

Dallas, TX, United States, North America

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General Information

founded

1992

edition

14th

Contact details

110 Leslie Street Suite 200 Dallas, TX 75207 United States

75207

submissions@dallasfilm.org

N/A

Web & social

About the festival

The 14th annual Dallas International Film Festival powered by Capital One will screen the best narrative features, documentaries and short films from all over the world, April 16th-April 23rd 2020.

A 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, the Dallas Film Society provides leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media.

Dynamic and Diverse.

The 14th annual Dallas International Film Festival powered by Capital One, hosted by Dallas Film, doesn’t just show films; it showcases and celebrates all types of content. The interaction between story tellers audiences and the Dallas community is what we strive to develop from opening to closing and everything in between.

DIFF2020 is a global adventure that boasts premiere screenings, nightly red carpets, daring documentaries, eye-opening short films, exciting television content, anew focus on environmental film-making, music documentaries, nightly parties, live music performances, filmmaker panels, award presentations, and an enhanced filmmaker hospitality program that includes city tours and more.

The festival completed a successful 2019 run with over 130 filmmakers attending our Texas-sized film party that 124 films screened from 24 countries and an attendance of over 15,000.

We invite you to add your voice to the conversation. At DIFF, filmmakers are invited to the festival to participate in a variety of programs, Q&A sessions and a series of panel discussions. Dallas area high schools and universities host master classes where filmmakers have the opportunity to discuss their work and careers with a new generation of content creators.

DIFF honorees and attendees over the years include:
Hannah Pearl Utt, David Gordon Green, Faye Dunaway, Robert Benton, Max Landis, John Landis, Blythe Danner, Kathryn Bigelow, Wally Pfister, Steve James, Laura Linney, Bernie Pollack, William Friedkin, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Sherry Lansing, Gabourey Sidibe, Ann-Margret, Scott Z. Burns, Amber Heard, Guillermo Arriaga, Frank Darabont, John Lee Hancock, Pete Docter, Amanda Seyfried, Peter Bogdanovich, Adrien Brody, Henry Selik, America Ferrera, Barry Bostwick, Mariette Hartley, John Hawkes, David Lynch, Lauren Bacall, Charlize Theron, Robert DeNiro, Helen Hunt, Lou Taylor Pucci, Robert Towne, Rian Johnson, Rinko Kikuchi, Jeremy Renner, David Gordon Green, Lou Gossett Jr., Robin Wright, Carlos Cuaron, James Tobak, Justin Kirk, Patton Oswalt, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Glen Keane, Elvis Mitchell, Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Tim McCanlies, Monte Hellman, Ed Lachman, Lea Thompson, Zoey Deutch, Katharine Houghton, Ry Russo Young,

CURRENT 2020 DIFF PROGRAMMING STRANDS:
Narrative Feature Competition
Documentary Feature Competition
Short Film Competition
Texas Competition
Animated Short Competition
Premiere Screenings
World Cinema
LatinX Cinema Showcase
Deep Ellum Sounds (Music Films)
Family Films
Faith Based Films
Midnight Specials
Environmental Films
Special Presentations

At DIFF, the interaction between filmmakers, audience, and community is a highlight of our programming. Filmmakers of selected films are invited to the Festival to participate in a variety of programs. Question and answer sessions after screenings are well attended and lively. A series of panel discussions are held throughout the eleven days of the Festival. Area high schools and universities serve as the venues for master classes where filmmakers have the opportunity to discuss their films and careers with a new generation of professionals.

Mission

Grand Jury Prizes are awarded to competition films in the following categories: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Shorts, and Animated Shorts. A Grand Jury Prize will also be awarded to the best Student Film within the Shorts Competition.

The Grand Jury Prize winner of the Texas Competition category will enjoy a camera rental package worth $30,000 for their next production, courtesy of Panavision.

A $1000 cash prize will be presented by the Dallas County Historical Commission for the feature or short that best represents a historical event.

A $500 cash prize for best Animated film, presented by Capital One

Audience awards for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature and Best Short will also be presented.

About

The 14th annual Dallas International Film Festival powered by Capital One will screen the best narrative features, documentaries and short films from all over the world, April 16th-April 23rd 2020.

A 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, the Dallas Film Society provides leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media.

Dynamic and Diverse.

The 14th annual Dallas International Film Festival powered by Capital One, hosted by Dallas Film, doesn’t just show films; it showcases and celebrates all types of content. The interaction between story tellers audiences and the Dallas community is what we strive to develop from opening to closing and everything in between.

DIFF2020 is a global adventure that boasts premiere screenings, nightly red carpets, daring documentaries, eye-opening short films, exciting television content, anew focus on environmental film-making, music documentaries, nightly parties, live music performances, filmmaker panels, award presentations, and an enhanced filmmaker hospitality program that includes city tours and more.

The festival completed a successful 2019 run with over 130 filmmakers attending our Texas-sized film party that 124 films screened from 24 countries and an attendance of over 15,000.

We invite you to add your voice to the conversation. At DIFF, filmmakers are invited to the festival to participate in a variety of programs, Q&A sessions and a series of panel discussions. Dallas area high schools and universities host master classes where filmmakers have the opportunity to discuss their work and careers with a new generation of content creators.

