Extremely Shorts 15

Film Festival Dates: June 29-30, 2012

Early deadline: 11:59PM April 16, 2012
Late deadline: 11:59PM May 1, 2012

• Please read all the submission guidelines.
• Submissions must be emailed by the specified deadline date.
• Entry fee is $15 per title for early deadline and $20 per title for late deadline. Aurora Picture Show members receive a voucher for free entry (Up to three entries). To join Aurora, visit the web site & click on membership.
• We give out cash awards for Audience Choice 1st ($200), 2nd ($150), and 3rd ($75) place. Awards are given on the 2nd night of the festival during the reception.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Started in 1998, the Extremely Shorts Festival is a juried competition of adventurous three-minute or shorter films and videos from around the world. Each year a different juror (esteemed filmmaker, film programmer or arts curator) selects 20-25 mini-masterpieces to be shown at a two-day screening event in June. Audience Choice cash awards are given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. The short format of the festival encourages innovative approaches to filmmaking in a range of genres including narrative, art, experimental, documentary and animation.

ABOUT THE JUROR
Aurora is honored to have Andy Smith of Nickelodeon for this year’s juror. Andy Smith is the Executive Director of the Nickelodeon Theatre, a not-for-profit arthouse cinema in Columbia, SC.  He is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Indie Grits Festival, which features the best in low-budget, independent film from the Southeast and was recently named one of the “20 Coolest Film Festivals” by Moviemaker Magazine.  He received an M.A. in Film, Television and Digital Media from UCLA and a B.A. in Film Studies from Swarthmore College.  In addition to his work at the Nickelodeon, he also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture (NAMAC) and the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center and teaches in the Film and Media Studies Program at the University of South Carolina.

AURORA’S SCREENING PROCESS
The Extremely Shorts Film Festival is committed to thoroughly reviewing all submitted films. Our screening & selection process is designed to effectively and efficiently review a significant body of work from across the world, by identifying and selecting the films best-suited for festival programming. All submitted films are reviewed by a juror who has a background in film, new media and/or the arts.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• To be considered for entry your film MUST be under 3 minutes long, including titles.
• To help reduce the environmental impact of paper and DVDs, we accept online submissions only. Provide the web address (we recommend vimeo.com for best quality and ease of use) and if your video is selected you will be required to provide a hi-res digital file or DVD.
• Fill out the submission form in the bottom of the page and be sure to include payment transaction details. 

 You will need to include:

• Link to film (we recommend vimeo.com)
• Entry information
• Entry fee or indicate that you are a member of Aurora Picture Show (we will check up on you!).

Email any submission questions to: videolibrary@aurorapictureshow.org with “Extremely Shorts 15 Submission” as subject line. 

SELECTED FILMS
The program will be announced in the first week of June. All submitting filmmakers will be notified at that time by the email provided at the time of submission. If your film is selected for the festival program, you must provide an exhibition copy by June 8th. Film stills, brief synopsis and short bios will also be requested for the program and promotional materials. 

TERMS & CONDITIONS
The following will apply if your work is selected:

• My film/video will be screened during the Extremely Shorts Film Festival and will be eligible to win a filmmaker award.
• My film/video may be utilized for promotional purposes of the festival, limited to private screenings and preview-only copies for press and supporters.
• A sample clip of my film/video (up to 30 seconds in length) may be promoted via the Aurora Picture Show web site and Vimeo or YouTube Nonprofit channels, unless otherwise arranged with Aurora.
• I will permit Aurora Picture Show to use my name and stills from my film/video (at least one print-quality version provided upon request) for promotional purposes.
• You have the option to give permission for your film to be included on a touring program and in the Aurora Video Library. Filmmakers are always contacted prior to any additional screening.