Deadlines loom for contests, fests
Even though we at the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters have an arguable problem sometimes with imposing and upholding deadlines, it doesn’t mean that you should befall the same fate, dear media-makers. As a test of your mettle, we’ve compiled a handful of relevant due dates coming up in the near future for events and contests that you might find of interest, especially in a promotional capacity:
• Monday, June 15: Submission deadline for the 16th annual Chicago Underground Film Festival, to be held this year at the Gene Siskel Film Center in the Art Institute of Chicago
• Monday, June 15: Entry deadline for “Public Transportation Rocks!” sponsored by Virginia-based Innovations in Transportation; films of two- to three-minutes long should feature the company’s products in action, which locally would involve our very own C-U MTD; winners screen in Virginia Beach with cash prizes up to $1,000
• Tuesday, June 16: Submission deadline for the 18th annual Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis
• Monday, June 22: Deadline to enter your work in the 2nd annual Naperville (IL) Independent Film Festival
• Tuesday, June 30: Entry deadline for the 5th annual Illinois International Film Festival in St. Charles
• Friday, July 31: Submission deadline for the 2nd annual “Shortcuts” contest sponsored by the Illinois Film Office and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; short film entries should be made in the Land of Lincoln; winner will screen at this fall’s Chicago International Film Festival
• Tuesday, September 1: Deadline for the brand-new Elgin (IL) Short Film Festival, as unearthed by C-U Blogfidential agent The Voice
• We’ll also throw down mention of the 18th annual St. Louis International Film Festival, for which their Web site does not actually list the submission deadline (?!?) although entrants will be notified by September 15 as to whether or not they made it. It’s probably safe to go by whatever Withoutabox tells you.
All of these events (and probably more that aren’t on our radar at the moment) play up locally- or regionally-made entrants, so don’t be hesitant to look closer than Los Angeles, New York, or Toronto for potential options that could expose your work to people beyond the home crowd.
~ Jason Pankoke