Festival Name: The Girl Improved Film & Television Festival
Submission Deadline: Regular Deadline: June 1st; Final Deadline: July 1st
Festival Dates: August 6th-14th (hybrid online-drive-in festival)
Submission Fee: $5 Regular; $7 Final
Email: andee@girlimproved.com
Website: https://filmfreeway.com/GIFTFest
Location: Austin + Online
Description: Write. Produce. Direct. Improve. At GIFT Fest, we challenge young artists to create art that is deliberately gender inclusive and diverse. By ensuring that young people who identify as female or nonbinary are 50% of the equation, we believe that the projects are improved. Thus, they’re “girl improved.” THE CRITERIA GIFT Fest invites artists from around the world, who are 22 or younger and who identify as female or nonbinary, to submit content ten minutes or shorter that meets the following criteria: 1) The director and at least 50% of the key creative team (writer, producer, cinematographer, editor) must identify as female or nonbinary, and 2) At least 50% of the people on screen must identify as female or nonbinary.
THE EVENT A hybrid online-drive-in festival, GIFT Fest 2021 is a virtual festival with an accompanying drive-in screening. Content is available for on-demand viewing during a one-week period in August. In addition, a special drive-in screening for local Austin filmmakers is held during the festival. The festival will culminate with an Awards Ceremony featuring an interactive panel with special guests.
