Accept only stories that fit into the MAGICAL REALISM genre. Magical realism stories feature fantastical elements that seem ordinary and blend into the story.The focus is on what the magical elements mean for the characters, rather than the elements themselves.
3 options to submit: full novel. 1st chapter. Novel performance reading.
This festival has a guaranteed 4-tier set up for each accepted script. (No matter what, all screenplays submitted receive FULL FEEDBACK on their work.) 1) Full Feedback on your script 2) Actors performance video reading of your script 3) Blog interview promotion. 4) Podcast interview on the Film Festival ITunes show
Submit your POLITICAL short story to the festival, and we will automatically have it performed by a professional actor and turned into a promotional video for yourself.
What is your screenplay about? Bitter is a belated coming of age story for anyone that feels like the paradigm of success has shifted. It takes the traditional geek vs bully high school sub-genre and basically turns it on its ass, focusing on WILLOW, a once-hopeful two-time valedictorian, slated for success. Now, 10 years later, she’s a bitter waitress, struggling with resentment and unmet potential, all while PARKER, her high school bully, lives the good life as a prominent influencer.
What genres does your screenplay fall under? Bitter is definitely a comedy. When developing this story, it felt necessary to look through a humorous lens. The plot tackles a lot of socially-relevant themes and issues we all deal with on a daily basis: comparison culture, scam-influencers, toxic personalities—things that can absolutely consume a person. So, I thought it was important to craft the story and its characters from a place of comedy. I wanted to avoid the perception of whining or lecturing, and write a story that has something to say, but also has audience wanting to listen because they’re getting to laugh along the way.
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie? Movies have changed drastically over the last decade—some changes good, some bad, but I think a gap has been created for some of the sillier, more light-hearted comedies that can still pack a punch—that have something to say, but do it in a way to invites, not divides. I think Bitter recaptures this approach, in line with early-2000’s movies like Mean Girls, Bruce Almighty, Miss Congeniality. The themes are there. The lessons are there. But so is the fun.
I find this festival extremely valuable from a filmmaker perspective. The unique feature of the audience leaving video testimonials and feedback on your film is worth the submission fee alone. Very honored to have my film “Bad Chemistry” win best short in the festival.
An in-person & hybrid festival. Multiple screenings are presented, plus interviews with filmmakers, screenwriters, and the team!
This festival is designed to showcase the best of LGBTQ+ stories from around the world today! We accept screenplays (short, TV Pilot, feature) and short & feature films.
Film Festivals:
Festivals occur every single month. We accept an assortment of shorts & feature films from around the world today monthly. We are proud to announce that we will be using the audience feedback format, where all accepted films receive a video of people talking about their film at the festival. Excellent video to use for promotional purposes too.
Screenplay Festivals:
We are proud to showcase 2-5 winning LGBTQ+ screenplays at our festival every single month!! Go to the site and watch the winning readings each month.
All entries receive full feedback from the industry. Accepted screenplays get their screenplays performed by professional actors.
One of North America’s leading gay destinations, Toronto has been holding Pride observances since the ’70s. The Pride parade draws more than 1.2 million spectators and participants annually, making it one of the top such draws in the world. The cinema is located in the Church & Wellesley area, where all of the Pride Events take place.
LGBTQ+ festivals occur 12 times a year. Go to the website for information on the next events.
All submissions receive feedback on their film no matter what.
Audience Awards: Best Feature Film: Stratagem The Movie Best Direction: Tea Time Best Short Film: Excess Baggage
Stratagem The Movie, 111min., Directed by Rick E. Cutts Rellik and his girlfriend Nosaer witness a crime and are immediately on the run as they try and elude a killer who seems to always be one step ahead of them. Will they escape can they escape? Follow along as Rellik and Nosaer try and escape a killer and even more important who is behind all the carnage?
EXCESS BAGGAGE, 22min., UK Directed by Landon Vago-Hughes After murdering his friend Luke, Kevin is ready to skip town to get rid of the evidence. As he is about to leave, Eric, a concerned friend, shows up looking for Luke begging for Kevin’s help in finding him. Little does he know, Luke is closer than he thinks.
This festival has a guaranteed 4-tier set up for each accepted script. (No matter what, all screenplays submitted receive FULL FEEDBACK on their work.) 1) Full Feedback on your script 2) Actors performance video reading of your script 3) Blog interview promotion. 4) Podcast interview on the Film Festival ITunes show
An art and photography novel is a nonfiction book that showcases or discusses art, including photography. Art books can include: The technical aspects of an art form, The life and work of a specific artist, The history of an art form or style, Personal expositions, and Craft and coloring books.
Submit your ACTION/ADVENTURE Short Story to the Festival here and we will automatically have it performed by a professional actor and turned into a promotional video for yourself.
Accept only stories that fit into the ACTION or ADVENTURE genres.
What If?, 2min. Directed by Bradley Bothwell While working up the nerve to ask her crush out, an anxious high school girl is sucked into her imagination of what could go wrong.
Things I Never Said, 2min Directed by Eden Quan A young girl reminisces on her memories with her brother. Searching for him, she finds that she is unable to catch up.
The Mooning, 3min., Directed by, Mason Klesch, Vivian Osness The Mooning is an animated mocumentary that reveals the truth behind the 1969 moon landing.
The Bad Crow, 2min., Directed by Busra Sena Gazioglu In an evil crow fairytale book, a bad omened adventurer crow tries to prove the narrator that he is good.
