Submissions for the 19th Annual BendFilm Festival are not yet open. Check back on January 3, 2022 to submit, because BendFilm is now an Academy-qualifying Festival!
Recipients of the festival’s qualifying awards will be eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film / Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.
BendFilm celebrates independent films and the risky, passionate, tough and talented people who make them. The 2020 festival screened 120 feature, documentaries and short films, with 50% of features and 42% of shorts directed by women. The 18th Annual Festival runs from Thursday, Oct. 7 – Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021.
The Festival will present drive-in and virtual screenings with filmmaker discussions and masterclasses mixed in. Filmmakers also have access to book a mentor session with an established filmmaker, writer, cinematographer or writer.
$12,000 in cash prizes including the $5,000 cash “Best of Show!”
2020 Jurors include Sisterhood Media’s Samah Ali; Hoop Dreams’ cinematographer and documentarian, Peter Gilbert; NPR’s veteran film critic, Tim Cogshell, Filmmaker Chris Eyre, renowned programmer Drea Clark and many more! Check out the caliber of the 2020 BendFilm Festival Jury here.
Dates & Deadlines
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Earlybird Deadline
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Regular Deadline
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Late Deadline
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Extended Deadline
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Event Date
ENTRY FEE DISCOUNT CODES AVAILABLE ON FILM FREEWAY :
BFNW21: $5 discount for films produced in the Northwest. To qualify, submitted work must have been filmed in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, or Montana. Qualification details must be included in your cover letter.
BFBIPOC21: 75% discount for female and non-binary directors of color.
BFBIPOCM21: 50% discount for male directors of color.
BFFD21: $10 discount for female directors. To qualify, submitted work 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.
BFSTU21: $10 discount for student films. To qualify, submitted work 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.
BFALUM21: 75% discount for returning BendFilm Alumni. To qualify, the submitted work 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.