* 2020 was meant to be our FIFTH SEASON?!?!?! It has been a challenging year for our world and hopefully we will grow stronger for it. In the meantime we're trying to fire up again and as of the time of this writing (September, 2020) we will be looking to solicit submissions for the final screening dates in 2020 and our full season in 2021. We hope to remain open for live, limited seating, safety-protocol enforced in-person screenings and are looking into either live streaming the festival screening itself or presenting the material online for a limited engagement viewing. More info on that to come. Thanks for checking us out and we wish you all continued health, strength and inspiration.
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The FIRST FRIDAY FILM FESTIVAL - KC is a short film screening series that takes place on select first Fridays of the month throughout the year. We are looking to program provocative and compelling shorts from filmmakers of all experience levels, in any genre, from across the planet. Our mission is to expose great work to great audiences and get conversations started! Submissions are accepted year-round and programming is put together month to month. Your submission will be eligible for any of the following remaining editions of the festival in 2020 and our full program schedule for 2021.
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ORIGINS: The First Friday Film Festival (4FKC) programming team saw an opportunity to incorporate a film component into Kansas City's famous First Friday open gallery nights in the form of a public exhibition series. As filmmakers ourselves we understand the work entailed in making a film and we look to share the filmmakers' vision with our growing audience. Our goal is to provide atmosphere that champions provocative and compelling work from regional makers and international artists, and establish a forum for discussion of the work & relevant social issues by fostering dialogue between the audience and visiting filmmakers.
On the First Friday of every month, thousands of residents and visitors fill the sidewalks of the Crossroads Arts District in Kansas City, Missouri, enjoying what has become the city’s liveliest and most popular event. Arts organizations, galleries, studios, and a wide variety of local businesses feature regional and national artists as well as live entertainment starting at 5 p.m. year-round. Occurring officially since the late 90’s, the tradition continues to grow with up to 10,000 attendees on any given weekend.
The First Friday Film Festival serves as a destination for gallery-goers after most venues have closed for the night, and is a free event open to the public. Kansas City, Missouri is a destination on the rise for film production and boasts and active, close-knit filmmaking community. The festival will provide filmmakers with a chance to have their work seen by an enthusiastic and receptive audience, thus opening new connections and recognition in the town that Huffington Post in 2014 declared as being “The Coolest City in America.”
As an ongoing festival of new programming, there are multiple screening sessions that make up the fest each year. Each screening session runs roughly 120 minutes with an intermission. Sessions are not programmed by genre but rather are combined in what we feel constitute compelling clusters, offering the audience films across genres, every session.
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LOGISTICS: 4FKC is a recurring film festival. We screen on several, but not every first Friday evening in the calendar year. This is based on when the theater is available to us and based around other bookings and events which they have going on. We have a $10 suggested donation but guests may pay what they can if facing financial hardship.
Consequently, we only schedule sessions on the months the theater is available to us.
Your submission THIS MONTH, will put your film in consideration for any of the sessions AFTER the session immediately following whichever session is upcoming at the time of your submission. FilmFreeway does not have a system in place specifically for recurring festivals yet, don't be scared! We open as a new season each and every month on the Monday following the previous screening. Submit your film to us ANYTIME for consideration for placement in an edition of 4FKC the month following the session immediately after your submission date and onward. If we decide we're able to share with the greater Kansas City audience, we will, regardless of premiere status, year of completion, budget, etc...
Again, we have a "rolling deadline," meaning we are accepting submissions all year round. All submissions will be notified via e-mail, accepted submissions will receive a festival laurel and are eligible each screening for the "Audience Choice" award, which goes to the top two vote-getters each session.
Festival laurels and certificates to all accepted applicants. Every session we select two AUDIENCE CHOICE award winners and further laurels are awarded.
There is a $20 submission fee to help offset the cost of staffing and promoting the festival, but we don't want it to inhibit your submitting. If you are a filmmaker facing financial hardship but you feel it's important to submit your work, please get in touch. Thank you...
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VENUE: Our screening cinema is located within the beautiful Musical Theater Heritage facility in Crown Center. It’s a short walk from the bustling Crossroads Arts District, where the First Friday extended-hour open gallery tours are nationally renowned. We are a festival dedicated to exhibiting independent cinema that demonstrates what we define as a “unique artistic vision” and which place great importance on crafting well-developed characters and provocative storytelling. Festival programmers will give preference to films that could be classified as dramas, comedies, science fiction/fantasy or animated works, though compelling shorts in the horror/thriller, documentary and action genres will certainly be considered.
Thanks for your submission and good luck out here!
-Matthew, Emily and Fredrick
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS - Two laurels awarded monthly for the top two vote-getting films as recorded by the audience.