The submissions for 4th Annual Kinodrome will start in January of 2021! Please, read everything below and save us in your "favorites". .
What is KinoDrome?
KinoDrome is: an IMDb verified short-form festival, filmmaking competition and sceenwriting contest, based out of Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Kinodrome's mission is to show your work publicly. Unlike most corporate sponsored festivals we DO NOT believe in rejections. You will not receive a typical "We are sorry but..." letter after you submit your film. If you follow our submission rules and submit a film of decent production value - you WILL become an official selection. The same applies to every properly formatted screenplay.
SCREENWRITERS!
Screenwriters - you're the ones who create NARRATIVES. You should be more APPRECIATED by everyone in this field. So, at our festival - your name and your script's title will be presented on the big screen, too! All properly formatted scripts will be accepted. All Official Selection script titles and authors will be featured on the screen at the beginning of award ceremony! No other festival does it. NOTE: we don't provide script coverage or feedback. The goal of our contest is to give you a chance to COMPETE and possibly win an award, so you can proudly say that you're "an award winning writer".
FILMMAKERS - the Art of Short Cinema and 11 Minutes Mark!
The standard length of an old 35mm film reel is 1,000 feet (305 m), which runs approximately 11 minutes. KinoDrome accepts the most creative and superbly original SHORT FILMS, MUSIC VIDEOS, EXPERIMENTAL MEDIA, DOCUMENTARY shorts, and ANIMATION (all under 11 minutes in length) from independent artists, professionals, hobbyists, students, and amateur filmmakers - anywhere in the world. In addition to films, the festival also seeks: short, feature-length, and series-pilot SCREENPLAYS (for script contest). Your work will be accepted, so long as it includes at least ONE of the following forms of creativity:
-- an ORIGINAL narrative or experimental concept,
-- thought PROVOKING real-life dramatic themes,
-- slightly UNUSUAL subjects and characters,
-- an OPENMINDED way of artistic expression;
The judges want to see (or read) something fresh, strange, scary, provocative, shocking, weird, hilarious, or maybe politically “incorrect” and nonconformist… Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines “Nonconformist” as: “a person who does not conform to a generally accepted pattern of thought or action”. Be slightly DIFFERENT, provoke, make people talk about your content - because it's unlike anything else.
KinoDrome doesn’t care how much money you spent on your film or video (your budget size). Your film could be shot on old film stock, or with an old camera, on your mobile phone, or an expensive high-end 8k camera. Yes, you should pay attention to some basic filmmaking techniques and rules, decent cinematography, sound quality, and overall production value, BUT, what we really care about is:
-- ORIGINALITY (fresh ideas, unique stories, unseen narratives);
-- ARTISTIC EXPERIMENTATION (slightly different creative approach),
Conclusion: KinoDrome is less about “mainstream and popular” content, and more about “arthouse and edgy” content. This applies to all categories.
HISTORY and MISSION
KInodrome was born in 2018, in Cleveland, Ohio , USA, as a non-corporate true independent small festival that promotes up-and-coming film artists. You might say – “just another little festival…”. But there’s a reason for “another little festival”. The “micro budget” film and media production is exploding all around the world. The equipment is available and affordable, and a lot of people want to express themselves. Therefore, there’s need for more public shows, more contests, and more festivals.
THE PUBLIC SHOW EXPERIENCE
It’s a fantastic feeling to see your visual creation on the bigger screen, in an auditorium, and to be recognized by film enthusiasts (or other artists). Being accepted to screen at the film festival – you’re publicly showing your art and adding something very important to your career. The PUBLIC SHOW is the best way to present your visual art! This is super important for first-time filmmakers and film students. You're building your reputation and your content portfolio.
PAST EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
2018 festival was our initial event and it was great. 2019 event was another success w/more artists. In 2020 we held a virtual event (online) due to Covid crisis and we gave out the record number of awards (new categories)! Several award winning titles from our festival had additional public shows (at other festivals) and today they are - multiple exhibited and award winning films or scripts! Check out the following award winning content creators on Google or IMDb: Carol Conley, Ayesha Abouelazm, Eileen O'Meara, Logan Fry, Al Mertens, Barsan Rostami, Saman Hosseinpuor, Stefan M. Mladenovic, Martin Mulcahy, John Maslowski, Jason Klingensmith, Bianca Cassinelli, Juliette Blanche, Shaun Rylee (see our website for other names).
FACTS
-- 50% of award winning titles from female artists (unlike Hollywood);
-- several award winning films from Iran (despite current sanctions);
-- age range of award winning artists: from 17 to 77 (or higher);
-- award winners from America, Europe, Asia, and Australia;
-- many artists (and winners) from our home-state of Ohio;
-- many (award winning) films were created on smartphone;
-- 20% of award winners are very talented FIRST time filmmakers or writers!
WHAT TO EXPECT AT OUR FESTIVAL?
