BendFilm Festival

Bend, Oregon, United States, North America

08 - 11 Oct, 2020

BendFilm Festival logo
BendFilm Festival

Bend, Oregon, United States, North America

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Is this your festival?

General Information

edition

17th

Contact details

1000 NW Wall Street Suite 240 Bend, Oregon 97703 United States

97703

info@bendfilm.org

(541) 388-3378

Web & social

About the festival

*** 2020 BENDFILM FILM FESTIVAL WILL PROCEED - COVID-19 NOTICE
The 17th annual BendFilm Festival is confirmed to take place October 8-11, 2020. We are working with local officials to determine what format the festival will take: whether it will be held in our physical Bend venues, online via Eventive’s Virtual Festival format, or in some combination of the two. Regardless of the format, prizes and cash awards will still be presented.

Named as one of the "Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World" in 2019 and a near-constant fixture of MovieMaker magazine's "50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee", BendFilm celebrates independent films and the risky, passionate, tough and talented people who make them. The 2019 festival screened 116 feature, documentaries and short films, with 51% of features and 42% of shorts directed by women. This year's 17th Annual Festival runs from Thursday, Oct. 8 - Sunday, Oct. 11, with most venues located in Bend's historic downtown and the nearby Old Mill District. $11,000 in cash prizes including the $5,000 cash "Best of Show!"

*** Films accepted into the canceled 2020 SXSW Film Festival that have not already submitted to BendFilm may use the Fee Waiver code BFSXSW20 through April 29. To qualify for this waiver, the submitted film must appear on the official 2020 SXSW Film Festival lineup here: https://www.sxsw.com/festivals/film/lineup/

See end of 'Rules & Terms' section for discount codes currently available.

BEST OF SHOW* - $5,000 Cash Prize
All films accepted into the juried Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Outdoor/Environmental Feature, and Indigenous Feature competitions are eligible for this award.

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE* - $1,000 Cash Prize

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE* - $1,000 Cash Prize

BEST DIRECTOR* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST OUTDOOR/ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURE* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST INDIGENOUS FEATURE* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST ANIMATED SHORT* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST OF THE NORTHWEST* - $500 Cash Prize

KATIE MERRITT AUDIENCE AWARD* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY*

* includes a BendFilm award sculpture

About

*** 2020 BENDFILM FILM FESTIVAL WILL PROCEED - COVID-19 NOTICE
The 17th annual BendFilm Festival is confirmed to take place October 8-11, 2020. We are working with local officials to determine what format the festival will take: whether it will be held in our physical Bend venues, online via Eventive’s Virtual Festival format, or in some combination of the two. Regardless of the format, prizes and cash awards will still be presented.

Named as one of the "Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World" in 2019 and a near-constant fixture of MovieMaker magazine's "50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee", BendFilm celebrates independent films and the risky, passionate, tough and talented people who make them. The 2019 festival screened 116 feature, documentaries and short films, with 51% of features and 42% of shorts directed by women. This year's 17th Annual Festival runs from Thursday, Oct. 8 - Sunday, Oct. 11, with most venues located in Bend's historic downtown and the nearby Old Mill District. $11,000 in cash prizes including the $5,000 cash "Best of Show!"

*** Films accepted into the canceled 2020 SXSW Film Festival that have not already submitted to BendFilm may use the Fee Waiver code BFSXSW20 through April 29. To qualify for this waiver, the submitted film must appear on the official 2020 SXSW Film Festival lineup here: https://www.sxsw.com/festivals/film/lineup/

See end of 'Rules & Terms' section for discount codes currently available.

BEST OF SHOW* - $5,000 Cash Prize
All films accepted into the juried Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Outdoor/Environmental Feature, and Indigenous Feature competitions are eligible for this award.

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE* - $1,000 Cash Prize

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE* - $1,000 Cash Prize

BEST DIRECTOR* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST OUTDOOR/ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURE* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST INDIGENOUS FEATURE* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST ANIMATED SHORT* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST OF THE NORTHWEST* - $500 Cash Prize

KATIE MERRITT AUDIENCE AWARD* - $500 Cash Prize

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY*

* includes a BendFilm award sculpture

Awards & Winners

There are no winners yet for this festival

Terms and rules

GENERAL RULES

Submission to the 2020 BendFilm Festival constitutes an agreement with all festival terms and conditions, and permission to exhibit the work during the festival if selected. Entrants warrant that they have the legal right to submit the work to BendFilm, that all statements made in this application are true and accurate, and that all necessary rights and clearances have been secured to exhibit the work at the festival.

