Congratulations

Your film or screenplay is an official entry into the 2015 DC Shorts Film Festival and Screenplay Competition! We are very excited to include your work, and look forward to meeting you this fall.

For Filmmakers

The DC Shorts Film Festival is September 7th – 17th, with the majority of activities for you from mid-afternoon Thursday, September 7th through Sunday, September 10th at 1:00 pm — so please plan your travel accordingly. Activities include seminars, parties, lounges, and more!

Schedule of Events

We offer housing and food for the opening weekend Sept. 7th – Sept. 10th.

Thursday, September 7th — Opening screenings at 6:30pm, party at 9:00pm

Friday, September 8th — Seminars and workshops at 10:00am, screenings beginning at 6:30pm, party at 9:00pm

Saturday, September 9th — Screenings beginning at 12:00pm, party at 9:00pm

Sunday, September 10th — Awards Brunch at 11:00am

For the remainder of the week, we repeat the showcases, plus show the Award Winners at special screenings.

The schedule of films is very full — every filmmaker will probably miss one party because their film will be screening. There are still plenty of other parties — do not worry!

Contracts and Forms

DCP Projection Files

SENDING YOUR DCP

Complete information about the required DCP and .MP4 formats is in the Filmmaker Agreement package (LINK).

1. Download the DCP spec sheet for proper file formatting, 25fps conversion, and other factors.

2. All filmmakers must complete the online form and either upload or provide a direct download link for your DCP.

If you do not have a reliable internet connection, please mail it to us on a USB flash drive or portable Hard Drive. We highly recommend shipping through a traceable carrier (UPS, FedEx, DHL). We will ONLY return drives that are received with a return shipping label. YOU MUST STILL COMPLETE THE FORM IN STEP 2 ABOVE.

ATTN: Chris Hiti
1149 N. Gower St.
Suite 103-3
Los Angeles, CA 90034

NOTE: We cannot accept any DCPs created using Quvis Wraptor from the Adobe Premiere plug-in. There are known bugs with these files, and they will not work with our DCP servers

Film Introductions & Bumpers

Part of our professional screening is a video introduction to each film. We prepare a short introduction animation that includes the title of the film, the name of the director, the country of origin, and the premiere status.

Sample bumpers can be watched below. Please keep your video simple — we will edit and insert into the bumper format for this year.

We recommend using the free service at wetransfer.com

Use the email address info@dcshorts.com
Include the title of your film and your contact information in the message

Marketing Information

Remember these Deadlines

For Screenwriters

The DC Shorts Screenplay Competition is September 18. As indicated in our rules, finalists are required to attend the Screenplay Competition from 5:00pm Thursday, September 17 through 1:00pm, Saturday, September 19. This weekend includes a reception to meet you, a morning of open auditions to cast your reading, rehearsal time, and of course, the live reading! Please make your travel plans now!

Schedule of Events

Monday, July 13 at 12:00 noon EST - Mandatory phone call to go over the rules, expectations and to answer any questions. See information below.

Thursday, September 14th at 7 PM – There will be a cocktail reception for all the screenwriters as a chance to meet, relax and go over last-minute details.

Friday, September 15th from 10 AM to 12 PM – A casting call will be held for the live rehearsal.

Friday, September 15th at 12 PM – The live rehearsal will take place at noon, and space will be provided for the actors to rehearse.

Friday, September 15th at 7 PM – The DC Shorts Screenplay Competition Live Reading will occur at 7 PM. Following the last reading, ballots will be collected and counted and a winner will be announced, with a check for $1,000 presented to the winner.

Saturday, September 16th at 11:00am — Screenwriter breakfast to evaluate the event and say goodbye

Contracts and Forms

Marketing Information

Remember these Deadlines

DC Shorts and the film camera symbol are trademarks of the DC Film Alliance, registered in the United States.