CREATIVE RESIDENCY
Millay Colony for the Arts
INFO: The Millay Colony for the Arts is one of the oldest multidisciplinary artist residencies in the world. Since its inception by Norma Millay in 1973, we have invited thousands of writers, poets, visual artists, screenwriters, playwrights, filmmakers and composers to come to Steepletop, the estate of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and activist Edna St. Vincent Millay to reflect, refuel and create in quiet solitude. Most residencies are month-long but we do offer shorter stays several times a year, especially to accommodate the special needs of parent creators.
In addition, we partner with local and regional schools and other organizations for unique and compelling public programs and community outreach initiatives.
The seven-acre Colony is located in the Hudson Valley in the foothills of the Berkshires. The Millay Society, our neighbor, oversees Millay’s house and gardens. There are designated trails for hiking and bicycling as well as nearby lakes, rivers and streams. In the summer, wild blueberries and other delicacies abound, while in the winter, there is excellent crosscountry skiing. Nearby Harvey Mountain State Forest draws visitors year-round. We are within 30 minutes of Chatham, New York and Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Other attractions include The Mount, Tanglewood, Norman Rockwell Museum, Chesterwood, MassMOCA, Naumkeag, Jacobs Pillow, PS21, the Columbia County Film Festival and Berkshire Shakespeare & Company.
We provide groceries and Chef Donna cooks delicious family-style dinners weeknights. We accommodate all dietary restrictions; we also have a bbq grill and firepit (burgers and s’mores anyone?).
Our beloved historic Barn (built from a Sears-Roebuck kit in 1926) features four private bedrooms and studios. The Main Building (fully ADA-accessible) features 3 private bedrooms and 2 studios, as well as shared living/dining/kitchen space. In addition, the Main Building houses the Nancy Graves Memorial Library, a Yamaha U1 upright piano and the Martha Dupee Darkroom. Other amenities include washer/dryer, WiFI, printer/computer/copier/fax.
DEADLINE: March 1, 2020
https://millaycolony.submittable.com/submit
Academy Nicholl screenwriting competition
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
INFO: Each year, the Academy Nicholl screenwriting competition awards up to five $35,000 fellowships to amateur screenwriters. To enter, submit a feature length screenplay and entry fee via the online application when the competition is open for submissions. Fellowship winners are invited to participate in awards week ceremonies and seminars and expected to complete at least one original feature film screenplay during the Fellowship year.
QUALIFICATIONS: Screenwriters who have not earned more than $25,000 writing fictional work for film or television. Entry scripts must be the original work of one writer, or of two writers who collaborated equally, and must be written originally in English. Adaptations and translated scripts are not eligible.
PRIZES: Up to five $35,000 fellowships are awarded each year to promising new screenwriters. From the program’s inception in 1986 through 2019, $4.58 million has been awarded to 176 writers.
FELLOWSHIP OBLIGATIONS: Up to five fellows in the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition will be invited to participate in awards week ceremonies and seminars in November. Fellowship recipients will be expected to complete at least one original feature film screenplay during the fellowship year. Fellowship payments will be made quarterly subject to satisfactory progress of the recipient’s work, as judged by the Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee. The Academy reserves the right to grant no awards if, in the opinion of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee, no entry is of sufficient merit.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:
Original feature film screenplay (no shorter than 70 pages and no longer than 160 pages) in PDF format only
Completed online application form
Early entry fee of US$48 (by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on March 6) or regular deadline entry fee of US$63 (by 11:59 p.m. PT on April 9) or late deadline entry fee of US$88 (by 11:59 p.m. PT on May 1).
DEADLINES / SUBMISSION FEES:
Early: March 6, 2020 ($48 entry fee)
Regular: April 9 ($63 entry fee)
Late: May 1 ($88 entry fee)
Full-time students at an accredited college/university are eligible for a discount on their entry fee in 2020. Indicate your status in the demographic section of your online application. The discount will be offered in the payment section.
https://www.oscars.org/nicholl/about
REEL SISTERS OF THE DIASPORA FILM FESTIVAL & LECTURE SERIES
INFO: The Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series is a two-day annual film festival founded by African Voices magazine and LIU's Media Arts Dept., Brooklyn Campus. Reel Sisters has expanded to include a six week season with a kick off in Harlem and awards ceremony. Established in 1997, Reel Sisters (www.reelsisters.org) is dedicated to providing opportunities for women of color to advance their careers in the film industry. Reel Sisters accepts films written, directed, or produced by women/non-binary filmmakers of color. Reel Sisters is the first Academy Qualifying Film Festival devoted to women of color across the globe.