Submitted work must have been completed after January 1, 2019 and, unless prior approval has been granted, may not have been publicly screened or broadcast in Central Oregon prior to the 2020 festival dates.

Films accepted to screen at the festival will be programmed in competitive and non-competitive categories at the sole discretion of BendFilm, and may be accepted into a category other than the one to which it was submitted. Films not accepted into a juried competition may still be eligible for an Audience Award, as determined by the BendFilm programming committee. Venue(s), program time(s) and number of screenings of selected work are also at the sole discretion of BendFilm. The number of scheduling slots available for competitive and non-competitive narrative features, documentary features and short films may vary from year to year.

BendFilm DOES NOT provide screening fees or honorariums for submitted work — or for any film screening as part of the festival’s juried competition. Feature films available online or on VOD prior to the festival dates will not be considered for competition slots.

BendFilm may deny acceptance of any film at its sole discretion.

ENTRY FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. Please note: if the 2020 BendFilm Festival is canceled because of an act of God, natural disaster, epidemic, or for any other reason beyond our control, submission fees cannot be refunded.

Online screeners must be provided for submissions to be reviewed by the Bendfilm programming committee. If not provided through the submission platform, a direct Vimeo link and password must be emailed to info@bendfilm.org after submission. (In Vimeo, please set the "Where Can This Be Embedded?" privacy setting to "Anywhere" to allow our screening committee to view the film within our review platform. Also, enabling “Watch Later” will give committee members greater flexibility by allowing them to watch your film on TVs and set-top devices enabled with the Vimeo app.)

Entrants will be notified of their submission’s selection status on or about September 9. If accepted, the entrant agrees to provide an exhibition file in BendFilm's required format along with a BluRay backup posthaste -- or by September 20 at the latest.

Accepted feature films are required to deliver a DCP. Short filmmakers must be prepared to deliver their films in both DCP and ProRes HQ 422 Quicktime File formats. Final format required for shorts filmmakers is determined by the BendFilm schedule. Foreign language films must be subtitled in English. Any costs necessary to deliver the exhibition file to BendFilm in the required format, or for any necessary subtitling, is the sole responsibility of the entrant.

All accepted films grant BendFilm and their designated agents permission to utilize clips, trailers, and images from the film for BendFilm and BendFilm Festival promotional content. The entrant agrees to notify BendFilm if or when they may lose ownership of the clips, trailers, and images and no longer be able to grant said permission.

If the submission becomes an "Official Selection" and/or wins a Jury or Audience Award, BendFilm requests that this be noted on promotional materials. Festival laurels are available to all Official Selections and Award winners.

All materials sent from outside the United States must be sent "free domicile" to the BendFilm office, with all transportation charges, duties and taxes prepaid by shipper. BendFilm will not handle customs clearances, so please be sure to include all of the proper customs documentation required by your shipping service. BendFilm will cover return shipping to the address designated as the Print Source, or to another festival or destination, within the continental United States via ground shipping.

Although every possible care will be taken with exhibition material in our possession, BendFilm is not responsible for loss or damage. Please do not send originals, special prints or master tapes.

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ENTRY FEE DISCOUNTS

The below discount codes are available for students, women, BendFilm alumni, and for films produced in the Northwest. Only one discount may be used per submission. Any misuse of discount codes will result in automatic disqualification without refund.

BFNW20: $5 discount for films produced in the Northwest. To qualify, submitted film must have been filmed in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, or Montana. Qualification details must be included in your cover letter.

BFFD20: $10 discount for female directors. To qualify, submitted film must have been directed by a woman. This discount is in recognition of the challenges that women face having their voices heard in a predominantly male-dominated film industry.

BFSTU20: $10 discount for student films. To qualify, submitted film must have been produced or directed by individuals who were enrolled in school (college or graduate level) and carried a valid student ID at the time of the film’s production. Qualification details must be included in your cover letter; a copy of the producer or director’s student ID may be required.

