Elizabeth English, Founder & Executive Director

Expired. Previous Deadline: 05/29/2010
Contact contest for this year's deadline.

The objective of the Moondance International Film Festival is to inspire, motivate, promote and encourage the best writers & independent filmmakers, from every country in the world, and to inspire a greater understanding about the vital role of the arts in enhancing creativity, community spirit, and the preservation of our cultural heritage. Moondance also promotes & rewards work which depicts women & girls in a positive light, &/or has lead roles for women actors over 40. We strongly encourage films, TV movies & pilots & written works which show viable alternatives to gratuitous violence & that depict non-violent conflict resolution, which we actively promote within the international film community.

Open to anyone (see web site for details)

$50- $75 (see web site for details)  wsPro $5 Discount 

Submission categories:

• ANIMATION FILM
• FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILM
• FEATURE FILM
• FEATURE FILM FOR KIDS
• FEATURE MUTI-MEDIA FILM
• FEATURE SCREENPLAY
• FEATURE SCREENPLAY FOR KIDS
• FILM SCORE
• LIBRETTO
• MUSIC VIDEO
• MUSICAL FEATURE SCREENPLAY
• MUSICAL SHORT SCREENPLAY
• ORIGINAL TV MINI-SERIES (1 HR)
• SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM
• SHORT FILM
• SHORT FILM BY KIDS 18 & UNDER
• SHORT FILM FOR KIDS
• SHORT MULTI-MEDIA FILM
• SHORT SCREENPLAY
• SHORT SCREENPLAY BY 18 & UNDER
• SHORT SCREENPLAY FOR KIDS
• SHORT STORY BY KIDS*
• SHORT STORY FOR KIDS*
• SHORT STORY*
• STAGEPLAY
• STAGEPLAY FOR KIDS
• TV MOVIE OF THE WEEK (MOW)
• TV EPISODIC (1/2 HOUR)
• TV EPISODIC (1 HOUR)
• TV FEATURE FILM
• TV PILOT SCRIPT
• RADIO PLAYS (drama & comedy)
• RADIO DOCUMENTARIES

^* up to 3 stories for single fee

Rules:

1. Printable entry forms, release forms & entry fee information are available on the website: www.moondancefilmfestival.com
2. Entries also accepted via Without a Box: www.withoutabox.com/login/1240
3. Co-writers & co-directors may submit entries together
4. Filmmakers: DVDs in NTSC are the preferred format for submitting your film to the competition for preview.
5. Writers: Send screenplay, stageplay, teleplay or short story in standard industry format.
6. Send a check or money order for entry fee in US $, which is non-refundable, payable to: Moondance Film Festival. You may also pay the entry fee at www.withoutabox.com/login/1240
7. Call for entries opens: January 1, 2010
8. Postmark deadline: May 15, 2010
9. Contest semi-finalists, finalists & winners will be announced in the e-newsletter, which goes out to more than 20,000 film industry names internationally
10. Contest winners will be announced at the film festival awards ceremony, on the website & in the subsequent newsletter
11. Written works, music for film scores & films will be judged by industry professionals (Moondance executive director, festival screenings coordinator, film producer, agent, film & theatre director, story editor, screenwriter, screenplay consultant, film producer, TV producer, playwright).
12. Send a copy of written or filmed material. DO NOT send originals or SASE, as preview material will not be returned.
13. You may enter more than one written work, film score or film.
14. Short-story writers may submit up to three (3) short stories for a single entry fee
15. Send a separate entry form for each entry.
16. Remit the entry fee in US $ for each entry.
17. Enclose SASP (self-addressed, stamped postcard) if you wish to be notified of receipt of entry material. Non-USA applicants may request e-mail confirmation
18. Screenplays, stageplays, teleplays & short stories written in English are preferred. We now have a reader for Spanish, German or Dutch language scripts. Please contact: mailto:director@moondancefilmfestival.com for special address to send Spanish, German or Dutch language submissions.
19. Sign & submit entry form & release form.
20. Films must be in English or have English subtitles. No dubbed films are accepted.
21. If your film is selected for screening at Moondance, we will contact you via e-mail.
22. All communications between the film festival & the entrants are via e-mail. Please be sure your email address is clear. If you change your e-mail address, please inform the festival. Remember to add director@moondancefilmfestival.com and moondancefestival@gmail.com to your white list if you have a spam filter in place, so you'll receive communications from the festival.
23. Please read the special notes for filmmakers & writers on the Moondance website, "Writers, Read This" or "Filmmakers, Read This"!

* Moondance reserves the right to decline selecting a winner in any category and at any stage of the judging if there are no acceptable entries or finalists in that category.

SPIRIT OF MOONDANCE AWARD
This award category is for women writers, filmmakers and film score composers. Men may be co-writers or co-filmmakers, but the entry must be submitted by a woman.

MOONDANCE SEAHORSE AWARD
This award category is for men writers, filmmakers and film score composers. Women may be co-writers or co-filmmakers, but the entry must be submitted by a man.

MOONDANCE SANDCASTLE AWARD
This award is for male and female writing or filmmaking teams where both men and women or a man and woman work as a team on the project.

MOONDANCE SEASHELL AWARD
For men and women radio play writers. Comedy and drama, fiction and non-fiction, half-hour and hour long.

MOONDANCE COLUMBINE AWARD
Films and writings may be submitted by either a man, a woman, a male/female team or a young person 18 and under. The work must reflect non-violent conflict resolution, alternatives to violence, or show why violent resolution to conflict is counter-productive. The submitted material should not contain gratuitous violence.

MOONDANCE DOLPHIN AWARD
This award is for young people 18 years of age or younger, male or female. Moondance accepts submissions for this award in the genres of short narrative, documentary or animation video film, as well as short screenplays, short stories or short stageplays.

MOONDANCE CALYPSO AWARD
This award is to encourage a spirit of enterprise in saving the environment, habitats and wildlife by creative individuals from around the world. The award is presented to the person who expands knowledge of our world, seeks to improve our quality of all life on the planet.

MOONDANCE GAIA AWARD
This award is to encourage and inspire contemplative, meditative, spiritual and inspirational films and scripts. The award is presented to the person who seeks to elucidate and improve the spiritual quality of all life on the planet, and contributes to the betterment of the world spirit.

MOONDANCE ATLANTIS AWARD
This award is for writers and filmmakers who have submitted projects from a foreign country outside the US.

MOONDANCE STARFISH AWARD
This is an award for comedy projects submitted by writers and filmmakers.

MOONDANCE NEPTUNE AWARD
This unique award is presented to a male or female writer or filmmaker, over the age of 75, who has created either a single work of the highest quality or a body of quality work, and who continues to strive for excellence in his or her career in the entertainment industry, and who inspires and encourages others by his or her example.