- small dedicated and super-friendly volunteer staff;
- about 100 attendees (mostly artists and art enthusiasts);
- small comfortable venue (hotel conference auditorium);
- enough room and time to network with attendees;
- enough space/time to take pics in front of step-and-repeat banner;
- mini-mixer after awards ceremony, with FREE food (and some wine, too);
YOU WILL NOT (N.O.T.) SEE THE FOLLOWING:
- shiny rich "executives" who are invited to praise THEMSELVES;
- annoying "popcorn" crowd who DON'T understand your art;
- posers in suits, pretending to be "important biz people";
- mainstream b/s of any kind;
KInoDrome is NOT a corporate for-profit festival where you pay high fees and don't get accepted, because "special guests from the biz" and their expensive films take all the spots. No. This little festival is a labor-of-love, created by an ordinary film enthusiast and educator - for the sole purpose of helping less established artists. That's it.
CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB:
- click on our website, link is under "contacts";
- read reviews written by past participants, here on FilmFreeway;
- visit our Facebook page (search KinoDrome on Facebook);
- search YouTube channel called KinoDrome (clips from the festival);
- simply google "KinoDrome Festival" and you'll find the links;
HELP TO "KINODROME ALUMNI"
Once you become an Official Selection, you can always expect additional help from us. The festival director Bruno Tatalovic (film producer himself) is also an IMDb "tenured contributor" and he helps beginner film artists with IMDb database, including: film title listings, name listings, corrections, etc. All for FREE. We help first-time filmmakers. We want you to succeed. Why? Because we appreciate your dedication to finish the film and send it to small non-corporate festivals that appreciate your art.
"KINODROME" WEB-NEWS-SERIES
It's our web TV show: interviews w/filmmakers, coverage of award presentation, and more. If you attend, you can be interviewed, be on the show, and earn an IMDb credit for participating.
CONCLUSION
KinoDrome is a non-mainstream, non-corporate indie festival that supports less established motion media artists, film students, amateur filmmakers, lower-budget content producers, under-represented screenwriters, and visual artists who "push the envelope". We ARE here for YOU. Submit with confidence.
FESTIVAL'S DEDICATEES
• Eadweard Muybridge, 1830-1904, an English photographer important for his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion, and early work in motion-picture projection. His famous art-piece (and first motion picture ever made) Horse in Motion (1878) – serves as our festival’s logo.
• George K. Spoor, 1872-1953, an American film producer known for his early and successful movie exhibition service, ultimately named Kinodrome, in Chicago in 1897 – inspired our festival’s name.
Explanation of terms:
- "Official Selection" means that your work is accepted to compete;
- "Official Selection" is NOT an award, it's a PUBLIC SHOW status;
- "Nomination" means that your work is in top 5 of your category;
- "Award Winner" means that you're 1st, or 2nd, or 3rd place;
- "Honorable Mention" means that you're below top-3, but your work still deserves special recognition;
Our official judges are selected film/media educators, award-winning writers, producers, and visual artists. The names of past judges are listed on the website. The following process applies:
— 45 days before event we'll announce Official Selections;
— 7 days before event the judges will pick Nominees in each category;
— the Winners (all recipients) will be announced at the closing ceremony;
The following awards will be given in EACH category:
- 1st place: KinoExceptional Award (trophy, certificate);
- 2nd place: KinoExceptional Award (trophy, certificate);
- 3rd place: KinoExceptional Award (trophy, certificate);
- All Honorable Mention Recognitions (certificate);
Special TOP Awards:
- "Eadweard Muybridge Award" for Outstanding Content - presented to ONE film or video, as chosen by the festival director. This film features the most dramatic, most controversial, and highly unconventional style of visual story telling; something that highly affected Kinodrome's artistic director.
- "The Sallie Gardner Award" for Most Productive Creator - presented to one writer or director who submitted VARIOUS titles (not only 1 title) of high quality, as chosen by the festival director.
Our event is verified and registered (as of December 30, 2018) by IMDb as an official juried international festival. It means that every award winner (1st through 5th place in each category) will be recorded on IMDb and their award will be visible by film's title (and author's name)! KinoDrome's publicist will make sure that your nomination or award is properly recorded on IMDb. We record the name of artwork's initial submitter (usually film director, or screenwriter), but, if you want to share your award with another artist, or need to correct data - let our publicist know (email) and we will update IMDb's data.
All attending Official Selection artists (people who show up in Cleveland) will receive: 1 Official Selection Certificate, 1 gift TOTE-BAG or T-SHIRT, 2 festival VIP passes, an interview offer, complimentary snacks all day during festival, mini-mixer reception with hot and cold appetizers and more. If you can't attend, you can send your "representative" (crew/cast member, family member, or friend) and he/she will get the same treatment.
SHIPPING: We cannot mail trophies and gift items due to high cost. We are an independent donation-based event, and our budget is limited, But, if you're far away and you can't travel because of your financial situation, there's a possibility to make some arrangements in those situations. After the festival we will send an email about trophy shipping oprions and arrangements.