BFALUM20: 75% discount for returning BendFilm Alumni. To qualify, the submitted film must include an above-the-line crew member (producer, director, writer, lead actor) who has screened their film at the BendFilm Festival in a previous year (2004-2019). Qualification details must be included in your cover letter.

BFSXSW20: Entry fee waiver for films accepted into the canceled 2020 SXSW Film Festival. Valid through the April 29th Regular Deadline for films that have not previously submitted to BendFilm. To qualify for this waiver, the submitted film must appear on the 2020 SXSW Film Festival lineup here: https://www.sxsw.com/festivals/film/lineup/

Ratings & Reviews

Categories and fees

Narrative Feature
Early Bird (12th February, 2020) $45
Regular (29th April, 2020) $55
Late (27th May, 2020) $65

All narrative features are invited to submit. Our programming revolves around a broad thematic range, reflecting the independent spirit. (Films with major distribution may not qualify for juried competition, but are eligible for audience awards.) 50 minutes or greater.

Documentary Feature
Early Bird (12th February, 2020) $45
Regular (29th April, 2020) $55
Late (27th May, 2020) $65

All documentary features are invited to submit in this category. Our programming revolves around a broad thematic range, reflecting the independent spirit. (Films with major distribution may not qualify for juried competition, but would still be eligible for audience awards.) 50 minutes or greater.

Environmental/Outdoor Adventure Feature
Early Bird (12th February, 2020) $45
Regular (29th April, 2020) $55
Late (27th May, 2020) $65

All environmental/outdoor adventure features are invited to submit. Our programming revolves around a broad thematic range, reflecting the independent spirit. (Films with major distribution may not qualify for juried competition, but are eligible for audience awards.) 50 minutes or greater.

Indigenous Feature
Early Bird (12th February, 2020) $45
Regular (29th April, 2020) $55
Late (27th May, 2020) $65

All indigenous features are invited to submit in this category. Our programming revolves around a broad thematic range, reflecting the independent spirit. (Films with major distribution may not qualify for juried competition, but would still be eligible for audience awards.) 50 minutes or greater.

Narrative Shorts
Early Bird (12th February, 2020) $35
Regular (29th April, 2020) $45
Late (27th May, 2020) $55

All narrative shorts are invited to submit. Our programming revolves around a broad thematic range, reflecting the independent spirit. (Films with major distribution may not qualify for juried competition, but are eligible for audience awards.) Running time: 50 minutes or less.

Documentary Shorts
Early Bird (12th February, 2020) $35
Regular (29th April, 2020) $45
Late (27th May, 2020) $55

All documentary shorts are invited to submit. Our programming revolves around a broad thematic range, reflecting the independent spirit. (Films with major distribution may not qualify for juried competition, but are eligible for audience awards.) Running time: 50 minutes or less.

Animated Shorts
Early Bird (12th February, 2020) $35
Regular (29th April, 2020) $45
Late (27th May, 2020) $55

All animated shorts are invited to submit. Our programming revolves around a broad thematic range, reflecting the independent spirit. (Films with major distribution may not qualify for juried competition, but are eligible for audience awards.) Running time: 50 minutes or less.

Environmental/Outdoor Adventure Shorts
Early Bird (12th February, 2020) $35
Regular (29th April, 2020) $45
Late (27th May, 2020) $55

All environmental/outdoor adventure shorts are invited to submit. Our programming revolves around a broad thematic range, reflecting the independent spirit. (Films with major distribution may not qualify for juried competition, but are eligible for audience awards.) Running time: 50 minutes or less.

Indigenous Shorts
Early Bird (12th February, 2020) $35
Regular (29th April, 2020) $45
Late (27th May, 2020) $55

All indigenous shorts are invited to submit. Our programming revolves around a broad thematic range, reflecting the independent spirit. (Films with major distribution may not qualify for juried competition, but are eligible for audience awards.) Running time: 50 minutes or less.

Local Focus
Early Bird (12th February, 2020) $20
Regular (29th April, 2020) $30
Late (27th May, 2020) $40

All local Central Oregon filmmakers are invited to submit. Our programming revolves around a broad thematic range, reflecting the independent spirit. (This category is a non-competitive showcase of local Central Oregon film) Running time includes both feature and short length.

Matchmaking

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