Starlight Cantina, 2min Directed by Monica Lagrange An 80’s fast food safety training video that gets aliens ready for their first day on the job, where each deadly task prepares the worker for the mortal dangers of the workplace, with the final task being to defeat the monster in the fridge.
Soarin’ Heights, 2min., Directed by Jack Haris After the ruthless mob boss of the city, Mr. Giant, steals the deed to Lucky Jack’s magic bean farm, the farmer must use his wits to sneak into the mob boss’s skyscraper in the clouds to do whatever he can to take it back.
Snow Dog, 3min., Directed by Christina Park, Marisol Salazar Montoya Holly’s Christmas morning takes a whimsical twist as her mischievous snow dog grows bigger and wilder.
Sea of Lightning, 2min. Directed by Jin Guo On an Alien planet, a storm beast mother tries to protect her fragile eggs as she battles against a hunting vehicle preying on her Energy Spike
Rock, 3min. Directed by Shania Zhou, Julia Edwards A Rock is zapped to life by an evil witch’s wand and is terrified of her newfound sentience. A chill Frog helps her experience the joy of friendship and learn to appreciate life.
Planet Fitness, 1min Directed by Casey Schwarzschild Getting fed up with the Flat Earth debates, Earth decides to prove his roundness and end the millennia old debate – through bulking up and working out.
Mantaur, 2min. USA Directed by Sophia “Roo” Bakken In ancient Greece, a reverse-centaur struggles with comparing himself to his perfect centaur brother and seeks to prove himself an Olympian challenge.
Hotel L’infini, 3min., USA Directed by May (Hsi-Chen) Lee, Lindsay Browne Jacque, a diligent bellboy of the extravagant Hotel L’infini, is caught red-handed for possible murder by a brooding detective who chases him through the hotel.
Don’t Feed the Unicorn, 3min. Directed by Kimberly Peh, Katherine Hogan While foraging in a magical forest, a young troll feeds a persistent wild unicorn behind his dad’s back. But once he runs out of food, Junior quickly learns through a dark twist why you don’t feed the unicorn!
Contracting the Cooties, 2min. Directed by Skylar Levine, Maya Bayewitch A pair of second grade girls, Parker and Maggie, are playing at a playground when Maggie touches a boy’s hand, unaware that she just contracted the cooties, and Parker must help her find the cure before it’s too late.
Butterfly Business, 2min. Directed by Amanda Mai An overworked office worker has the quirk of turning into a butterfly under stress. We watch him struggle to keep his insect side a secret as the pressure of his office life becomes so intense he can’t take it anymore.
After being embedded with the U.S. military in Afghanistan, which ends in tragedy, a journalist heads to rural Maine to fully recover and finds herself on the frontlines of another battle, between a family of wolves and the ruthless land developer who wants them hunted down.
After a comrade dies in a horrific incident on the frontlines in Afghanistan, a war correspondent, forced to take time off, travels to Maine, only to stumble upon a exotic-animal hunting resort that threatens the local wolf population. When two wolf pups come under her care, she risks everything to stop the corruption and return the wolves to their pack.
Get to know the writer:
What is your screenplay about?
This script is about a war reporter experiences the death of a close friend, she thinks she never known a tougher battle until she inherits his dog and they witnesses the murder of a wolf, then a brutal land developer set his sights on them when she informs his his land belongs to the Penobscot Tribe, now with the two wolf pups they’ve rescued as she wages the biggest battle of her life to save them and absolve herself of her friends death.
What genres does your screenplay fall under?
My screenplay is an action/ adventure/thriller with a kick-ass female lead.
Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
This screenplay is about a woman stepping outside of herself to do something for the greater good in a world she knows nothing about. We have become so detached from nature and what the true meaning of what balance is and how important it is, I know this- you won’t find any true meaning to life buried in your phone. This movie will remind everyone who sees it what it feels like to be connected to something bigger than your little world when you experience nature through the eyes and hearts of animals.
Very good festival and very good feedback. I really appreciate the honest feedback that the viewers gave. The reaction they gave was exactly what I was going for when we filmed the movie. The surprise was to have Stratagem the movie get voted for best feature film. Very humbled and honored. Thank you all for your professionalism and communication.
DEADLINE TODAY: Submit to the Festival via FilmFreeway:
IN-PERSON screenings and HYBRID Festival Mode: Entering its 9th year, the Toronto & Los Angeles Documentary Festival now gives filmmakers 5 tiers to showcase and promote their film. (All accepted films get all five tiers).
1) Screening #1: Where you will obtain your audience feedback video.
2) Screening #2: (optional) virtual festival (48-hour promotional showcase) on the film festival streaming service.
3) Screening #3 at a sold-out public screening at the Carlton Cinemas in Toronto OR the LA LIVE Regal Cinemas in downtown Los Angeles. (note: 3rd screening only for short films and also not guaranteed for the guaranteed submission option.)
4) Podcast interview at WILDsound Radio on ITunes
5) Blog interview promoting you and your film.
The first film festival screening gives you our award-winning audience feedback videos made for the short & feature films.
Since 2016, the FEEDBACK Film Festival has been showcasing the best of documentary short films. We now will be showcasing a documentary film festival every month in the heart of downtown Toronto at the Carlton Cinemas.
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NEW OPTION: For limited time: Option to submit and garner an automatic acceptance of your film. Agenda is to create exposure for the filmmaker and their film!
With that acceptance, you will receive an audience feedback video, plus 2 interviews (blog and podcast) to promote the filmmaker and film.
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We also will be showcasing winning documentary treatments at our festival every single month.
Festival Reviews 
