All entries must be received no later than the appropriate entry deadline they were submitted under. Additional entry fees will be required if not received by the appropriate deadline. Entries received with incomplete information and/or missing Fee Payments will not be considered.
Films submitted in the incorrect Category and/or submitted as a Short Length Film, but having a total runtime that is equal to that of a Feature Length Film, will be disqualified from consideration.
ABSOLUTELY NO INTERNATIONAL CHECKS, INTERNATIONAL POSTAL MONEY ORDERS, PERSONAL CHECKS, WIRE TRANSFERS, OR MONEY GRAMS WILL BE ACCEPTED. For all entries submitted, we will only accept payment for submission fees in the form of CREDIT CARDS and/or ETF TRANSFERS.
Absolutely NO REFUNDS will be made for submission fees.
Category Summary:
Narrative Feature = 50+ minutes
Narrative Short = 49 or less minutes
Comedy Feature = 50+ Minutes
Comedy Short = 49 or less minutes
Animation Feature = 50+ Minutes
Animation Short = 49 or less minutes
Documentary Feature = 50+ minutes
Documentary Short = 49 or less minutes
Experimental Feature = 50+ Minutes
Experimental Short = 49 or less
Horror Feature = 50+ minutes
Horror Short = 49 or less minutes
GLBT Feature = 50+ Minutes
GLBT Short = 49 or less
Religious/Spiritual Feature = 50+ Minutes
Religious/Spiritual Short = 49 or less
Music Video =15 minutes or less
PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW ALL BELOW INSTRUCTIONS
All films submitted MUST BE available to the Festival for download.
Only one title per entry. Productions from 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 may be submitted. Do not submit works in progress. Films should NOT be submitted in multiple Genre categories.
Do not submit works in progress.
All films must be submitted in Digital .MP4 Film File Format (NTSC system only) for consideration. All films submitted must be available on DVD for presentation.
No YouTube Videos will be Accepted
To ensure that your entry is properly processed, you must fill out the form completely and include proper payment.
Along with the film (Digital .MP4 Film File), press kits must include a black and white or color still of the film that is 1920x1080pxls or 1280x720pxls, a complete cast and crew list and a 250-word synopsis of the project.
We will notify you by email when your entry has been received.
Films submitted must be no more violent and have no more adult content as that which would be considered as a NC-17 rated motion picture. NC-17 does not mean “obscene” or “pornographic” in the common or legal meaning of those words, and should not be construed as a negative judgment in any sense. The rating simply signals that the content is appropriate only for an adult audience. A NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children. If your film meets with this requirement, then we welcome it.
Exhibition entries should be submitted as a .MP4 File format unless a DVD is requested. No DVDs will be returned.
Participation in the Great Lakes International Film Festival implies understanding and acceptance of all terms included in this application.
All entries must be received no later than the appropriate entry deadline they were submitted under. Additional entry fees will be required if not received by the appropriate deadline. Entries received with incomplete information and/or missing Fee Payments will not be considered.
Films submitted in the incorrect Category and/or submitted as a Short Length Film, but having a total runtime that is equal to that of a Feature Length Film, will be disqualified from consideration.
All films accepted into the 2021 Great Lakes International Film Festival will be screened online through our Virtual Theatre system.
Our festival reaches a global echelon interactively online allowing filmmakers and fans worldwide to not only enjoy the films but communicate with each other in real-time as though they were together in the same room via online chat and webcams, when available.
Our festival is presented in a video-on-demand system that will allow users to watch the films while remaining completely safe from download or reproduction.
Films in this festival cannot be downloaded, the films HAVE NO EMBEDDING CODE and our HTML code if copied and pasted, the films will not play, and therefore they CANNOT be placed on other websites. The only time and place they can be viewed is in our festival. In short, we have gone to great lengths to set this system up to protect the safety and security of each filmmaker’s film always keeping the filmmaker in mind. Basically, it is just as secure as a brick and mortar theater screening, only much better.
You hear so much about the environment and global warming it got us thinking. When you realize how much power is used during the film fest – electricity for the building, natural gas for heat, and the gasoline the people use to get to the fest it left one hell of a carbon footprint. By doing the whole festival online it actually helps cut down on greenhouse gases.
PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW ALL BELOW INSTRUCTIONS
Not following the guidelines, rules, regulations, or eligibility may be cause for disqualification.
