(Please read carefully before submitting)
For the past several decades, the Society for Visual Anthropology’s Film and Media Festival has screened outstanding work by students, professional anthropologists, and professional filmmakers at the American Anthropological Association’s annual meeting.
The 119th American Anthropological Association annual meeting and the 2020 SVA Film & Media Festival will be held from November 18-22 at the Cervantes Convention Center at America's Center in St. Louis, MO.
ENTRY CATEGORIES:
The SVA Film & Media Festival accepts entries in the following categories:
Shorts - works less than 40 minutes in length
Feature length - works greater than 40 minutes in length
Interactive Media - websites, installations, games (please contact organizers with questions)
While the vast majority submissions are non-fiction, the festival accepts experimental, dramatic, narrative, and other genres as long as they fall within the broad category of ethnographic media as defined in our mission statement.
STUDENT AND SVA MEMBER WORK:
Special consideration and reduced entry fees are given for works created by students and current members of the Society for Visual Anthropology.
Submissions sent as "student work" must have been completed while the submitter was enrolled in an accredited educational institution. Proof of student status may be requested. Submissions in noncompliance may be disqualified without refund.
Submissions submitted as created by an "SVA Member" must have a named Society for Visual Anthropology member in a key production role (filmmaker, photographer, or director) or as the central narrator/interlocutor in the film. SVA Members may submit films to any category free of charge. Pieces done in consultation with an anthropologist should be submitted as regular films. Submissions in noncompliance may be disqualified without refund.
JURYING:
The festival jury, comprised of anthropologists and film scholars, selects work to be included in the festival on the basis of anthropological relevance and value to the field. Low budget and shorter works receive as careful attention as high budget or longer works.
ACCEPTANCE ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Filmmakers will be notified about the status of their submissions (via email provided on FilmFreeway) by July 1st.
FilmFreeway is the official and only way to submit entries for the SVA Film & Media Festival. If communicating with us via email at svafilmfestival@gmail.com, please always include your tracking number in your email.
AAA and SVA REGISTRATION:
Please note that you do NOT need to also register a film/video submission on the American Anthropological Association (AAA) website if all you are doing is submitting a film/video/media production through FilmFreeway. Films and media productions chosen for the festival by the jury will be forwarded by the SVA Festival Committee to the AAA Program Committee.
FESTIVAL ATTENDANCE:
We invite all makers whose works are programed to attend the film and media festival and conduct a brief Q&A sessions after their screening. If you are unable to attend the festival we can arrange an interactive Q&A via telecommunication technology based on availability. However, SVAFMF is unable to provide travel support or accommodations for any of its participating filmmakers, excluding limited support for award winners.