Reel Sisters 23 Anniversary event will take place from Oct. 24-25, 2020 in NYC. Reel Sisters is a competitive festival and films are selected by an independent jury. Please submit films early as deadlines are final. The festival provides quality customer service and does not offer fee waivers. The fee helps pay for a small fraction of the administrative costs for running a professional film festival.
Reel Sisters accepts all genres and formats with a special interest in submissions from animated and web series producers. Send us films that will make our audience “cry, dance, laugh, sing and explore." Reel Sisters is an Academy Qualifying Film Festival for Short Narratives. The festival curates events throughout the year so all entries will be considered for Reel Sisters Tea & Cinema series. Join our worldwide community of film professionals in celebrating stories produced, directed and written by women of color!
REEL SISTERS HIGHLIGHTS
• Listed in Film Daily's Top 10 Women Centered Film Festivals (2018)
https://filmdaily.co/news/female-focused-film-festivals/
• Profiled in Bushwick Daily, Shadow & Act, Film Daily, the Washington Post and Black Enterprise for presenting outstanding films by women of color from across the globe!
• Reel Sisters is a top tier film festival that provides a chance for women to gain distribution, network and access to opportunities in the film industry.
Awards & Prizes
Reel Sisters screens original films by women across the globe each year — the festival has screened over 5,000 films since its inception. Awards for Best Director, Best Documentary, Best Screenplay, Best Experimental, Best Animation, Best Feature, Best Short, Best Narrative, Best Web Series, Best Original Soundtrack and the Reel Sisters Spirit Award are selected by an independent jury composed of filmmakers, community leaders and artists. In 2016, Reel Sisters presented the Reel Sisters/Centric Awards, which includes a distribution deal with Centric/BET Networks. The cash awards depend on our funding level. It was a pleasure to bring back our scholarship awards to the film festival and with your support we can continue this tradition.
CASH AWARDS FOR 2020
Best Narrative Short - $1,000
Best Director - $500
Best Screenplay - $300
Best Animation - $200
DEADLINES:
Earlybird - March 9, 2020
Regular - May 15, 2020
Extended - June 15, 2020
https://filmfreeway.com/ReelSistersoftheDiasporaFilmFestival
THE ROXBURY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
INFO: The Roxbury International Film Festival (ROXFILM) is the largest festival in New England dedicated to celebrating the work of filmmakers creating films celebrating people of color.
ROXFILM showcases feature-length films, documentaries, shorts and animation. We are particularly committed to screening works by filmmakers with a connection to the New England area, however we also screen works by filmmakers from around the world as well.
The festival also includes workshops, panel discussions, networking opportunities, receptions, parties, and Q&A with filmmakers and special guests. Previous guests have included, Ruby Lee, Billy Dee Williams, Robert Townsend, Charles Burnett, Ernie Hudson, Daphne Maxwell-Reid, Michael Beach, Ava DuVernay, CCH Pounder, Kasi Lemmons, Victoria Rowell, Hill Harper, Jamie Hector, Mel Jackson, and Miriam Colon, Russ Parr, Guy Torry, N'Bushe Wright, Susan Batson, Anthony Montgomery, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Michael Ealy, Chico Bennymon, Marla Gibbs Topper Carew, Quincy Newell and S. Epatha Merkerson.
21st Annual Roxbury International Film Festival will be held June 19, 2018- June 29, 2019. Films will be screened at the Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, Haley House Bakery Cafe and Hibernian Hall in Roxbury, MA.
More general information about the festival can be found at www.roxburyinternationalfilmfestival.com
AWARDS & PRIZES: ROXFILM is a competitive festival. Awards include "Audience Favorite," "Best Short Film," "Best of Festival," "Best Documentary," "Emerging Local Filmmaker," and "Youth Filmmaker."