DIFF honorees and attendees over the years include:
Hannah Pearl Utt, David Gordon Green, Faye Dunaway, Robert Benton, Max Landis, John Landis, Blythe Danner, Kathryn Bigelow, Wally Pfister, Steve James, Laura Linney, Bernie Pollack, William Friedkin, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Sherry Lansing, Gabourey Sidibe, Ann-Margret, Scott Z. Burns, Amber Heard, Guillermo Arriaga, Frank Darabont, John Lee Hancock, Pete Docter, Amanda Seyfried, Peter Bogdanovich, Adrien Brody, Henry Selik, America Ferrera, Barry Bostwick, Mariette Hartley, John Hawkes, David Lynch, Lauren Bacall, Charlize Theron, Robert DeNiro, Helen Hunt, Lou Taylor Pucci, Robert Towne, Rian Johnson, Rinko Kikuchi, Jeremy Renner, David Gordon Green, Lou Gossett Jr., Robin Wright, Carlos Cuaron, James Tobak, Justin Kirk, Patton Oswalt, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Glen Keane, Elvis Mitchell, Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Tim McCanlies, Monte Hellman, Ed Lachman, Lea Thompson, Zoey Deutch, Katharine Houghton, Ry Russo Young,

CURRENT 2020 DIFF PROGRAMMING STRANDS:
Narrative Feature Competition
Documentary Feature Competition
Short Film Competition
Texas Competition
Animated Short Competition
Premiere Screenings
World Cinema
LatinX Cinema Showcase
Deep Ellum Sounds (Music Films)
Family Films
Faith Based Films
Midnight Specials
Environmental Films
Special Presentations

At DIFF, the interaction between filmmakers, audience, and community is a highlight of our programming. Filmmakers of selected films are invited to the Festival to participate in a variety of programs. Question and answer sessions after screenings are well attended and lively. A series of panel discussions are held throughout the eleven days of the Festival. Area high schools and universities serve as the venues for master classes where filmmakers have the opportunity to discuss their films and careers with a new generation of professionals.

Mission

Grand Jury Prizes are awarded to competition films in the following categories: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Shorts, and Animated Shorts. A Grand Jury Prize will also be awarded to the best Student Film within the Shorts Competition.

The Grand Jury Prize winner of the Texas Competition category will enjoy a camera rental package worth $30,000 for their next production, courtesy of Panavision.

A $1000 cash prize will be presented by the Dallas County Historical Commission for the feature or short that best represents a historical event.

A $500 cash prize for best Animated film, presented by Capital One

Audience awards for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature and Best Short will also be presented.

Awards & Winners

There are no winners yet for this festival

Terms and rules

Premiere status is taken into consideration for every submission in each category strand with priority given to Dallas/Ft Worth Premieres, Southwest Premieres, US Premieres, North American Premieres, and World Premieres.

In order for feature films to be considered for competition, a Dallas/Fort Worth Premiere is required.

Films must not have had major theatrical release or US broadcast airing prior to the festival.

Feature Films must not be commercially available prior to April 16th, 2020. (Films cannot be available on VOD, Bluray/DVD, or streaming.)

More than one entry may be submitted. Each entry must be accompanied by a separate entry form and entry fee.

If your film is selected, you will be asked to provide a digital press kit which includes: head-shot and filmography of director, color and/or B&W stills from the film, screeners for press, and a video trailer (cleared for broadcast).

DVD/Bluray screeners will not be accepted for consideration.

Incomplete submissions will not be considered, submissions must be complete by the corresponding submission deadline.

Any films submitted without a paid entry fee by the given deadline will be disqualified from the submission screening process.

All film entries selected for the festival grant DIFF the rights to use footage, stills, titles and information from the film for promotional purposes.

All filmmakers will be notified by (approximately) March 16th 2020 via email.

Ratings & Reviews

Categories and fees

Narrative Feature
Early Bird (5th November, 2019) $40
Regular (13th December, 2019) $50
Late (9th January, 2020) $65

A juried competition featuring the best of international cinema. In order for feature films to be considered for the competition, we require a Dallas/Fort Worth Premiere. Narrative features must be over 60 minutes in length. Narrative features in competition cannot have U.S distribution at the time of the festival screening. Films may be considered for other programming strands.

Documentary Feature
Early Bird (5th November, 2019) $40
Regular (13th December, 2019) $50
Late (9th January, 2020) $65

A juried competition featuring cutting-edge, informative documentary works from around the world. Documentaries under 25 minutes should be submitted as shorts. Documentary feature films must be over 60 minutes in length. In order for feature films to be considered for the competition, we require a Dallas/Fort Worth Premiere. Documentary features in competition cannot have U.S distribution at the time of the festival screening. Films may be considered for other programming category strands.

Short
Early Bird (5th November, 2019) $25
Regular (13th December, 2019) $35
Late (9th January, 2020) $45

The most innovative films from around the world that push the edge of traditional storytelling in twenty five minutes or less. Shorts can be narrative, documentary, experimental or animation as long as they are under 25 minutes in length. As noted, premiere status is taken into account. Any student filmmakers or filmmakers from Texas should make a note on the cover letter section of their application.

Texas (Features)
Early Bird (5th November, 2019) $40
Regular (13th December, 2019) $40
Late (9th January, 2020) $40

Narrative and Documentary Features shot in or about the Lone Star State. Films submitted in the Texas category must be made in the Lone Star State: Production and/or post production. Films submitted in Texas category must have a minimum running time of 60 minutes. Any films made in Texas with a running time of 25 minutes or less must submit into the Shorts category.

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