General. By entering this Contest, entrants agree to abide by the terms of these Official Rules, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Contest. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. All taxes (including, without limitation, federal, state, and local taxes) on or connected with any prize (including, without limitation, prizes that are opportunities to make donations to a charitable organization), and the reporting consequences thereof, are the sole and exclusive responsibility of respective winners. Each Winner must, if so requested by Promoter, complete Promoter’s winner verification process and/or execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability/Publicity Release within a period of time required by Promoter. All prizes awarded in connection with the Contest are nontransferable and nonendorseable. No substitution of prizes is permitted. The Promoter or Host’s employees or agents or representatives may view all Concepts in the interest of providing technical assistance to Contestants. Technical questions may be referred to Host for assistance at Promoter’s discretion. Dates of official announcements are subject to change. Release, Waiver and Indemnification. BY ENTERING THE CONTEST, ENTRANTS RELEASE AND HOLD THE PROMOTER AND HOST AND ALL OTHER CONTEST ENTITIES HARMLESS FROM AND AGAINST ANY AND ALL LOSSES, DAMAGES, RIGHTS, CLAIMS, AND ACTIONS OF ANY KIND ARISING IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FROM THE CONTEST OR PARTICIPATION IN ANY CONTEST-RELATED ACTIVITY (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE REMOVAL FROM THE SITE OF, OR DISCONTINUATION OF ACCESS TO, ANY SUBMISSION OR OTHER MATERIAL), OR RESULTING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY FROM ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE, OR MISUSE OF ANY PRIZE AWARDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTEST, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION PERSONAL INJURY, DEATH, AND/OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, AS WELL AS CLAIMS BASED ON PUBLICITY RIGHTS, DEFAMATION, AND/OR INVASION OF PRIVACY.
Entrant agrees to convey, transfer, and give promoter, host, contest, its parent corporation and subsidiaries, all rights to submitted materials for the purposes of but not limited to screening and fundraising activities and such screening and fundraising activities shall be at the complete and total discretion, consideration, and full and complete authority of the promoter, host, contest, its parent corporation and subsidiaries in perpetuity. You grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual, and irrevocable right to copy, transmit, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display any information, data, Work, or any other information associated with your Work (collectively the “Submitted Materials”) you submit to us via the Services in any media or format. Your use of the Services does not grant us ownership of your Work. As between you and us, you retain ownership of your Work.
If selected, entrants agree and understand, that their film shall screen in either or both, our live festival event and/or our online festival event that utilizes our virtual theater platform. Entrants also understand that through the virtual theater platform films cannot be copied, downloaded, or reproduced by any virtual theater attendee, nor can the html code of any film be used in or on any other site, and that each and every film is completely secure and safe from theft due to the technology of the virtual theater that is unique to our system and is unlike any other utilized by any online festival throughout the world.
THE PROMOTER, THE HOST AND CONTEST ENTITIES DO NOT NOW AND SHALL NOT HAVE IN THE FUTURE ANY DUTY OR LIABILITY, DIRECT OR INDIRECT, VICARIOUS, CONTRIBUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, WITH RESPECT TO THE INFRINGEMENT OR PROTECTION OF AN ENTRANT’S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS, IF ANY, RESPECT TO ANY SUBMISSION OR CONCEPT, REVIEWS, MATERIAL, VIDEO AND/OR OTHER MATERIALS PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTEST. BY ENTERING THE CONTEST, ENTRANTS RELEASE, WAIVE ANY CLAIMS WITH REGARD TO, AND HOLD HARMLESS THE PROMOTER, THE HOST AND THE CONTEST ENTITIES FROM AND AGAINST ANY AND ALL CLAIMS OF ANY KIND THAT ARE OR COULD BE ASSERTED WITH RESPECT TO ANY MATTER RELATING TO THE CONTEST. ENTRANTS FURTHER AGREE TO INDEMNIFY. DEFEND AND HOLD THE PROMOTER, HOST AND ALL OTHER CONTEST ENTITIES HARMLESS FROM ANY AND ALL DAMAGES, LIABILITIES, FEES AND COST INCURRED IN DEFENDING AGAINST ANY THIRD PARTY CLAIMS OR THREATS OF CLAIMS ASSERTED AGAINST PROMOTER, HOST AND/OR OTHER CONTEST ENTITIES ARISING FROM ANY ENTRANT’S PARTICIPATION IN OR CONDUCT ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONTEST. Entrant agrees to convey, transfer, and give promoter, host, and contest all rights to submitted materials for the purposes of but not limited to fundraising activities and such fundraising activities shall be at the complete and total discretion, consideration, and full and complete authority of the promoter, host, and contest in perpetuity.
Force Majeure. Nonperformance of any party shall be excused to the extent that performance is rendered impossible by strike, fire, flood, earthquakes, war, governmental acts or orders or restrictions, or any other reason where failure to perform is beyond the reasonable control, and not caused by the negligence of, the nonperforming party. Governing Law and Waiver of Damages. The Contest and these Official Rules are governed by and shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States of America, without regards to its principles of conflicts of law. For any dispute not subject to arbitration according to Section 4(g) above, entrant agrees to personal jurisdiction by the federal and state courts located in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States of America, and waives any jurisdictional, venue, or inconvenient forum objections to such courts. Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby irrevocably waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than participant’s actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e., costs associated with participating in the Contest), and entrant further irrevocably waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased. Privacy. Information submitted in connection with the Contest will be treated in accordance with these Official Rules and the Site’s Privacy Policy, provided that in the event of any conflict between these Official Rules and such Privacy Policy, the terms and conditions of these Official Rules shall prevail. All Contestants and Team Members hereby acknowledge and agree that Promoter will have access to some or all of their personally identifiable information, including but not limited to registration information collected by the Host.