DEADLINE: March 9, 2020
https://filmfreeway.com/TheRoxburyInternationalFilmFestival
2020 Writers Lab
INFO: The Writers Lab is a four-day script development workshop that gives women screenwriters over 40 the opportunity to work intensively on their feature film scripts with the support of established writers, directors, and producers. The retreat takes place near NYC, but in the countryside: beautiful and private locations that minimize distractions and promote creativity and confidence. Through one-on-one meetings, panel discussions, guest speakers, and group meals, Mentors and Writers engage in a rigorous process that provides support in both the craft and commerce of screenwriting.
The Writers Lab is produced by New York Women in Film & Television and TWL co-founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon, and is supported by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman. It is presented in collaboration with the Writers Guild of America, East, with in-kind support from The Black List, Falco Ink, Film Fatales, Relativity Ventures, Roadmap Writers, Stony Brook Manhattan Center for Creative Writing & Film, and Tribeca Film Institute. A special thank you to Final Draft for their product contribution.
Eligibility
Applicants must be female and at least 40 years old: born on or before Oct 1, 1980.
We will be accepting scripts internationally.
Submissions must be feature-length narrative scripts in English. (No script fragments, treatments, synopses, TV scripts, shorts, stage plays, book excerpts, or documentaries.)
Scripts by more than one writer will be considered, but all writers must identify as women and be over 40, and only one writer can attend The Lab.
Applicants may submit up to three (3) scripts, with a separate application for each script submitted.
The Lab seeks a broad selection of screenplays across all genres of fiction (drama, comedy, horror, action, thriller, science fiction, animation, musical, etc.). Scripts may be about any topic and do not specifically need to be about women.
The Lab seeks submissions from all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural groups.
Requirements
The following materials are required for your application and must be submitted electronically:
Basic Biographical Information (name, email address, contact phone number, mailing address, birth date)
Script Genre
Log line
PDF of a feature-length narrative screenplay (Name removed)
REGISTRATION DEADLINES:
Regular: March 10, 2020 at 11:59pm
Late Registration: March 25, 2020 at 11:59pm
http://thewriterslab.nyc/apply/
BLACK WOMEN IN COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL
INFO: Black Women in Comedy Festival is celebrating its 2nd Year. The Festival celebrates women in Comedy from the African diaspora. We seek comedic films centered in the Black female experience from the US and across the world.
The Festival also showcases live comedy with standup acts, sketch comedy, Improv and Musical Comedy.
This two day Festival brings together #blackgirlmagic in it's truest comedic form.
Awards & Prizes
Best Screenplay
Best Actor
Best Director
Best Film
Rules & Terms
BWICF aims at sharing the comedic experiences of the women of the African diaspora. We celebrate allies showcasing us and aggressively seek to showcase many layers of our comedy. We are not monolithic.
This Festival welcomes those who want to celebrate in our sisterhood, our funny and layers of comedic art.
DEADLINE: March 15, 2020
https://filmfreeway.com/BlackWomeninComedyFilmFestival
CINEODYSSEY FILM FESTIVAL
INFO: The CineOdyssey Film Festival showcases diverse, contemporary films from around the world, featuring cutting edge works by filmmakers of color from the African, Caribbean, Latino, Asian, and Native American diasporas, as well as the U.S.
It serves to bring together diverse audiences, bridge cultural understanding, and encourage the artistic development of aspiring filmmakers. Through workshops, panel discussions, celebrated guest speakers, and educational programming throughout the year, the festival's intent is to entertain, enlighten, empower, and engage. The impressive lineup of films boldly address the multicultural issues of today, which meet at the intersection of race, class, and gender, as well as celebrating the creative craft of the art form.
AWARDS CATEGORIES:
Best Feature Film
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Short Film
Best Student Film
Best Regional Film (North Carolina or South Carolina, short or feature)
Best Documentary Film
Best Animated Film
Best Smartphone Film
Best Web Series
DEADLINES:
Late: April 3, 2020
Extended: May 22, 2020