Irish Film Festival, Boston has announced its Call for Entries for the 17th annual Irish Film Festival. The film festival takes place from March 23rd to 26th, 2017, in Somerville, MA. There is an early bird deadline of October 31st, 2016, for entries while the regular submission deadline is December 15th, 2016.
Voted one of the top twenty coolest film festivals in the world by Movie Maker Magazine, entries are invited in the following categories: Feature Film – Live action and or Animated; Documentary – Feature Doc; Short Film – Live Action Short, Documentary Short or Animated Short. The festival will also play host to the 2017 BIFF Awards, offering prizes in the following categories: The Breakthrough Feature Award which honors those filmmakers whose feature films represent the Best of Ireland and the Irish on Screen; the Global Vision Documentary category which awards work that challenges, highlights or explores global issues with a unique Irish gaze; Most Inspiring Short Film which awards a piece of work that recognizes an up and coming Irish Filmmaker.
Winners in each category will receive flight and accommodation to attend the event, as well as various other prizes awarded by festival partners and sponsors. Awards will be presented during the festival following a special screening of the winning films, press opportunities and meetings with industry professionals. Filmmakers will also be asked to sit on a panel discussion, which will be free and open to the public.
The BIFF Awards were inaugurated in 2003 to honor those filmmakers whose work represents the very best of Ireland and the Irish on screen. Irish cinema has emerged as a dynamic global phenomenon, expressing a culture focused on the island of Ireland but spread out to all four corners of the globe. Encompassing a near-limitless array of experiences and aspirations, Irish filmmakers from around the world challenge traditional notions of Irishness and force us to expand our understandings of what it means to be Irish in the 21st century.
Discounts for IFTA members are available. Full details can be found at www.irishfilmfestival.com Entries are accepted through www.filmfreeway.com
Founded in 1999, the festival has screened over five hundred Irish films since its inception and is the go-to for sneak peaks and US distributor-sponsored screenings. The Festival has played host to some of the greatest names in Irish cinema, including Jim Sheridan, Gabriel Byrne, Brendan Gleeson, Domhnall Gleeson, Terry George, Colm Meaney, Fionnula Flanagan, John Boorman, Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea, Ruth McCabe, Dylan Moran and Pat Shortt. For more information, please visit www.irishfilmfestival.com