Submissions are now open for the 20th Annual Bend Film Festival. It’s an in-person and virtual event that showcases a wide variety of filmmakers.
The in-person festival will be Oct. 12-15, 2023, while the virtual portion will be Oct. 16-22.
This year’s festival screened 126 narrative documentary features and short films and they expect about 2,000 submissions for 2023.
“As the only film festival in this town and in Central Oregon, it’s important for us to cultivate and support film making as much as possible,” said Selin Sevinc, head of programming for the festival.
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You can find a full list of rules and deadlines for submission at this link.
Here is a look at awards and prizes:
- Best of Show* – $5,000 Cash Prize (All films accepted into the juried Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Outdoor/Environmental Feature, and Indigenous Feature competitions are eligible for this award.)
- Best Narrative Feature* – $1,000 Cash Prize
- Best Documentary Feature* – $1,000 Cash Prize
- Best Director* – $500 Cash Prize
- Best Outdoor/Environmental Feature* – $500 Cash Prize
- Best Indigenous Feature* – $500 Cash Prize
- Best Narrative Short* – $500 Cash Prize (plus Qualification for an Oscar Nomination)
- Best Documentary Short* – $500 Cash Prize
- Best Animated Short* – $500 Cash Prize (plus Qualification for an Oscar Nomination)
- Best Indigenous Short* – $500 Cash Prize (plus Qualification for an Oscar Nomination in applicable category)
- Best Northwest Short* – $500 Cash Prize
- Best Student Short* – $500 Cash Prize
- Katie Merritt Audience Award for a Feature Film* – $500 Cash Prize
- Katie Merritt Audience Award for a Short Film* – $250 Cash Prize
- Best Cinematography for a Narrative Feature*
- Best Editing for a Documentary Feature*
- Best Music Video – $250 Cash Prize
* includes a BendFilm award sculpture
