Renaissance Centre seeks entries to inaugural Wake Forest Film Festival

Mark your calendars for a cinematic tour de force - the debut of the Wake Forest Film Festival. Entitled “A Light in the Forest,” this inaugural event aims to spotlight passionate, creative and thought-provoking movies by some of today's most promising and accomplished local, national and international filmmakers.

A three-day film showcase, the Wake Forest Film Festival will engage audiences with films of all lengths and genres, including short and feature, documentary, horror, animation, narrative and student.

Intended for both the general public and film professionals, the film festival is an opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their films in a unique location to a discerning audience. 

The Renaissance Centre is currently accepting film submissions. The fee to submit a feature length film is $25, while the fees to submit short films and student films are $20 and $10 respectively.

Anyone who submits a film through Aug. 30 will receive $5 off the submission fee. The “regular submission” period is Sept. 1-Oct. 15. A $5 service fee will be added to the fee of anyone who submits a film between Oct. 16 and Nov. 2. No waivers or discounts of entry fees are available for any reason.

Anyone interested in submitting a film is urged to review the following requirements and restrictions:

  • We accept narrative features, narrative shorts, documentary features, documentary shorts, animated features, animated shorts, and student films in all categories (high school and college - see requirements for a film to qualify as a student submission);

  • All submitted films should have a plot that "reveals" or "sheds light on" something;

  • We do not pay a screening fee or travel expenses for filmmakers whose films have been selected for screening at the festival;

  • We cannot consider or screen films that are available for sale on Youtube, Netflix, Amazon, or any other consumer site;

  • Submitted films must have completed filming in 2014 or later;

  • Aside from other film festivals, the film must not screen within 100 miles of Wake Forest, North Carolina, from date of selection to the end of the festival in which the film appears;

  • Films must be submitted at https://filmfreeway.com/WakeForestFilmFestival

Anyone submitting a film to the Wake Forest Film Festival agrees to the following:

  • That you have clearance of rights;

  • That the authorized rights holder of the film grants to the Wake Forest Film Festival the right to screen this movie at the Wake Forest Film Festival during the agreed upon dates;

  • That excerpts of the film can be broadcast on the festival website or any other publication of the Wake Forest Film Festival for promotional purposes;

  • To the best of your resources, you will appropriately promote the screening on your end;

  • No additional grant of rights is implied or intended, and filmmaker retains all other rights to the film.

Awards will be presented in the following categories:

  • Neuse River Spotlight

  • Best Premier Film

  • Best Student Film (High School & College)

  • Best Narrative

  • Best Animated

  • Best Horror

  • Best Documentary

The Wake Forest Film Festival is scheduled for March 28-30, 2019. Tickets will go on sale Nov. 1. For more information, visit www.wakeforestrencen.org/event/wake-forest-film-festival or contact Renaissance Centre Manager Cathy Gouge at 919-435-9567 or cgouge@wakeforestnc.gov.