January 25, 2019 Regular Deadline I February 22, 2019 Late Deadline I March 11, 2019 Notification Date I April 9 – 24, 2019 Event Date
Email I 310-739-1446 I 6900 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90038 United States I Website I Facebook I Twitter I Profile on filmfestivals.com I SUBMIT
The Filmmaker Final Four is an innovative competitive festival program that will provide an an opportunity for filmmakers across the country to produce short films and have them presented to live audiences and industry professionals.
Filmmakers will assemble a team to conceive, cast, produce and edit a short film. They will have 16 days to complete the project, based on one of two application deadlines. The program will roll out across 4 separate regions (West, Midwest, Northeast, South).
Filmmakers will be able to choose from a variety of genres and must demonstrate proof that project began according to rules and requirements (see next section). There will be Finalists in Narrative and Documentary categories.
All projects from each respective community, within one of the 4 regions, will have an opportunity to screen their film for audiences, friends and family. While some regions will have multiple screenings, there will ultimately be 4 winners from each region, as voted on by separate juries and online audience polling.
The 4 films from each respective region will be announced at the end of their quarterly competition. At the end of the year, the Sweet 16 will be announce will be announced and have additional screenings take place in Hollywood.
While there is a time restriction applied to this contest, we do allow for “creative” work to be done in pre-production. This may include screenwriting, casting rehearsals, location scouting and design work. Many film projects have achieved high levels of storytelling, performances and production value, even with intense time or budget constraints.
The Executive Director, Jon Fitzgerald, has directed numerous film festivals, including AFI, Santa Barbara and Naples, and is a co-founder of Slamdance. He remains committed to supporting the discovery of emerging talent and creating avenues of exposure for aspiring filmmakers.
Awards & Prizes
There will be 4 Finalists from each region, making up the Sweet 16. These Finalists will all receive:
• Complimentary Production Services for next project, including:
• Access to Green Screen Studio
• Camera Package (Sony PXW-X70)
• Sound Package (Rode Sound Kit w/NTG-2, Mic, Boom, Headphones)
• Membership to HCF
• VIP Passes to next Hollywood Talent Summit (2 per)
• Submission to industry professionals upon request
There will be 4 Finalists in each category (Narrative & Documentary), with one Grand Jury Prize Winner for each. Grand Jury Prize Winners receive all of the above prizes, plus:
• 1,000 each
• Professional Consultation Services by HCF Advisors in the following areas: Film Festivals, Distribution, Production, Screenwriting
Rules & Terms
Filmmakers will assign a Producer to essentially be the team leader, who will responsible for completing the Application process , as well as ensuring delivery of the movie.
Each project will have 16 days to complete their movie, from date in their printed cycle.
Each project must be less than 10 minutes, with an end credit sequence (crawl or cards) less than 60 seconds.
Any stock footage or stills must have Materials release or producer verifying they are fair use.
All cast and crew must be contributing their time and effort on a volunteer basis.
Sourced music must come with signed release, or original music can accompany composer release.
Movie must not contain pornographic or defamatory content.
No public pre-screening of movie prior to exhibition with FF4.
Regions
Filmmakers should apply for their specific Region, based on residence. The FF4 team will be working with many of the film programs and film commissions within each of the film communities to support your projects. We will be scheduling screenings with Tugg in a majority of the states listed below. Within 7-10 days of each of the respective Application Deadlines, screening times and locations will be announced.
WEST REGIONAL
California Colorado
Nevada New Mexico
Arizona Wyoming*
Washington Montana*
Oregon Idaho*
Utah
Early Deadline: January 18
Late Deadline: February 15
Screenings will take place in April
* Unless there are a minimum of 4 film entries, there may not be screenings scheduled in these states.
MIDWEST REGIONAL
North Dakota South Dakota
Nebraska Kansas
Minnesota Wisconsin
Iowa Illinois
Ohio Indiana
Michigan
Early Deadline: March 15
Late Deadline: April 19
Screenings will take place in June
NORTHEAST REGIONAL
Maryland New York
Pennsylvania New Jersey
Delaware Rhode Island
Maine Vermont
Mass Connecticut
New Hampshire
Early Deadline: May 17
Late Deadline: June 14
Screenings will take place in August
SOUTH REGIONAL
Texas Oklahoma
Arkansas Louisiana
Mississippi Alabama
Georgia Tennessee
North Carolina South Carolina
Florida
Early Deadline: July 26
Late Deadline: August 23
Screenings will take place in October
SWEET 16
The Finalists from each region will screen in Hollywood in November.
THE FINAL 4
Audience and Jury Award winners will be announced within 1 week of the Sweet 16 screenings.
All information related the projected dates and screening schedule is subject to change. All registered applicants will receive notifications of any significant changes, within 2 business days, via email address recorded with applications.
FITZGERALD Jon 
