DIFF

Attention Filmmakers! Submissions for Dallas International Film Festival 2019 Are Now Open!

The 13th annual Dallas International Film Festival powered by Capital One and hosted by the Dallas Film Society will screen the best narrative features, documentaries and short films from all over the world, April 11th-April 18th 2019.

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 13th annual Dallas International Film Festival powered by Capital One, hosted by the Dallas Film Society, 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.

DIFF2019 is a global adventure that boasts premiere screenings, nightly red carpets, daring documentaries, eye-opening short films, exciting digital content, 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 2018 run with over 100 filmmakers attending our Texas-sized film party that 130 films screened from 22 countries and an attendance of over 24,000.

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:
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 and Ry Russo Young.

CURRENT 2019 DIFF PROGRAMMING STRANDS:
Narrative Feature Competition
Documentary Feature Competition
Short Film Competition
Texas Competition
Animated Short Competition
Premiere Screenings
World Cinema
Latino Cinema Showcase
Deep Ellum Sounds (Music Films)
Family Films
Faith Based Films
Midnight Specials
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.

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.

The Grand Jury Prize winner of the Narrative Feature competition will receive a limited national release from our partner Studio Movie Grill.

The Dallas Historical Society will present a $1,000 cash prize to the film that best captures a special moment in history.

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

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 18, 2019. (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) April 3, 2018 via email.

About the author

Dallas International Film Festival

Now in its 18th year, the Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) is the region’s most powerfully inclusive and equitable platform for diverse, emerging and underrepresented voices. Since its founding, DIFF has screened more than 2,500 widely diverse new films from 50 countries, provided more than $1.1 million in awards and hosted more than 100,000 filmgoers and filmmakers. The annual festival is presented by Dallas Film Society, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. www.dallasfilm.org